The new RAF museum - a must-visit

[caption id="attachment_4430" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Robert sitting in the cockpit of a Spitfire[/caption]

When the kids were small, we would often pop over to the RAF museum, not far from where we live, in North London, to have a look around and take part in some of the children's activities offered there. It was a pleasant day out, a bit old-fashioned, but convenient and good for the children. But it wasn't anything special.

Fast-forward a few years and a multi-million pound transformation has occurred. The new RAF museum (and I'm calling it new, even though it's on the same site) is worth not just taking your kids to, but your teens, your other half and your parents... And it's still free entry.

2018 is the centenary of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the museum is now a great testament to that (it was previously a bit tired). It offers some excellent galleries (including a new one on modern warfare, which contains up to date aircraft plus interactive exhibits including a quiz which I very much enjoyed), brilliant exhibits (including bombs from World Wars One and Two), hundreds of new artefacts and some very clever interactive experiences including the chance to build your own computerised plane (and then to see it fail miserably when tested - or perhaps that was only us).

The space itself (a former air field) is also vastly improved, with a green space in the middle of it and simply more space to breathe. There's also a new restaurant, but it needs more staff (and more panini machines!) to be as appealing as the rest of the site. The only other thing they need to add is a really good audio tour, as it would help you to organise what you should see - there's so much on offer.

Now, that's enough of me. Robert, who's now 13, explains more: 

When a child comes to a museum they are hoping for interesting things to look at and interactive activities to take part in.The RAF museum has always provided awesome vehicles to examine, (planes, tanks, helicopters…) yet the latter was only really provided in a kids' activity centre, not around the rest of the site.

But now, scattered around the different exhibitions are loads of online and real-life activities to have fun with. These include: designing your own plane and then testing it in a series of online challenges (which I really enjoyed and did more than once), a multi-tasking test where you had to complete logic puzzles at the same time as tapping coloured squares, and a screen where you have to put famous events in chronological order. More physical activities included dressing up in the clothes of RAF pilots, placing cogs in a wheel to try and complete a successful engine and a speed test where you had to tap lights as they flashed up. There were also loads of other interactive things to do for both younger and older kids, on top of the old activity centre (which, funnily enough, is one of the things that doesn’t really work that well anymore).

Royal Air Force

[caption id="attachment_4435" align="alignnone" width="1000"] There were so many interesting cut outs of people who had been, or were, in the RAF[/caption]

The Royal Air Force is what the activities and the museum is all about.There are many exhibitions displaying information about times when the RAF was needed and in each hangar there are the different vehicles used at those times; from the spitfire to the German Messerschmitt to the incredible, giant Vulcan. In the first exhibition, “Stories of the air force” there are models of every vehicle for children to sit in.

[caption id="attachment_4436" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Some of the older bombs on show[/caption]

In terms of information there are boards next to the planes explaining what they are, as well as loads of lifesize cut outs of former RAF members with their story printed on the back. These were really interesting and varied - from different times and about many different types of people - and I would recommend reading them. I found the planes and the bombs/missiles they carried really cool to look at although I could see younger children getting bored after a little while.

Add-ons

[caption id="attachment_4432" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Robert flying a plane (via a simulator...)[/caption]

There are three main experiences that you could pay to take part in at the museum. The first was a flight simulation where you have six minutes to control the plane. You do feel slight vibrations, but it wasn’t as exciting as I hoped – although my dad did enjoy it. This simulator is only for older kids - however I remember the other simulator (the torpedo) being amazing when I was younger so if you go to the museum after it has been fixed, I would recommend that simulator above the newer one.

There was a 4D film in which you “fly” with the red arrows - one of five different films being shown.

The final add on was “The Spitfire Experience” where you get to go inside a real spitfire and press the buttons and pull the levers as if you were flying. I thought this might be a bit boring, but it was really good. A member of staff explains all the bits of the plane to you, and how it worked, and I thought it was the most interesting thing I had done all day. I would recommend trying this - although it costs £10 - for the explanation alone. It was great.

Evaluation

[caption id="attachment_4438" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Standing in the new gallery, which is the story of the RAF from 1980 to the present day[/caption]

Personally, I had a great day trying out all the new activities and looking at the new exhibitions. The day out was a lot more fun than the last time I came so if you haven’t come in a while or are coming to London on a trip then I would definitely recommend a visit!

The RAF Museum is open from 10-6pm daily from March to October. It's free entry, although the add-ons (as mentioned above) cost extra. It's in Hendon, North West London (the nearest tube is Colindale on the Northern Line) and you can find out more about it via its website..

 

Read more:

Top museums for kids in London - by Robert

A visit to the fantastic Spy Museum

The National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire

[caption id="attachment_3439" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The Naval Memorial[/caption]

With Armistice Day just around the corner, it seemed a perfect time to tell you about the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. It is a really beautiful and important place, sad and moving, and a really good location for a visit from the whole family. It’s also remarkably peaceful, with the Rivers Tame and Trent flowing through the site.

The Arboretum was inspired after David Childs, who set it up, visited Arlington Cemetery and the National Arboretum in Washington DC in 1988. John Major, the then Prime Minister, launched an appeal to set up the Arboretum in 1994, even though there was no land or money at the time. It was officially opened in 2001 and is a fine tribute to all the men and women who have laid down their lives for their country.

The Arboretum is set in 150 acres, with over 40,000 trees, over 300 memorials and an abundance of wildlife.

We took a buggy tour round some of the memorials and then walked around by ourselves later. The Arboretum is huge, so a buggy tour is a really good idea, especially if you are with kids, although the land train is another good option. Our guide, Maurice Dodds, used to be in the armed forces himself and he was full of information, driving us to some fascinating memorials and pointing out many more as we whizzed past.

[caption id="attachment_3441" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The memorial to Jewish servicemen and women[/caption]

It is really hard to pick out particular memorials as they are all important. However, there was something especially moving about the huge one to those killed in the fighting at Basra in the first Gulf War, as it seemed so recent, while there are many beautiful gardens and marked trees, all of which have their own stories to tell. There are memorials to postal workers and policemen and women, to those who lost their lives during the Northern Irish conflict, in Suez, in Kenya, and the Far East, to Jewish servicemen and women and to those in the special forces. There is a memorial to the Twin Towers and a memorial railway line to those who died setting up the Sumatra Railway, plus a large memorial for those who died in the Falklands, not so very long ago. And of course there are so many more, with new ones added each year, just as (sadly) new names are added to the armed services memorial. You can see a listing here.

The memorials are all very thoughtfully done. The one for the police (The Beat) is an avenue of trees made up of London planes and chestnuts – this is because the first truncheons were made from chestnut trees.

One of the most impressive is made out of glass and stone and is in memory of Naval personnel. It consists of 13 glass panels (which look like sails) representing the oceans of the world. Apparently when the sun shines on them, the tops of the panels create the shadow of a warship on the pavement surrounding them. At the far end there is a panel, in red to represent the setting sun, and it says (of course):  "At the going down of the sun, we will remember them.”

[caption id="attachment_3443" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The Shot at Dawn memorial[/caption]

One of the most moving areas was definitely the Shot At Dawn Memorial which remembers those 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers who were shot in the First World War – whether for “cowardice”, desertion, disobeying orders or sleeping at their post. Many were under age.

The memorial is modelled on a 17-year-old, Herbert Burden, who was shot in 1915 at Ypres. His name and all the others are listed on the stakes surrounding the statue.

There is also a beautiful chapel, The Millennium Chapel of Peace and Forgiveness, which is open to people from all faiths – and none. A daily Act of Remembrance takes place each day at 11am – the only place in England where this happens.

It all sounds very sobering, and it was, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t suitable for children – and it’s certainly educational for all ages. Near the Somme memorial there is a reconstruction of a World War One trench, which was full of young children when we visited, all listening intently to actors dressed up as soldiers telling them about their lives. There is also a brand new sensory garden and another children’s woodland area to play in too.  There is a lovely cafe and coffee shop on site, but you can also bring a picnic and there is so much space, that even with lots of visitors, you won’t feel crowded.

[caption id="attachment_3446" align="alignnone" width="1200"] In the new kids' sensory garden[/caption]

The Arboretum offers an audio tour which covers 93 of the memorials and there is also a brand new  Remembrance Centre. We would really recommend it as it is also very moving, though small, with videos, art and even a way for you to create your own memorial landscape.

The Centre gives explanations and background to the concept of remembrance and the many different ways we can remember, contains interactive displays and a booth for you to record your own memories. There is also a quite magical pathway of leaves, which turns into poppies as you walk through it. Plus visitors to the Remembrance Centre have the audio guide included in their ticket price.

[caption id="attachment_3445" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Poppies on the floor at the Remembrance Centre[/caption]

A visit can take you a few hours or a full day, but it truly is a beautiful place which makes you think. There are regular activities and talks (including a daily Shot at Dawn talk at 1.30pm) It is free to enter – although the Remembrance Centre costs £7.50 per adult and £6 for a child aged between 6 and 16. A ticket for a family of four is £20.

Jess says: I enjoyed our visit to the National Memorial Arboretum much more than I expected. Although it was sobering in places, it felt very fitting to honour the inspirational people who have given their lives serving this nation. It also felt like a celebration of their achievements, rather than a grim display. The memorials were beautiful and the stories fascinating - though scary in places. I really liked walking through the trench, and a highlight of mine was going to the exhibition and finding out about different peoples’ experiences serving the country. A main message from the exhibition was to remember all the people who have sacrificed their lives, and I think that this is very important.

A 50 minute buggy tour is £5 per person, £2 per children (5-12 years), while a volunteer-led guided walk (45 minutes) costs £3 per person.  The land train is £5 per adult and £2 per child and leaves every 30 minutes between 9.30 and 3.30pm.

Disclosure: We visited the National Memorial Arboretum as part of a trip organised by Enjoy Staffordshire. Our buggy tour and visit to the Remembrance Centre were given to us on a complimentary basis, but all our opinions are, as usual, entirely our own.

While in Staffordshire we had quite a different experience at Drayton Manor theme park - read about that here.