See how people lived by looking at the things that filled their homes and made up their lives, from TV-based board games and the most popular toys of the time to beers that came in a can and the treats that were packed into every kid’s lunchbox. For kids it’s a fascinating look at what life was like before they were born; for adults, it’s often a trip down Memory Lane - every time you visit you're sure to find something new and exciting that triggers a memory or tells a story.
The Museum of Brands does more than it says on the tin - and there are lots of tins inside! It all began with the collection of Robert Opie, a consumer historian with years of industry experience, fascinated by the everyday objects in ordinary homes. In 1975 he held an exhibit at the V&A, and then in 1984 he ran the Museum of Advertising and Packaging in Gloucester Road until its closure in 2001. Since 2002 the Museum of Brands has been a registered charity sponsored by Kellog’s, Cadbury’s, McVitie’s and more. It now contains over 12,000 items that go beyond just advertising and packaging to really bring to life how people lived in the past.
The museum’s permanent exhibition, The Time Tunnel, takes visitors through 200 years of history (stretching back to Victorian times) by looking at the things that families have consumed and (in their words) thrown away over the generations. To call it a museum of brands doesn't quite do it justice - there are tins, toys, telephones and more from by-gone eras going back to your parents’ days, and their parents’ days, and their parents’ days, and even further back than that! Items like magazine covers illustrate the fashions of the day, and the Time Tunnel Audio Experience brings those days to life by immersing you in the sounds of steam engines, BBC broadcasts and even commentaries by Robert Opie himself.
As well as its permanent exhibit, the museum puts on fascinating temporary exhibits dedicated to exploring life through the lens of consumer culture, such as an exhibition dedicated to the artist Carey Bennet that explores the theme of themes of memory loss and dementia, or the recently extended exhibit looking at sustainability through the ages. There are also regular in-person and digital workshops suitable for students as much as the seriously curious and nostalgic.
Details
- Address:
- 111-117 Lancaster Rd
- W11 1QT
- Contact:
- https://museumofbrands.com/
- 020 7243 9611
- Transport:
- Ladbroke Grove underground station