Track down Billy Brown at London Transport Museum and its Depot in Acton this October half-term
London Transport Museum is opening its doors in two locations this October half-term as it welcomes families to track down Billy Brown of London Town at its Museum in Covent Garden and its Depot in Acton Town, west London. Billy Brown is a vintage cartoon character who appeared on posters across London’s buses and Tubes in the 1940s. This unlikely wartime ‘hero’ helped Londoners navigate the Capital safely by using catchy rhyming couplets designed to make important safety messages memorable.
During October half-term, families visiting both the Museum or the Museum Depot can follow a trail to find figures of Billy Brown hidden among historic buses and discover the rhyming couplets he used to keep passengers on their best behaviour.
At the Museum, Covent Garden – Saturday 17 October – Sunday 1 November
Visitors to the Museum over half term will also be among the first to explore the transformed London’s Transport at War gallery. Open from Saturday 17 October, the gallery reveals the role London’s transport has played in global conflicts, from keeping civilians safe on the home front to supporting efforts on the front lines. It introduces visitors to the people behind these stories and features interactive displays, posters, photographs and objects from the Museum’s collection.
On Saturday October 31, an special Early Explorer session will take place for children with special education needs. The Museum will be free from the general public, with many of the gallery sounds turned off.
At the Depot, Acton Town – 24 and 25 October, and Wednesday 28 October – Sunday 1 November
London Transport Museum’s Depot in Acton Town is one of the only museum stores in the Capital which opens for the public to explore. Following a self-guided route that weaves through an Aladdin’s cave of more than 320,000 artefacts from London’s transport history, visitors will have the chance to climb aboard beautifully restored buses and trains as they track down Billy Brown. The depot’s miniature railway will also be open for service, offering rides aboard replica models of vintage London Underground trains used on the Metropolitan line between the 1920s and 1960s.
Tickets to visit London Transport Museum in Covent Garden or its Museum Depot in Acton Town during half-term are on sale now.
Residents local to both venues can enjoy discounted tickets and are encouraged to walk where possible.