Ming treasures are revealed at the British Museum and the Wellcome Collection opens its new gallery with 'The Institute of Sexology, just some of the highlights of spending autumn in Bloomsbury.
Through spectacular objects from 15th century China, Ming: 50 Years That Changed China, the blockbuster autumn exhibition at the British Museum focuses on a little explored but spectacular period in the first half of 15th century when China became a global superpower. "There will be many surprises" in the exhibition, according to The Guardian, "including the world's first encyclopaedia and a form of imperial mini-golf." Ming dynasty objects dating from between 1400 and 1450 - exquisite porcelain, gold, jewellery, furniture, paintings, sculptures and textiles loaned by museums across China and the rest of the world - reveal a golden age, "a spectacularly dynamic and culturally fertile period" (The Guardian) when the capital was established in Beijing. And there's still time to see the Ancient Lives exhibition which uses the latest technology to see inside the cases of eight Egyptian mummies, the exhibition continues until 30th November 2014,
A 1953 Volkswagen Beetle and a porcelain rhino are just some of the many objects from a 600 year period on display at the British Museum's Germany: Memories of a Nation, an exhibition backed by a 30-part BBC Radio 4 series marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. Covering a period from the height of the Holy Roman Empire to post Cold-War Germany, the exhibition reflects the shifts of borders that define German history and gives visitors an insight into Germany beyond the First World War. The exhibition features the work of great German artists, from Riemenschneider, Durer and Holbein to Kollwitz, Barlach and Baselitz, as well as a wide range of objects that includes prints and maps, coin and medals, spectacular metalwork, Meissen porcelain, Bauhaus furniture, and a stunning copy of King Charlemagne's Holy Roman Emperor crown, commissioned by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1913 ahead of the Great War. While visiting the exhibition leave time to see 'The other side of the medal: how Germany saw the First World War' (9th May - 23rd November 2014) a free exhibition in Room 69a of the British Museum of medals made by artists who lived and worked in Germany between 1914 and 1919.
While the Wellcome Collection undergoes a £17.5 million development project due for completion in spring 2015, the Bloomsbury venue, the legacy of pharmaceutical pioneer Henry Wellcome and home to a collection of intriguing displays on science, continues to inspire visitors with exhibitions in the galleries which remain open. From 20th November 2014, a new Gallery 2 opens with 'The Institute of Sexology', a candid exploration of the most publicly discussed of private acts. Through more than 200 objects spanning art, rare archival material, erotica, film and photography, the exhibition - the first of its kind in the UK - brings together the pioneers of the study of sex. As well as looking at the work of those who have pioneered the study of sex - influential figures like Magnus Hirschfeld (nicknamed the "Einstein of sex" by the press of his time), Sigmund Freud, and Marie Stopes - the show also includes contemporary artworks exploring sexual identity. Autumn also sees the return of the popular Packed Lunch series with lunchtime talks from local scientists and while development works are on-going there are still plenty of spaces open to explore, including the new youth studio, which will be hosting its first collaboration in September.
This autumn the British Library - home to the Magna Carta, the Gutenberg Bible, Shakespeare's First Folio and the Lindisfarne Gospels - invites visitors to explore the enduring influence that the gothic genre has had on literature, film, fashion, music and art through the work of Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker, Stanley Kubrick and Alexander McQueen. Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination , from 3rd October, provides a comprehensive look at gothic literature through tomes ranging from Horace Walpole to Angela Carter . It promises to be 'beautiful, dark, inspiring and haunting.'
A small, free display (until Sunday 30th November 2014), 'The Grand Depart -Tour de Lead Graffiti' on Levels 2 and 3 at the back of the St Pancras building celebrates the Tour de France's fourth visit to the UK.
And, from Friday 14th November 2014, free exhibition 'Lines in the Ice' examines why Europeans are drawn to explore the Arctic and unearths the history of the North Pole's most famous resident - Santa.
Closed for renovations during the summer, the Bloomsbury Theatre reopens in October with new toilets, an additional bar and new seats. The 535-seat Bloomsbury performance space owned by University College London, relaunches with Paul Foot, a comedian who pushes the absurd to the extreme, on Saturday 18th October 2014, continuing to uphold its reputation for comedy.
There are more laughs to be had at 'An (almost) Halloween Night of horror and comedy' on Sunday 2nd November 2014 with top comedians Charlie Higson, Stewart Lee, Josie Long, Steve Pretty, Joanna Neary, Johnny Mains, Robin Ince and a host of guests all taking part.
Vivienne Westwood, Zandra Rhodes, and Anya Hindmarch are just some of the top designers who have contributed to 'Peter Pan and the Designers of the Caribbean' brought to you by Interior Designers Pantomime. A fun, fabulous and funny night out in aid of the NSPCC, held from Tuesday 28th October 2014 until Saturday 1st November 2014.
Visit the Charles Dickens Museum, Charles and Catherine Dickens's home from 1837 to 1839, where the famous Victorian author brought London to life. The author's life is remembered at the museum on Doughty Street, his only surviving London residence, through costumed tours which invite visitors to step back in time to 1839 when Dickens and his young family were preparing to leave for a journey to their holiday home in Broadstairs in Kent. Find out what happens during their absence as the housemaid guides you through the house and the secrets of the esteemed young writer and his growing family.
Combining art with humour, this addition to London's museum-cum-gallery scene is refreshingly vibrant. One of London's lesser known museums, The Cartoon Museum is easily missed - dwarfed as it is by its neighbour, the British Museum - but it is certainly worth seeking out.
And from 22nd October 2014 the Cartoon Museum's display centres on English painter, printmaker and pictorial satirist William Hogarth. In Hogarth's London the artist's images reveal the vitality and suffering, the highs and the lows of life in London 250 years ago.
The museum is spread over two floors, with curated exhibitions downstairs and a permanent collection of British comics and cartoons upstairs where they have a room set aside for events for older children.
Bloomsbury is home to some of the oldest and most notable of London's squares, from the time of Charles II to the reign of Queen Victoria. Green spaces in the area include Gray's Inn Gardens in the heart of London's legal district, Bloomsbury Square - whose early 20th century literary occupants gave rise to the famous 'Bloomsbury group' - Russell Square and Coram's Fields with its delightful child-friendly playground.
Visit the London Parks & Gardens Trust website where you can download and listen to interesting stories of the many characters who have lived in the squares of Bloomsbury. The walk begins at Chancery Lane underground station and ends at Tottenham Court Road underground station and takes about three hours to complete, depending on the time spent in gardens. Most of the gardens are open to the public during the day, with the exception of Gray's Inn, which is open during weekdays only from 12 noon to 2.30pm. Mecklenburgh Square and Bedford Square are private, but open to the public during Open Garden Squares Weekend each June.
Autumnal days and darker nights give Londoners the perfect excuse for settling in by a warm pub fire for a pint. Bloomsbury has more than its share of excellent and historic boozers.
On the pedestrianised Lamb's Conduit Street, near Coram's Fields, hidden behind an 18th century facade, is The Lamb, a beautifully preserved Grade II listed Victorian pub with a no-music policy which makes for a very peaceful pint. On the same street is the The Perservence, a good option if you're looking for a more lively place to drink with loud music.
Head to The Duke, an art deco gem of a pub on a Bloomsbury backstreet close to the Dickens Museum, for a mulled wine by an open fire after a trip to the house where Dickens penned Oliver Twist. Or try the Museum Tavern, an ornate Victorian pub just opposite the British Museum. Despite being the closest pub to the museum it's surprisingly authentic and frequented by Londoners.