Museum in Docklands

Followed groups of schoolkids to Museum in Docklands on West India Quay, which chronicles the history of the area. It was nice to hear a group of primary schoolgirls singing "London Bridge is Falling Down" as a guide told the story of the bridge. Elsewhere, a group of kids of Asian ethnicity were drawing on clipboards.

I liked the colors they used for the displays. There's a good balance of artefacts and text explanations on the walls. Sailortown is genuinely creepy and smells as if sweaty sailors have used the walls as a public convenience. Also saw the ironic film Rush Hour by David Matthews and Paul Howard. Set in Freetown, Sierra Leone, hundreds of people stood still as the camera tracked through what was normally the busiest street in town.

The museum building, formerly a sugar warehouse, is 'an important site of memory for the African diaspora' because of its role in the 'triangular trade'. Ships sailed from the dock outside to Africa to purchase slaves, then transported them to the Carribean sugar plantations. The sugar from these plantations were then brought to London. The museum is applying for World Heritage Status for this reason.

• Free admission for under 16's, NUS card holders and disabled carers.
• Annual adult ticket: £5,
• Concessions: £3 (over 60s and unwaged) allowing unlimited readmission for a full year.
• Free for pre-booked school and college parties