Friday, 28 March, 2014

Dear Mummy, it’s a wet and blustery day and I’ve been confined to the house all morning. We hear from friends that at Milestones Museum, the Lego Lost World Zoo has come to town! We decided to head down to the museum, it’s been plugged heavily on #museumweek and looks like a fun way to spend our afternoon.

I’m a bit young to play with Lego yet as the pieces are too small and fiddly for my small hands, but mummy thinks it would be nice to see the Lego sculptures.

Milestones Museum of Living History is located in Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK. It is made up of a network of streets that have been recreated like those found in Victorian and 1930s Hampshire. It was opened in 2000 and funded by the National Lotttery.

It is filled with Victorian terrace houses, shops and vehicles and it’s very own Victorian pub! I love looking at all the classic cars and walking along the cobbled streets. I had to watch my footing though as I kept tripping on the uneven floor while looking around at all the attractions.

The museum is suitable for all ages, with plenty to keep the whole family occupied. Younger visitors can explore the museum’s specially created Post Office and explore the museum through a range of I-Spy trails. Older visitors can enjoy a trip to the Gramophone shop – and hear favourite tunes from years gone by. People were even making themselves at home by sitting in the comfy chairs in the period rooms.

My favourite shops were the old fashioned sweet store and the toy museum terrace house. We even stopped by the Baverstock Arms pub on Jubilee Street as we heard music coming from inside. We looked through the window and saw a lovely lady playing music on the piano.

We went inside and I had a little dance on the creakily wooden floor boards. She played ‘wind the bobbin up’ for me and I jigged up and down. I even had my first Piano lesson from the lovely lady.

The Lego Lost World Zoo exhibition was integrated within the Milestones Hampshire museum displays and we found the Megalosaurus in the Mottisfont Paint works room, hidden away in a corner. Wow mummy, he must have taken ages to make! In fact he took one person six weeks to make!! He was built with over 27,000 Lego pieces.

He was very impressive! The Lego exhibition includes fun fact sheets and games for children which is great fun.

I toddle around to the far side of the museum and we are transported from Victorian times into the 1930’s, 40’s and beyond. Mummy is taken with the old fashioned sweet shop too, which is open and trading to the public. We also see the bandstand with wartime bunting and classic vehicles.

While we are strolling around we visit the gramophone shop, the toy store, the camera shop and the cycle shop which all display goods from past times. It’s very interesting and mummy could spend all day here!

It seems strange seeing two individual attractions, the Lego exhibit and the old fashioned Hampshire museum, but I think it works really well. We head back to the show ground, where a man is building a large Lego Woolly Mammoth! We watch him for a little while then I spot the larger Lego bricks and I get the urge to built something!

I’m not allowed to play with the smaller Lego bricks, but luckily Mikestones Museum have laid on tables for under 3’s. Good thinking!

All in all, a good afternoon spent at Milestones museum, Hampshire. So much to see and do we didn’t get round to seeing half if it! Well worth a visit.

Bella x