Kids Activities: Maps Exhibition

As it gets darker and colder and the days get shorter it feels like there are less options to keep the kids busy and they spend more time cooped up indoors with the levels of squabbling and complaining go up.

This means that I am grateful for anything local that can distract them, such as this exhibition in our local library of maps of the local area.  The maps were of the counties of Essex and Kent where they meet London (basically my part of the world).

This one is a Mappa Mundi or Medieval map.  It is in Latin so I have no idea what it says or what the place names are.

This one is Blome's map of Essex and is dated 1679:



















This one was created by Christopher Saxton in 1576 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I on the order of her chief advisor.

This one was created by John Chapman and Peter Andre in 1777 and unlike the others is to scale.

Other than this there were some modern maps which showed the area in more detail including one which showed where hundreds of German bombs had fallen in the area during World War Two, which the kids found really fascinating.

There were also some other curious exhibits which were not to do with the maps but relevant to the local area.  This dress is a replica on one kept in a local mansion.

This house which had Little Lady and me fascinated was a replica made by a local lady called Jan Gilham of the house she had been born in.

From this viewpoint, it looks so realistic to me.  Almost as if I am standing in from of a look house.

The house was split into layers so that you can see inside.  I liked that the artist had placed her family inside.

There was also this replica of a World War Two bunker of the type that families built in their back gardens.  The boys were fascinated, with Little Man saying he'd love to have one of his own to sleep in.