A nostalgic trip down memory lane – definitely a few blasts from the past!
I wasn’t aware that this museum existed until I was sent a Groupon/Amazon local offer. The offer was for half price entry but even at full price (£6.50 – concessions at £4.00) it was most definitely worth every penny! Each decade is clearly marked with a sign giving an overview of facts and figures etc.. All exhibits are behind glass, however at the end of the tour there is a café area and shop where you can sit and watch old adverts from yesteryear and even view the old “table tennis” game on an old TV screen .
Obviously we all have our favourite era of long gone favourite sweets or drinks (Old English Spangles or Wicked Lady anyone?) but I lost count of the “OMG – I remember that” moments during our visit! Aztec, Fry’s 5 centre chocolate bar, Hai Karate aftershave, Vim, Watney’s Red Barrel, Cherry B, Vesta meals, Co-op 99 tea, Green shield stamps, Twink perms, Biba make up were just a few of them. I failed to spot Aqua Manda bath foam or Milk Tray chocolate bar (who remembers the Lime Barrel flavour?). To see an old VHS recorder (how big were they!?), some of the toys we played with, TV programmes we used to watch, what we used to think was the “in thing” or latest “must have”, the amount of throwaway packaging and the realisation of what we should have kept – even if only to make a fortune on ebay-was fascinating!
Whether it is a reminder of a mis-spent youth or how much things have changed (for better or worse!) in the world of advertising and packaging, it is well worth a visit!
The only negative for me personally was that you were unable to take any photographs as I like to have these as a memento of an enjoyable day out . It is all on one floor so would pose no problems for disabled visitors but space is fairly limited in certain areas of the exhibition so it could feel quite claustrophobic if it was busy. Although it wasn’t that busy during our visit (except for a group of college students who were sitting on the floor sketching and taking notes) it did get very warm in there. Allow from 1-2 hours to view everything but obviously this would depend on how long you wanted to reminisce.
The nearest tube station is Notting Hill Gate and it’s approx 5-10 minutes walk from there. Combine a trip to the museum with a visit to Portobello Road Market which is nearby. The address is 2 Colville Mews, Lonsdale Rd, Notting Hill, W11 2AR. Visit www.museumofbrands.com for more info. Please note they are closed on Mondays except for Bank Holidays. A most enjoyable trip down memory lane, pure nostalgia.
