Today, we went to the Churchill War Rooms and the British Museum. We got to the two destinations by foot as well as by The Tube (thank goodness for The Tube or our feet would’ve died).
We managed to see other landmarks like The London Eye (shorter than The Singapore Flyer), Big Ben (is actually the name of the bell in the clock tower, not the clock tower itself) and Westminster Abbey, where 28 Kings and Queens of London were coroneted. We also managed to watch the Queen’s Birthday Parade rehearsal (whoopee!) at Westminster.
At the Churchill War Rooms, we saw the underground rooms where then Prime Minister Winston Churchill (during World War II) and his war council discussed war tactics. The rooms showcased the living conditions of the people back then (London was getting bombed by the Nazis very often during wartime), as well as how the people suffered and this made us more appreciative of the peace and safety that we now have in Singapore.
At the British Museum, we saw many ancient artefacts that belonged to the ancient Greek, Egyptian, and the people of other ancient civilizations. One of the highlights was being able to view the stone slabs and sculptures from Greece that originated from the Acropolis (ancient Temple located in Athens) that were on display in the Museum. We learnt about the history and hidden stories behind these artefacts, and also learnt more about the Gods that the ancient Greek worshipped (Yes, they’re the Gods mentioned in Percy Jackson).
We also managed to see mummies (real life ones wrapped in linen strips, and no, it’s not the noodle snack that we eat) and learnt the process of mummification (did you know that they removed the brains of a mummy by pulling it out through the nose?). The mummies were safeguarded in glass cases (to prevent someone from stealing a finger off them). We also managed to see the Rosetta Stone (a big rock that contains hieroglyphics and ancient Greek), a stone from Egypt that enabled scholars to read hieroglyphics.
After viewing the two museums, we realize that there are many differences between Britain’s museums and Singapore’s museums. Singapore museums mainly focus on Singapore’s history (like how and when we were founded as well as how we progressed as a nation) and as our nation is fairly new, it only showcases events that took place not long ago. On the other hand, as Britain has had a long history compared to Singapore, they have a diverse range of artefacts ranging from Africa to Korea.
The British Museum has more than 6 million artefacts on display, and a whole lot more that are kept in storage due to the lack of space to display it in the museum. However, as mentioned, as our nation is still fairly new, the museums in our country can only showcase few items and artefacts.
The wide range of artefacts that are on display in the British Museum tells us that the British think that preserving history is very important as we can learn from history and is also tells us that the British have ensured that past events will not be forgotten by putting them on display and educating the general public. Also, as the British have managed to get such a diverse range of artefacts, we can infer that they have a large area of influence and power back in the colonial days.
Singapore, on the other hand, places strong emphasis on development as a nation and as an individual so as to improve the lives of our citizens. The lack of a wide range of artefacts also shows us that we do not place the same amount of emphasis on history as the British do. Hence, we can conclude that while the British focus on the culture and history of the world, Singapore recognizes the need to progress and develop.
- Jingwen, Maria, Zhuoen, Shereene & Margie
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