Mastercard Priceless London Night at The Natural History Museum

If you have read any of my previous posts on Mastercard’s Priceless London events you will know that I am quite the fan. Who said owning a credit card was that bad. A couple of weeks ago I was invited to Mastercard Priceless London’s Natural History Museum Cockney themed event. The theme for the night was the Natural History of London. Lead by four of the museum’s specialists we were treated to interesting facts about London and were able to get up close and personal with prehistoric fossils and bones.

When we arrived we were treated to a lovely glass of gin and tonic as well as some mini canapes before being split into teams to start our journey of learning.

On the first stop of tour of the Museum we were given a talk by one of the specialists who explained how the Natural History Museum prepared for WWII. It seems that The NAtural History Museum played a very inmportant role during the war and many of the Museums specialists were employed by the government in the war effort. One interesting fact that we learned was that there used to be a statue of Adam (the first man) on the front of the Museum pre-war but in 1940 a bomb blew off the upper part of the nude statue smashing on to the front steps below. The remainder of the statue was then removed and stored somewhere at the back of the museum for the rest of the war. The crates holding the statue later mysteriously disappeared. However, there is a rumour that the most intimate part of Adam’s anatomy was used as a paperweight by a member of staff at the museum!

A map of where the Natural History Museum’s collections where sent to during WWII

The next part of the tour involved looking at bones from the dinosaur era. Did you know that mammoths used to roam free on trafalgar square?

Prehistoric bones – natural History Museum

After looking at this we were treated to some lovely small bowls of food and glasses of wine. My favourite was the Mini fish and chips and mushy peas.  Delicious!

mini Fish and chips – yummy

The third part of the tour we went to visit The Natural History Museum’s Treasure’s Collection. It was here that we were introduced to Guy the Gorilla. London Zoo’s best-loved resident Guy the gorilla has been preserved.  Scientists have learned by studying Guy the effects of keeping endangered animals in captivity. Learning that Guy suffered from arthritis and was unable to interact with the female species made me a little weepy.

Guy the Gorilla

Natural History Museum

To finish the evening we were also treated to entertainment from a funky cockney band and were given kazoo’s to sing along. “Oh my old china!”

To find out more information about Mastercard Priceless London Events visit: https://www.priceless.com/priceless/london/Home

Lanky Girl’s Advent calender 2012 – 13th-17th December Freebies in London

So it seems I have apologies to make its been a bit of a crazy week so  rather difficult to keep up with this. However, I have finally got a few mins to get you up to date on things to do, see and buy before Christmas is upon us. Argh! These events are not time sensitive by the way 🙂

13th December 2012  – Check new burger restaurant @BRGRCOSOHO

Originally from Lebanon this restaurant packs a punch in the meat eater stakes.

hmmm burgers

14th December 2012 – Mastercard Holder?  Free ice skating with Priceless London on the South Bank

Priceless London is offering MasterCard cardholders up to 4 tickets to Eyeskate at the EDF Energy London Eye – absolutely free! This offer is valid from Monday to Friday at two sessions, 10am and 11am, from Tuesday 11th December until Sunday 6th January excluding 25th December.

London Eye Skating

15th December 2012 – Book FREE tickets to Kew Gardens this Christmas!  

From the the 22nd December & 4th January Entry is free to Kew Gardens, just book your ticket here!

16th December 2012 – Check out Southbank Centre’s Winter Festival Southbank Centre

Southbank Centre Christmas Market

 (16 November – 7 January) sees Southbank Centre’s 21-acre site transformed with blue neon lights and festive art installations, providing a picturesque backdrop to a range of events for everyone to delight in. Highlights include Meow Meow’s Little Match Girl, the UK premiere of award-winning international cabaret sensation Meow Meow’s dark twist on the classic winter tale; the much-anticipated return of Slava’s Snowshow, a Chaplinesque show by Cirque du Soleil star Julien Cottereau and Wayne Hemingway’s A Vintage New Year’s Eve Party.

17th December 2012 – Customize your clothes @boxpark during a 5 day pop-up shop by @WakeupCampaign

2013 MasterCard Priceless Night Ballot opens today For Natural History Museum on Monday 21st January

MasterCard Priceless London nights are coming back in 2013! Having been to three last year I have to say that if you’re lucky to get a ticket they are good fun. Read about my visit to The Science Museum to see what they are about.

A little birdy has told me that the ballot for the first MasterCard Priceless Night for 2013 opens today. The night will take place at the Natural History Museum on Monday 21st January, focusing on one of the most venerated scientists of all time, Charles Darwin. 

 

The museum’s striking central hall will be catapulted back in time and transformed into a 19th century’s gentleman’s retiring room, setting the tone for an exclusive masterclass in the theory of evolution. Guests will be taken on an after-hours tour of the museum where they’ll get to see many of the museum’s amazing exhibits, including a first edition of Darwin’s seminal ‘The Origin of Species’ and the first specimens he collected as he began to formulate his theory.

 

The event is part of MasterCard’s Priceless London programme, which gives MasterCard cardholders exclusive experiences at some of the capitals top attractions including theatre, restaurants and museums. The ballot for tickets opens today and runs until January 8th.

 

Don’t miss out! You can join the ballot for tickets by visiting www.PricelessLondon.co.uk

Mastercard Priceless London At The Science Museum

Mastercard Priceless London at The Science Museum

Now if you read this blog then you will know that I am an advocate of MasterCard Priceless London events, after all who doesn’t like a free night out. Last week I was again lucky enough to be invited down to attend a MasterCard Priceless London event at the Science Museum in South Kensington. Being a bit of a geek at heart the Science Museum is one of my favourite museums in London. Although the last time I visited was when I was around 7 years old! In the back of my mind I was a little worried I wouldn’t still be in awe 20 years later. I must say that the night did not disappoint! We arrived at around 7 and were greeted with a glass of fruity prosecco (yes darlings..), given coloured wristbands and were promptly divided into groups.

Champs on tap!

The first 40 mins of the evening we were treated to an open bar with champagne and funky flavoured cocktails on tap. Delicious! Then the real fun was about to begin, we were told that tonight there would be a competition and each of the teams would have to undergo some tasks for which they would be given points. The team with most points would win a prize. Okay..I know what your thinking so “primary school” but actually it really was a lot of fun! To start with our friendly guide took us to the Science Museum’s Imax screen which I have to say was AWESOME! Apparently the screen is big as four double decker buses and I must admit nothing beats watching a film on a screen that size. We watched a spectacular documentary on natural disasters and the scientists of the world whose job is to predict when they will strike next. A very moving and educational experience. Then came quiz time! My team (white) didn’t do too badly at this point and it seemed like we had a chance of winning!

The next part of the evening it was time to get fed! We were seated in the Science Museum’s cafe to enjoy small bowls of the most tastiest food. We were able to feast on poached salmon and Coq au vin and a yummy chocolate moose as well as enjoying more free cocktails. After dinner we were treated to a demo of how rockets work by one of the museum’s presenters which had us in fits of tears.

Demonstration of how a rocket works at the Science Museum

Lastly it was time to hit the Launchpad, now if you have kids I really recommend that you take them there. The Launchpad is the Science Museum’s most popular hands-on gallery. Key themes explored are Light, Materials, Energy Transfer, Forces and Motion, Electricity and Magnetism and Sound. We worked together to do activities such as turning on a tv by pumping water FAST! I have to say that our team wasnt that great but we gave it a go and we ended up having a good giggle. The night culminated in a prize giving for the best team. Our team came 4th boohoo…

All in all I really enjoyed the MasterCard Priceless London night at the Science Museum, it was a nostalgic and interesting experience. I will definitely recommend it to other MasterCard cardholders and the best part of the night was getting home knowing it was all FREE!

For more information on MasterCard Priceless London Experiences please visit http://www.mastercard.co.uk/priceless-cities/london/

Upcoming Mastercard Priceless London Events – Dates for Your diary!

Lanky Girl has been given the heads up on some MasterCard Priceless London Events coming soon. For those who don’t know these FREE Priceless Nights are part of MasterCard’s Priceless London programme, which offers all MasterCard holders that register on PricelessLondon.co.uk exclusive experiences and privileged access to the very best of the capital’s music, theatres, museums, restaurants, retail, sport and attractions.

Those who are lucky enough to bag a ticket will be greeted with complimentary champagne and canapes on arrival and able to experience the event in a relaxed atmosphere away from the crowds. You can read about one I attended here.

So coming up, make sure you are registered to know when to book!

Monday 18th June – Ballgowns: British Glamour since 1950 – The V&A

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The first of these events will take place at the beautiful V&A museum and will focus on the hugely popular exhibition Ballgowns: British Glamour since 1950. As well as seeing some of the most beautiful gowns that have been made in the last 70 years, guests will also be treated to an exclusive introductory curator talk before experiencing the collection in an intimate group of MasterCard guests.

Thursday 5th July – Launchpad – The Science Museum 

This event gives MasterCard holders the chance to learn some amazing facts on science from museum scientists and experience a series of thrilling workshops. Guests will be led through an adventure of science and space with talks on physics and chemistry as well as access to unseen exhibits and exclusive workshops, all in the company of just a few fellow guests.

 Wednesday 18th July – British Design: 1948-2012 – The V&A

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The final event returns to the famous V&A museum for a night celebrating the best of British design. Featuring the pinnacle of post-war British design excellence from the 1948 ‘austerity games’ to the summer of 2012, the exhibition reveals how British designers have responded to economic, political and cultural forces that have fundamentally shaped how we live today. With an exclusive curator talk and inspiring entertainment, this is an amazing opportunity to view one of the major exhibitions of 2012 away from the crowds.

Please visit http://www.mastercard.co.uk/priceless-cities/london/ for more information.

Mastercard Priceless Night – Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton at the V&A

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I’ve have always been a fan of Cecil Beaton’s work after finding out he designed some of the gowns from my favourite films Gigi and My Fair Lady. However I was quite interested to learn that Cecil Beaton was equally as famous as a photographer. Last Thursday I was lucky enough to have been able to get tickets to Mastercard’s Priceless London Night at the V&A focusing on the Cecil Beaton’s photographs of  Queen Elizabeth II and The Royal Family.

If you haven’t been to a Mastercard Priceless London event then you should you check it out, they are free and offer little tasters of unique and exclusive things to do in London.

We started off the event with a lovely champagne reception which was held in the great lobby of the V&A I must say that it was very beautiful indeed! We then were introduced to the exhibition by the curator Susanna Brown who proceeded to welcome us to take a look. The exhibition itself was quite small and made up around 100 photographs. It was interesting to see pictures of the Queen and her sister Margaret from when she was young teenager right up until she was married and when she gave birth to each of her for children. The intimate nature of the photographs made it seem like you were looking at an old family album. It was also interesting to learn how Cecil Beaton’s style changed over the years and how he became the Queen’s  favorite photographer.  

After looking around the exhibition we were served small bowls of the loveliest food. We gorged on bowls of sausage and mash, root vegetables and fish and chips. A nice touch was the chance to have fun dressing up in vintage clothes and have to our photos taken. Ever the peacock I couldn’t resist and the results are on the left.

Lanky Girl would definitely recommend you go and visit the exhibition if you get the chance.

Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton: A Diamond Jubilee Celebration will be running until to 22 April at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

For more information please visit http://www.vam.ac.uk/