London Aquarium
County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road,
Southbank,
London SE1 7PB
Tel: 020 7967 8000
About London Aquarium
A truly comprehensive exploration of the sea world, the London Aquarium is among the largest European aquatic centres and offers the visitor many different opportunities to learn about the oceans and their inhabitants. Whatever the marine environment in which you’re interested, it’s covered, with river, lake and saltwater flora and fauna of all kinds examined in detail. Over 300 species of water-dwelling organism are on display, including sharks, rays, eels, crabs and many other spectacular examples of wildlife. Many visitors make a point of attending the ‘Atlantic feed’, in which a team of divers enters the shark tank to feed its occupants.
Conveniently located in County Hall, which stands on the South Bank of the Thames close to the London Eye, the London Aquarium attracts a million visitors every year to its many different zones. With three floors and exhibition areas devoted to freshwater stream, Atlantic upper, rivers and ponds, Pacific upper, Indian Ocean, Atlantic lower, touch pool, temperate waters, Pacific lower, coral reef, invertebrates, tropical freshwater, mangrove and rainforest creatures, there is more than enough here to satisfy even the most curious visitor. Fortunately, the London Aquarium experience is accompanied by ample opportunities for rest and relaxation, as well as a few exhibits which few will expect – such as the robot fish which have been swimming up and down their own tank since 2005. The fish, produced by Professor Huosheng Hu at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Essex, were designed over a period of three years with the express aim of developing a robot which could swim as fast as a tuna with the navigation abilities of an eel and the sheer power of a pike. With their autonomous motion and their eyecatching appearance thanks to their many glittering scales, the robot fish are as revealing about the state of modern robotics as they are about the nature of artificial life and how we perceive it.
As well as demonstrating the phenomenal breadth of marine life across the planet, the Aquarium has an educational function that is an obvious accompaniment to the primary experience of viewing and interacting with the organisms on display. The Aquarium seeks to raise awareness of the many environmental and conservation issues that go alongside any serious exploration of the ocean world, with exhibits detailing the various worldwide projects currently underway. This educational impetus reached a peak in the summer of 2007 to coincide with the Live Earth concert at London’s recently-completed Wembley Stadium, which featured performances from some of the world’s most prominent musicians. To tie in with the show and with the many different environmentally-focused events that took place at the same time, London Aquarium embarked on an extended programme of conservation-themed tours for the public, each of which was led by a professional expert in the relevant field. This included the recent recruitment of a Project Seahorse researcher, who guided parties of visitors around an exhibit devoted to these endangered and much-loved marine fauna to great acclaim from all who participated. Elsewhere the Aquarium ran a series of ‘drop-in’ conservation tours, with specialist guides leading 30-minute tours of the various zones, answering questions about the organisms’ conservation status and detailing the current plans for their preservation. This enabled visitors to understand more clearly exactly what the function and activities of the wildlife are outside the tanks of the Aquarium, as well as clarifying the serious mission of the organisation. It was quite a feat, and one worth repeating on a more frequent basis.
But the Aquarium’s activities don’t stop there, as you’d expect from an organisation with as much depth of content as this one. Other highlights of any visit, especially when children are present, include the ‘turtle session’, in which active learning about the animals under examination is combined with the chance to make a ‘take home’ turtle, meet the guides and learn all about the turtles’ world. Further afield within the confines of the giant Aquarium, you can take in several fims, shot especially for the organisation for the BBC’s renowned Natural History Unit, which focus on the status of various endangered species and the work being carried out for their benefit. Other displays are devoted to such diverse organisations as the Shark Trust and the Marine Conservation Society, which the Aquarium helps to fund through its annual revenue. When you buy a ticket to visit the London Aquarium, therefore, you’re helping to save worldwide wildlife from possible extinction. In 2007 the Aquarium allocates 42.5p of the cost of every ticket to initiatives devoted to research and conservation, with the £80,000 milestone surpassed earlier this year.
This charitable focus extends as far as educating the visitor, with the Saving Planet Earth Promise area dedicated to those who wish to sign a promise card stating what actions they will take to preserve the environment. Possible avenues for action include fitness events raising money for charity, sourcing food from managed sources and reducing the daily carbon footprint. The Saving Planet Earth zone has attracted much mainstream attention, with celebrities such as Will Young, Graham Norton and Nick Knowles appearing on BBC TV to tie in with the initiative. The task of providing an educational and entertainment focus to accompany the media campaign was ably fulfilled by the Aquarium, one of the few wildlife-centred organisations that could match up to the demands of the well-orchestrated campaign across all media.
On top of all this, the London Aquarium still maintains an interest in other worlds than that of the marine environment, with the Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds visiting last year to promote a campaign for the conservation of the albatross. This and other representations from other areas of the natural world ensure that while sea and freshwater biology is the Aquarium’s primary focus, the other species which form a part of the Earth’s biosphere also play a role there – an integrated message which suits the ethos of the Aquarium perfectly. It remains a must-see inclusion on anyone’s London visit, whether tourist or resident.
A truly comprehensive exploration of the sea world, the London Aquarium is among the largest European aquatic centres and offers the visitor many different opportunities to learn about the oceans and their inhabitants. Whatever the marine environment in which you’re interested, it’s covered, with river, lake and saltwater flora and fauna of all kinds examined in detail. Over 300 species of water-dwelling organism are on display, including sharks, rays, eels, crabs and many other spectacular examples of wildlife. Many visitors make a point of attending the ‘Atlantic feed’, in which a team of divers enters the shark tank to feed its occupants.
Conveniently located in County Hall, which stands on the South Bank of the Thames close to the London Eye, the London Aquarium attracts a million visitors every year to its many different zones. With three floors and exhibition areas devoted to freshwater stream, Atlantic upper, rivers and ponds, Pacific upper, Indian Ocean, Atlantic lower, touch pool, temperate waters, Pacific lower, coral reef, invertebrates, tropical freshwater, mangrove and rainforest creatures, there is more than enough here to satisfy even the most curious visitor. Fortunately, the London Aquarium experience is accompanied by ample opportunities for rest and relaxation, as well as a few exhibits which few will expect – such as the robot fish which have been swimming up and down their own tank since 2005. The fish, produced by Professor Huosheng Hu at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Essex, were designed over a period of three years with the express aim of developing a robot which could swim as fast as a tuna with the navigation abilities of an eel and the sheer power of a pike. With their autonomous motion and their eyecatching appearance thanks to their many glittering scales, the robot fish are as revealing about the state of modern robotics as they are about the nature of artificial life and how we perceive it.
As well as demonstrating the phenomenal breadth of marine life across the planet, the Aquarium has an educational function that is an obvious accompaniment to the primary experience of viewing and interacting with the organisms on display. The Aquarium seeks to raise awareness of the many environmental and conservation issues that go alongside any serious exploration of the ocean world, with exhibits detailing the various worldwide projects currently underway. This educational impetus reached a peak in the summer of 2007 to coincide with the Live Earth concert at London’s recently-completed Wembley Stadium, which featured performances from some of the world’s most prominent musicians. To tie in with the show and with the many different environmentally-focused events that took place at the same time, London Aquarium embarked on an extended programme of conservation-themed tours for the public, each of which was led by a professional expert in the relevant field. This included the recent recruitment of a Project Seahorse researcher, who guided parties of visitors around an exhibit devoted to these endangered and much-loved marine fauna to great acclaim from all who participated. Elsewhere the Aquarium ran a series of ‘drop-in’ conservation tours, with specialist guides leading 30-minute tours of the various zones, answering questions about the organisms’ conservation status and detailing the current plans for their preservation. This enabled visitors to understand more clearly exactly what the function and activities of the wildlife are outside the tanks of the Aquarium, as well as clarifying the serious mission of the organisation. It was quite a feat, and one worth repeating on a more frequent basis.
But the Aquarium’s activities don’t stop there, as you’d expect from an organisation with as much depth of content as this one. Other highlights of any visit, especially when children are present, include the ‘turtle session’, in which active learning about the animals under examination is combined with the chance to make a ‘take home’ turtle, meet the guides and learn all about the turtles’ world. Further afield within the confines of the giant Aquarium, you can take in several fims, shot especially for the organisation for the BBC’s renowned Natural History Unit, which focus on the status of various endangered species and the work being carried out for their benefit. Other displays are devoted to such diverse organisations as the Shark Trust and the Marine Conservation Society, which the Aquarium helps to fund through its annual revenue. When you buy a ticket to visit the London Aquarium, therefore, you’re helping to save worldwide wildlife from possible extinction. In 2007 the Aquarium allocates 42.5p of the cost of every ticket to initiatives devoted to research and conservation, with the £80,000 milestone surpassed earlier this year.
This charitable focus extends as far as educating the visitor, with the Saving Planet Earth Promise area dedicated to those who wish to sign a promise card stating what actions they will take to preserve the environment. Possible avenues for action include fitness events raising money for charity, sourcing food from managed sources and reducing the daily carbon footprint. The Saving Planet Earth zone has attracted much mainstream attention, with celebrities such as Will Young, Graham Norton and Nick Knowles appearing on BBC TV to tie in with the initiative. The task of providing an educational and entertainment focus to accompany the media campaign was ably fulfilled by the Aquarium, one of the few wildlife-centred organisations that could match up to the demands of the well-orchestrated campaign across all media.
On top of all this, the London Aquarium still maintains an interest in other worlds than that of the marine environment, with the Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds visiting last year to promote a campaign for the conservation of the albatross. This and other representations from other areas of the natural world ensure that while sea and freshwater biology is the Aquarium’s primary focus, the other species which form a part of the Earth’s biosphere also play a role there – an integrated message which suits the ethos of the Aquarium perfectly. It remains a must-see inclusion on anyone’s London visit, whether tourist or resident.