A TREASURE trove of gems has been unlocked with the opening of the extended East London Line, giving passengers the opportunity to visit cultural hotspots all within walking distance of the line s stations. The 10 museums and galleries along the line from

A TREASURE trove of gems has been unlocked with the opening of the extended East London Line, giving passengers the opportunity to visit cultural hotspots all within walking distance of the line's stations.

The 10 museums and galleries along the line from Dalston Junction in the north, through the East End to West Croydon in the south have teamed up to celebrate the line's reopening with the Culture Line treasure trail.

Travelling the length of the line, passengers can take in Africa's largest mask, George Washington's false teeth, a marine iguana from Darwin's expedition to the Galapagos Islands and the purse of the suffragette who threw herself under King George V's horse.

The East End's Whitechapel Gallery, the Royal London Hospital Museum and the Women's Library join Shoreditch's Geffrye Museum, the City's Wesley's Chapel, the Hackney Museum and Rotherhithe's Brunel Museum in the project.

All the attractions are within walking distance of stations along the East London Line, which is now part of the London Overground network.

Munira Mirza, the Mayor of London's arts and culture adviser, said: "London has more museums and galleries than anywhere else in the world, with treasures to be found all across the capital.

"The new London Overground Line will make it much easier for Londoners and visitors to discover the hidden cultural gems of east London.

"There is so much to see and do here; zoology, medicine, domestic interiors, the suffragettes, engineering.

"Well done to the 10 museums for coming together in this way and using this new transport route to promote their wares.