London MuseumsThe
British
compulsion to collect artifacts means that Britain
has the best museums in the world - we had a whole
empire to plunder. Below is a shortlist of things
that our guides and surveys of visitors rate the
highest, but whatever your interest, from 17th
Century fans, to fan engines, there's a museum
specifically catering to your taste. And virtually
all of them are free.... The shortlist: 
Victoria & Albert Museum (Free) 3) Sir John Soane's Museum (Free) 4) Natural History and Science Museums (Free) 4) Imperial War Museum (Free) 6) National Maritime Museum (Free) The Rest
Sir John Soane's Museum A miniature British Museum. You can visit it as part of one of our walks (which includes the Inns of Court and the Masonic Temple) that links some of London's most beautiful and least known sights. So full of objects that every bit of wall and ceiling is used. Great collection of Hogarth prints and friendly curators full of great anecdotes. Hidden panels reveal even more paintings. Tuesday to Saturday 10.00-17.00. Free.
The Natural History & Science Museums  There's a high concentration of museums
in South Kensington (well signposted from the tube)
and these two are great for a rainy day. Kids love
them. They celebrate the Victorian's love of Science
and Nature - many of the machines that changed history
are here - Britain has been the world's powerhouse of
science - the Computer, the Fax, the WWW, the jet
engine, the train, the television, Penicillin, the
list is endless. But Tyrannosaurus Rex puts man in
his place. The Natural History
Museum is a beautiful building in itself -
if you had to visit one museum here it's a tough
decision: either the animatronic dinosaur for Jurassic
Park fans, or the bells and whistles of the Science
museum - better to briefly visit both as they're free.
 The Science Museum's new Wellcome wing is good value. It's right up to the minute - if a breakthrough is made, they'll have an exhibit up and running in as little as 24 hours. There's a team of scientists on hand conducting real experiments in which you can be a subject, if you wish - the first team took swabs from people's mouths and a photo to match facial shape with their genes. See also the WELCOME COLLECTION (below) in Euston which is more arty and also curates part of the Science Museum. Open every day 10.00 to 18.00, (Natural History opens at 11:00 on Sundays). Free.
The Victoria & Albert Museum  A huge museum of culture, conveniently
situated next door to the Science museums and great
for Harrods. It's worth the visit for the cast rooms
alone - many of Europe's great architectural gems in
two huge halls, like Las Vegas without the gambling
and with taste. Avoid the boring Oriental Galleries(Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Middle East) the ones to go for are Fashion (re-opening in 2012), the Cast Room, Performance (Mick Jagger's body suit and lots of theatrical stuff, the British Galleries and Jewelry. The British Culture galleries (levels 2-4) have been refitted and revitalised at a cost of over £31 million (subsidised in part by a gambling tax) Prince Charles had a lot of fun here with the interactive corset display on the opening day, confirming all our suspicions of inbreeding. What's fascinating about the British Galleries is the closeness of the objects - lots are there to be touched, and the place is crammed full of stuff (like the Soane). The great thing about the V&A is its eclecticism - anyone who's ever bought a sofa, wallpapered a room, chosen cutlery or curtains will be fascinated by the displays - but intermingled are great works of art and reconstructed period rooms. There are several resource rooms with computers, AV displays and book collections to be poured over. Tours are free, as they are of the whole museum, and you can even borrow a lightweight folding stool to take round with you. You can spend hours in here just wandering - whatever it is you're interested, in it'll be in here - our advice, as always is to pop in several times rather than do a marathon. Less formal than the British Museum, the level of interactivity is very high and kids seem to love the hands-on stuff (eg: dressing up in old costumes, building pieces of furniture, designing their own monograms and seeing them put onto cutlery, weaving oriental carpets). Spontaneous concerts in the entrance hall on Sundays. There are regular demonstrations of crafts - for which see the website or pick up a leaflet. The cafe, which was a trendy place to hang out, is now scruffy and very expensive. Open 10.00-18.00 daily, on Wednesdays and the last Friday in the month open to 22.00). Free. (see Historic London ).
 Imperial War Museum
The name says it all, though it's not
just about different ways of killing, recently they've
become softer, looking at the experience of war rather
than its prosecution. Some great exhibitions such as
'The Blitz' and 'The Holocaust' are quite moving. Is
located on the site of St Mary's Bethlehem hospital -
better known as Bedlam. 10.00-18.00 daily. Free.
National Maritime Museum In Britain you're never more than 60 miles from the sea. Britannia really did rule the waves and this is how she did it. Good reason to visit beautiful Greenwich. Open every day 10.00-17.00. Free.
The Rest
Just because a museum is in our 'rest' section
doesn't mean it's not top class - the standard of
all museums is high, apart from the Clink Museum
which gets a big thumbs down from visitors. Museums
that are more attraction than culture are on our attractions page.
Geffrye Museum A little out of the way - but worth spending half an hour visiting if you're nearby. Converted from a row of almshouses, it's a museum of interiors, with real rooms from every period of history (from Elizabeth I to Elizabeth II), laid out as they would have been at the time. Slightly more concessions to children than makes for an fascinating adult visit though. A decent collection of 20th C interiors has just been added, as well as a walled garden (which they call a 'garden room'). Only accessible by bus, from Liverpool Street Station to Kingsland Road, or a longish walk from Old St Tube. You could link this in with a visit on a Sunday to Colombia Road Flower Market (11am best, for brunch, Brick Lane, Spitalfields market, all a short distance from each other. Next door is London's Vietnamese quarter, with great restaurants... some of the best and cheapest food to be had in London - try Song Que (our favourite) which scores low on decor but high on food and price. We regularly eat there. You can also explore trendy Hoxton and Shoreditch while up this end of town.
Museum of Garden History Small museum tucked up beside the grounds of Lambeth Palace, in the restored church of St Mary-at-Lambeth. As well as actual gardens, the museum houses ancient gardening implements, seeds and texts and other gardening ephemera and curios. Open 7 days, free admission. Tube: Lambeth North or Westminster. See our Walk One for details. Also see this Map of other gardens open in the London area.
Horniman Museum   Set in 21 acres of Park, this eclectic collection was
given to the nation by Frederick Horniman, the tea
merchant, in 1901. Their ethnography department has an
excellent collection of african art (at least as good
as the British Museum) they're also good on natural
history, especially insects and birds, and specialise
in musical instruments - with a collection rivalling
New York's Metropolitan. However it looks
as if the curators were management consultants rather
than real people - the entire collection is underlit
and unless you take a torch you won't see much. Sloppy
displays, and an obsession with building wheelchair
access and meeting government targets mar this
collection which should rival the Soane for the best
independent museum. The canteen is pretty awful too.
The aquarium is good, with several nice tanks. A bit
too far to travel specially, and you're unlikely to be
passing. 100 London Road, SE23. Train to Forest Hill
from Charing Cross, Waterloo or London Bridge, then a
short walk. Alternatively go to Dulwich Village to
visit the Art Gallery and walk thru the Park or take
bus P4 which connects the two.
Museum Of London Split between the duties of Archeology and Education, whether you decide to visit this museum largely depends on whether you've affection for the city - we have, and enjoy it. Superbly done and with very well thought-out temporary exhibitions (their 'Skeletons of London' won our prize for best curator a few years ago) it's rather like the museums you find in most towns and cities, but more so. Sadly it occupies an ugly building on a traffic roundabout in the city. If you were going to a play at the Barbican, which is next door, pop in here in the late afternoon. It's also nearby the fantastic St Bartholomew's Church (as featured in 'Four Weddings and a Funeral") Strangely enough John Wesley saw God underneath the footbridge that leads to this museum - a plaque marks the spot. Hence methodism and the US' obsession with religion. Monday to Saturday 10.00-17.50pm, (Sunday 12.00). Free.
Handel House Museum Now open at 25, Brook Street - 400 metres south of Bond Street tube. Marks Handel's career in London - strangely enough in a house next door to Jimi Hendrix's old pad. Not really worth the admission price unless you're obsessed with Handel - a few reconstructed rooms, a couple of portraits and such - you'd be far better off at the V & A or the Geffreye Museum.
The Old operating Theatre and Herb Garrett  The Old
operating theatre for women was built for Guy's &
Thomas' Hospital, before the railways devastated the
site. It was effectively 'lost' for nearly a century
before being rediscovered in the late fifties. It's
been restored and is fascinating if you are interested
in the history of medicine. There's also the Herb
Garrett (who we sometimes tell people was a famous
jazz trumpeter) which is an old apothecary's
storeroom. It's a nice counterpart to Chelsea's Physic
Garden or the Physic Garden at Kew. Florence
Nightingale used to work here. It's built in the attic
of an old Wren Church - which is waiting money for
restoration. 9, St Thomas Street, SE1. Open
10:00-16:00.
National Army Museum For all things military, including uniforms and weapons, this tells the history of Britain's Army, in places like Trafalgar and The Colonies, from the time of Henry VIII. Visit the Chelsea Pensioners Hospital next door - England's equivalent of Les Invalides in Paris (see our Historic section).
Transport Museum Again one for enthusiasts, though it also targets itself at children. The history of London's transport, which is, we suppose, a history of the World's urban transport as well. Admission fee fairly high considering the size, but the exhibts are crammed into the building. Great shop selling Underground branded goods which make perfect presents. In Covent Garden Piazza. Open 10.00-18.00 daily (11.00-18.00 Fridays). Free admission for children under 16, so you could dump the kids here and do some shopping...
 Minority Interest Bank
of England Museum - at the Bank of
England, Bank Underground (of course) near the Royal
Exchange and other city stuff. Free. Website Search this site: |
