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London Museums
The 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 in Euston which is more arty. Open every day 10.00 to 18.00, (Natural History opens at 11:00 on Sundays). Free. See also the WELCOME COLLECTION in Euston which is more arty.
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. Several new galleries are opening in 2009. Avoid the boring Oriental Galleries(Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Middle East) the ones to go for are Fashion, the Cast Room, Performance (has Kylie Minogue's dressing room, Mick Jagger's body suit and lots of theatrical stuff, the British Galleries and Jewelry. Fashion has costumes - and often a temporary (entrance fee) exhibition and is on the 1st (ground) floor. The Cast room is nearby. Performance is hard to find, but is next to Jewelry on level 3. 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) and the museum's now entirely free - Prince Charles had a lot of fun 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) - 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.
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.
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