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London is home to many Museums and Galleries, most of which are free of charge. Below you will find a list of some of the major museums that you might want to visit, along with their websites, and a summary of what they have to offer. The British Museum The British Museum is said to be one of the greatest museums in the world, and encompasses an area of over 2 and a half miles, and includes more than seventy thousand exhibits. It is one of the oldest museums around, dating back to the 1700s. Inside you will find areas devoted to Roman and Greek art, Egypt, Anglo-Saxon and Roman Britain amongst others. The National Gallery The National Gallery takes up the whole north side of Trafalgar Square, and carries a collection of nearly 2500 works of art. Interestingly unlike many galleries such as the Louvre the collection is not based on a former Royal Collection, instead it begun in the 1800s when the Government purchased some paintings from a Russian banker. The collection includes Italian, Spanish and French masters such as Goya, Rembrandt, and Cézanne. The National Portrait Gallery Somewhat different to the National Gallery, although just around the corner, the NPG has more than ten thousand portraits on display. Their most popular exhibit is the Contemporary section, which incorporates portraits of "famous" politicians, celebrities and sports personalities. The Natural History Museum Originally the Natural History Museum collection was part of the British Museum but in the late 1800s it was moved to the NHM in South Kensington. It is certainly a very impressive building, and all those who visit it are suitable impressed with the architecture. The collection of dinosaurs is particularly good, although the other exhibits, housed in the Life and Earth Gallery are not to be missed either. The Science Museum Another one of the museums in South Kensington this museum is certainly worth a look at. There are 7 floors of exhibits, all relating to science, including technology, space travel, computing, telecommunications and photography but to name a few. Both children and adults will enjoy the interactive exhibits, which make up the basis of the museum. The Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum, known to Londoners as the V&A is one of the world's widest collection of artefacts. No matter what your tastes you will find something to see at the V&A. It has the largest collection of Indian Art outside of India, along with the UK's largest dress collection. You will also find a huge range of objets d'art, paintings and other antiquities. Their temporary exhibitions are often well worth a look, and are known as being some of the best in the world. The Tate Britain The Tate was founded by Henry Tate, the inventor of the sugar cube. It is one of London's most popular art galleries, housing many contemporary pieces from the 1500s to the present day. It is home to the controversial Turner Prize in the months leading up to the awards, including exhibits by Damian Hurst (who also designed the boat that runs between the Tate Modern and Tate Britain) and Tracey Emin. The Tate Modern One of the London "Must Sees" housed in an old oil-fired power Station the Tate Modern is the sister gallery of the Tate Britain. Rooms are separated by themes, which tend to stay the same, although the aim of the museum is to change the works in each room every 6 months. The Bank of England Museum The Bank of England Museum is one of the smaller museums in London, but shouldn't be missed for those interested in business or finance. Housed in the original Bank of England building it incorporates the history of banking and finance in the UK. On display are sample gold bars (not real unfortunately) and a copy of every note and coin that has ever been in circulation in the UK. Britain at War Not so often visited by foreign tourists this museum begins by taking you down to an old air-raid shelter in a lift (elevator) The museum is particularly interactive, allowing you to sit in an old Anderson shelter and listen to the sound of bombs falling around you. The Cabinet War Museum The Cabinet War rooms evolved in 1938 in anticipation of the Nazi raids on London. During World War II this was where Winston Churchill held all of his cabinet meetings. There is a charge to enter the museum, but it does include an excellent audio guide. The Museum goes through all of the rooms, as they were left on VJ day and includes exhibits such as the secret direct-line telephone to the US President. The Courtauld Institute The Courtauld was founded by the University of London, and is the awarding institute for degrees in Art History. Its collection is renowned for focusing on quality rather than quantity and includes many works by Reubens, Renoir and Gaugin. The Design Museum Located on the River the Design Museum does not actually have a permanent exhibition, instead housing up to 4 different temporary exhibitions on a particular item, movement or designer. Dickens House As you may have gathered from the title the Dickens Museum is the former home of Charles Dickens. It was in fact where he wrote 2 of his most well known novels, Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby. When Dickens lived here, in the late 1830s this area (the heart of Bloomsbury) was actually considered the outskirts of London! Dr Johnson's House Dr Johnson's House is located behind Fleet Street. It focuses on Lexicography and contains the first ever copy of his Dictionary and various other manuscripts. The Museum is just around the corner from The Old Cock Tavern, which is the pub that Johnson used to frequent. The Wimbledon Tennis Museum Tickets for Wimbledon are almost impossible to get hold of, but you might like to visit the popular museum located in the grounds, which covers the history of tennis and the tournament. You can also include a guided tour of the ground in your visit. The Wallace Collection The Wallace Collection was started by William Wallace, and is now housed in Hertford House. It consists of mainly 18 th Century paintings and decorative art. The main gallery is the Great Gallery, which is where the majority of the main works are hung. The Tower Bridge Museum Noone can dispute that Tower Bridge is the most well known of London landmarks. However, many people get confused between London and Tower Bridge, which could be blamed on film producers who often used Tower Bridge instead of London Bridge in early films, and didn't change the name. You can now go up the Bridge in a lift and see out over London, as you learn the history of the bridge and constructing bridges in London. The Theatre Museum The theatre Museum is in the heart of Covent Garden, in what was once the flower market. The museum is home to every conceivable item relating to the performing arts. What are most interesting are the make-up and costume demonstrations that are held throughout the day. The Queen's Gallery One for both Art and Royal family fans, this small gallery on the side of Buckingham Palace changes its collection on display regularly, showing temporary exhibitions of art belonging to the Queen. The Queen's Collection is actually more than 3 times as big as that of the National Gallery! The Ragged School Museum Quite a small museum, but very interactive, this was the largest of the Ragged School Museums which were set up by Dr Thomas Barnardo in order to feed, clothe and educate the poverty stricken children of London. The National Maritime Museum Situated in Greenwich the National Maritime Museum is home to Britain's naval artefacts. The grounds lead into Greenwich Park, where you will find the Royal Observatory, where Greenwich Mean Time is measured. The Museum of London The Museum of London is situated in the corner of the Barbican complex, and covers a history of London dating back to the Romans. It contains many items that have been excavated whilst construction work has gone on in London. The London Transport Museum One of the more interactive and fun museums in London, this museum charts the history of transport in London from horse-drawn carriages to the latest tube trains. Visitors can also sit inside a reconstruction of one of London's first ever tube trains and children in particular will enjoy climbing on all the different exhibits. You can even get to try out sitting behind the wheel of a bus, or being at the controls of a tube train! The Jewish Museum Not exactly in the centre of the city, but the Jewish Museum is worth a visit. There is more than one site, and it is often said that the temporary exhibits are the best things to view. The Imperial War Museum Until 1930 the Imperial War Museum was home to Bethlehem Mental Asylum, commonly known as Bedlam. The museum has an impressive collection of military related items including guns, tanks and even planes. The Geffrye Museum The Geffrye Museum is dedicated to crafts and contains a number of different rooms decked out in particular styles of furniture and design. Sir John Soane's Museum For those who have actually visited the museum this is often their favourite museum in London. Sir John Soane was an architect, and the museum, which incorporates a cluster of buildings, is full of his work which he termed his "poetry of architecture" He particularly favoured using mirrors and utilising spatial awareness |
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Anglo American Educational Services | 2006 |
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