No trip to London is complete without a stroll round one of its world class museums. And as summer approaches, with so many spots to pick, it can be tricky deciding which legendary institution to visit.
From 5000-year-old Egyptian mummies to documentation of groundbreaking scientific discoveries, and from giant squids to the works of the world’s most famous literary figures, the capital really does have history crammed into an awful lot of its corners.
So whether you’re in town to see the sights – or until now you’ve walked past them without actually investigating – these are the museums that need to be on your London bucket list.
One of the world’s most famous museums, the British Museum hosts a staggering eight million objects from around the planet, charting thousands of years of human history, from breathtaking Roman sculpture to spectacular turquoise Aztec artefacts. Their Ancient Egyptian galleries famously include the somewhat controversial Rosetta Stone, the subject of a restitution demand from Egypt, while in Room 41, you’ll find the treasures of the Sutton Hoo ship burial, one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time.
When it comes to fashion-focused museums, the V&A has been setting the trend since it opened in 1852. Designs of all sorts and all eras takes centre stage, with galleries that have covered everything from a Maharajah throne to Sixties mini-skirts. Also housed here are some of the most world’s precious treasures including manuscripts by Leonardo and the magnificent Ardabil carpet, which takes the crown as the world’s oldest.
Despite Dippy the Diplodocus’ retirement (for now, at least), the entrance hall of the Natural History Museum is as magnificent as ever: it is currently home to the 25-metre long skeleton of Hope the blue whale instead, which hangs from the ceiling “as a reminder of humanity’s responsibility to protect our planet”. Inside its galleries, discover mind boggling bits of the natural world, from a 147-million-year-old Archaeopteryx to one of Charles Darwin’s very own pigeons.
Cromwell Road, Kensington, SW7 5BD; nhm.ac.uk
The Design Museum’s stunning new home will almost certainly have designs on your must-visit list. Originally located in an old banana warehouse in Shad Thames, where it was opened by design legend Sir Terence Conran in 1989, it’s now a gem of Kensington High Street. The museum hosts a superb collection of modern and contemporary designs, with regular exhibitions focusing on anything from Ferraris to fashion designers via a chair or two.
Science goes under the microscope on this corner of South Kensington’s remarkable museum parade, with something for curious minds of all ages. After you’ve nerded out over the Apollo 10 capsule and Stephenson’s rocket, the kids will love the Wonderlab where a friction slide and a chemistry bar will have them learning unawares.
You may think you know the tube pretty well, but this museum aims to show a whole new side to your commute. A stone’s throw from Covent Garden Market, the London Transport Museum showcases everything that keeps London moving, including stylish original posters, early Underground maps, and more Routemasters than you can shake an Oyster card at.
Get to know the skin you’re in at the Wellcome Collection, where a mission to continually question the links between natural science, life and the arts results in an eclectic and intriguing collection. Expect exhibitions to focus on subjects as diverse as Ayurvedic medicine, teeth and full on art exhibitions.
Ahoy there! All aboard for this voyage of discovery, which starts in Greenwich and ends up in almost every corner of the Earth. British naval history comes to life at this seafaring museum, with artefacts including a cannonball from the Battle of Trafalgar and the coat Nelson was wearing when he sustained his fatal wound. Shiver me timbers.
Opening in 1981 in Brixton’s Windrush Square, the Black Cultural Archives has since sought to tell the under-told stories of people in Britain of African and Caribbean descent. Exhibitions have ranged from historical photography to music, and a packed series of events from discussions to workshops gives visitors the chance to be active participants in the museum’s goal.
What the Dickens? Where the Dickens is the more crucial question here – and the answer is 48 Doughty Street, the site of the famed Victorian writer’s Holborn home, from which he penned many a literary classic. The museum recreates life in the home as it would have been while the author lived there and features a plethora of Dickensian artefacts.
Sir John Soane’s Museum
One of London’s more peculiar museums is also inside a London home. Architect and avid collector Sir John Soane requested that his house be left untouched after his death over 180 years ago. This means that his remarkable haul of curiosities – from paintings by Turner to Greek antiquities – are still displayed in the home among the stunning Georgian architecture.
A misnomer in many ways, the Imperial War Museum was set up after the First World War as a reminder of the importance of maintaining peace. Inside, the museum displays incredible remnants from conflict, including a 14-metre high V-2 rocket bomb, as well as an award winning permanent Holocaust exhibition.
This museum is another that stemmed from the collection of an incurably curious Englishman (this time, Frederick John Horniman), and boasts a peculiar set of specialisms: namely anthropology, natural history and musical instruments. Inside you’ll find taxidermised animals galore but outside is also a treat, with splendid gardens and a stunning arts and crafts clocktower.
East End Women’s Museum
This museum may not yet have a permanent home yet, but in the meantime you can find its pop-up exhibitions all over East London. Conceived in response to a proposed Jack the Ripper Museum, which was seen as promoting violence against women, its aim is to shine a light on the stories and work of women who lived in East London and their positive impact on the community and wider society.