Museums & Galleries

These are just a taste of the wonderful museums and galleries of London. If you have a particular interest, chances are there is a museum devoted to it in London. Note that several of the museums are clustered near to each other in South Kensington, making for an easy day out.

Bank of England Museum	The Bank of England Museum is a fascinating walk through time, looking back at the history of this venerable institution from its inception by royal charter in 1694.
Bramah's Museum of Tea and Coffee	A unique museum exploring the tradions of tea and coffee in Britain, their cultural significance and social impact. Displays include a variety of ceramics and art associated with tea.
Britain at War	This museum recreates the world of the Blitz in England during the darkest days of World War II. Much more than just static exhibits behind glass cases, the Britain at War museum tries to recreate every aspect of life at the height of the London Blitz
British Library	This wonderful library, housed in ultramodern buildings, is divided into public and member areas. To enter the reading rooms you need to apply for a reader's card, but the public areas, including 3 exhibition galleries, are open to all. Illuminated Manuscripts Gallery, Shakespeare original folios, the Gutenburg Bible, and original author's manuscripts, as well as changing exhibits and an events program make this a must visit if you love books.
British Museum	You can spend a lifetime seeing this museum. Archaeology, drawings, coins, armour, and on and on. One of the great museums of the world
Cabinet War Rooms	The underground headquarters of the British High Command during WWII, carefully preserved. Churchill would feel right at home here.
Clink Prison Museum	Museum of the prison that bills itself as the oldest in England. Instruments of torture and an adults-only room.
Courtauld Gallery	Art gallery of the University of London, specialising in Impressionist paintings, but also good for Rennaissance, Barocque, and modern works.
Fashion and Textile Museum	The Fashion and Textile Museum recognises Britain's international success in the fashion industry and showcases works of outstanding British and international designers. Rotating Exhibitions represent the best of vintage and modern fashion and textile design.
Florence Nightingale Museum	This is where the Lady of the Lamp founded her School of Nursing in 1860, and the museum details her work to improve nursing standards and hygeine.
Imperial War Museum	Exhibits on the First and Second World Wars, art galleries, and "Blitz Experience" and "Trench Experience" exhibits.
London Dungeon	The London Dungeon bills itself as the World's First Medieval Horror Museum. Like a good scare? Then you've come to the right place. Death in living colour, from the Theatre of the Guillotine to a special Great Fire of London display.
London Transport Museum	Get ready for the autumn 2007 reopening of a favorite London museum, now with an expanded mandate to include cycling, walking, taxis and river transportation, as well as the familiar Tube, buses and trains. Interactive exhibits, displays of historic posters, and the future of transportation.
National Gallery	One of the world's great art museums, the National Gallery faces onto Trafalgar Square. Pigeons and tourists outside, but inside a wealth of magnificent European art from the 13th to the 20th century. Despite the presence of Gainsborough's Mr. And Mrs. Andrews, and Constable's Haywain, this is not the place to look for a large gathering of native British art, as the honour of housing the national collection falls to the Tate Gallery. Never mind, what is here is priceless. The prize of the collection is probably Leonardo da Vinci's Virgin and Child with St. Anne and John the Baptist, but there are also works by Rembrandt, Boticelli, Vermeer, Goya, Manet, and Renoir, among many, many others.
National Maritime Museum	The largest maritime museum in the world contains some 2500 models of ships, plus paintings, navigational instruments, uniforms, and historical artifacts telling the long story of Britain at sea. Look for the collection of royal barges and the special exhibits on Nelson and Cook. The Museum is housed in Queen's House and includes the Royal Observatory further up the hill.
National Portrait Gallery	Just around the corner from the National Gallery. This is the place to come if you simply must put a face to the names you've been picking up in historical romance novels (just ask my wife). Portraits of the famous and infamous in British history from the Tudors to the 20th century.
Natural History Museum	Originally part of the British Museum, the collection grew so large it required a separate identity. Dinosaur skeletons, fossils, human biology, Britain's major habitats examined, and the ever-popular Creepy Crawlies exhibit.
Royal Observatory	Part of the National Maritime Museum, the Royal Observatory is official home to 0 Meridian, and Greenwich Mean Time. You can straddle the meridian line in the courtyard outside the building and have one foot in each hemisphere. Inside, the fascinating museum traces the attempts to establish reliable navigation and time measurement. There is a planetarium and special exhibits. Look for the Time Ball atop the turret, which drops each day at precisely 1:00 PM so that ships in the Thames below can set their chronometers
Science Museum	Wow! Engineering, technology, industry, children's gallery, working models, rail transport, astronomy, and much, much, more. This is fun! Hands-on exhibits teach the fundamentals of science without appearing to teach.
Tate Britain	Permanent national collection of British painting, including the Turner Collection, modern sculpture and prints, and a changing program of major exhibits.
Tate Modern	The former Bankside Power Station is the new home of the "Tate #2", the Tate Gallery collection of international modern art, including works by modern masters like Picasso and Cezanne.
Tower Bridge	The Victorian bridge that is now internationally recognized as a symbol of London, Tower Bridge was built in 1894. The Tower Bridge Exhibition allows visitors to ascend the towers to a walkway for superb views of the city, view exhibits on the construuction and history of the bridge, and see the original steam engines that used to raise and lower the central section of the bridge.
Victoria and Albert Museum	Museum of the decorative arts, including furniture, jewellery, carpets, sculpture, reliquaries, prints, Dress Collection, and more. One of the world's great museums