london museums - off the beaten track
Post on 23-Jun-2015
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Off the beaten track: our favourite London museums
I’m sure you’ve been to the Science and Natural History museums. If you haven’t, sort that out. Here are our favourite smaller museums, where you
can ditch the crowds and just enjoy the atmosphere.
Apsley House & Wellington Arch
149 PiccadillyHyde Park Corner
W1J 7NT
Apsley House has one of the best art collections in London, with
Velazquez and Rubens adorning its walls – and a massive statute of a
naked Napoleon. See if he really was that short in stature… Then
enjoy the grand Wellington gallery – and Wellington Arch on the corner. For the really morbid,
check out Wellington’s death mask.
The Wallace Collection
Hertford HouseManchester Square
W1U 3BN This museum-meets-gallery-
meets-period-house is amazing, usually half-empty and completely
free to wander round, undisturbed. See one of the
largest collection of Marie Antoinette’s trinkets and some
famous artwork, porcelain, armour… then treat yourself in the
courtyard brasserie. Take the virtual tour now.
Benjamin Franklin House
36 Craven Street WC2N 5NF
(Near Charing Cross tube station)
Yes, that Benjamin Franklin. Hidden on a small, innocuous
street, this house is definitely an experience. Between 1757 and
1775, Franklin – scientist, diplomat, philosopher, inventor,
Founding Father of the United States – lived here, mediating
relations between America and England. Walk in his footsteps!
Bank of England Museum
Threadneedle StreetEC2R 8AH
I promise this isn’t as dull as it might sound. You actually get to
hold a gold brick (though sadly not keep it)! There’s some interesting stuff about forgery. And hey, it’s a
bank – with collections of artwork, furniture and bank notes, this is a
very different museum experience.
Charles Dickens Museum
48 Doughty Street WC1N 2LX
For the literary-minded out there…well, it is Dickens’ London. The
house has been kept in Dickensian condition and holds over one
hundred thousand items including rare editions and personal effects.
Some of Dickens’ best-known novels were written here, so soak
up the talent and find some inspiration. “It was the best of
times, it was the worst of times…”
Churchill War Rooms
King Charles Street SW1A 2AQ
A totally British experience. If art and literature isn’t doing it for you,
immerse yourself in Churchill’s England – all underneath the noisy city. The Map Room has been kept the way it was in 1945 – these are
the rooms from which a war was run. You can even see those
patented cigars.
What have you uncovered in London lately? Give us your exclusives on what’s on in London’s museum scene – and if you
check out any of these fantastic exhibitions, drop us your reviews. :)
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