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London Museums
Amongst many other aspects, London is famous for its Museums, some of them individually famous for collections open to the public that are unparalleled elsewhere in the world. There are Museums and Galleries to suit every taste, some of which require an entire day set aside to visit, others of which may take an hour or two but are fascinating nonetheless. This page cannot begin to do justice to the number, scale and variety of London's Museums and we bring you an idea of some of the Museums most easily reached from our various hotels.
With origins in the Great Exhibition of 1851, in which Prince Albert a leading figure,the profits of the hugely successful exhibition were used to purchase land in South Kensington to establish institutions devoted to the promotion and improvement of industrial technology.
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Government of the day set up a Science &
Art Department which established the South
Kensington Museum in 1857, from which the
Science Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum
have developed. These two museums had grown
so large and so diverse that they were separated
formally in 1909 and a new building to house
the Science Museum was formally opened by
King George V in 1928. |
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Visiting the Science Museum can readily consume half a day, at least, and it is always popular with children of all ages, with the wide range of exhibitions catering for all ages. The Science Museum is open 7 days a week from 10.00 to 18.00 and closed only on 24th and 26th December. Entrance to the Science Museum is free. |
Undoubtedly one of the most impressive buildings in central London with its well known, façade along Cromwell Road, the Natural History Museum's origins, as with other museums in the area, lie in the Great Exhibitions of 1851 and 1862 at the
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peak of the Industrial Revolution. It is hard to believe that the present building was not the most impressive designed a change of government soon after the original design was completed led to the possibility of a new, stunning building that would have followed the waterline of the Thames south bank in a gentle curve. However, the original plan was revived and work began in 1873 and finished 7 years later. In the process, several practical |
changes were made to the design from the lighting in the galleries to the style of the building from its original Renaissance style to German Romanesque. The museum is well known for its growing Dinosaur Exhibits but includes a wide range of exhibitions which look both back and forward. Easily taking up a whole day if you want, the Natural History Museum is open Monday to Saturday 10.00 to 17.30 and Sunday 11.00-17.30. Entrance to the Natural History Museum is free, though there are charges of £4.50 for adults and £3.00 for children for special exhibitions. |
The Victoria & Albert Museum opened in 1852 and moved to its South Kensington site in 1857.
| Its buildings gradually grew from the rear of the site towards the road. The final stage was the new four-storey building along Cromwell Road and Exhibition Road. Designed by Aston Webb, this was built between 1899 and 1909. The facade is decorated with thirty-two sculptures of great English artists, architects and craftsmen. The Victoria & Albert Museum is the greatest museum of applied and decorative arts in the world. Explore the breathtaking permanent collections from the four corners of the globe including fashion and textiles, sculpture, ceramics and glass, metalwork, silver and jewellery, furniture, photography and paintings. Don't miss the British Galeries 1500-1900, telling the story of British design and art from the Tudor period to the Victorian Age. |
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The Victoria and Albert Museum is open
from 10.00am to 5.45p.m. except on Wednesdays,
when it stays open to 10.00p.m. Admission
to the museum is free.
More London Museums |
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