Ten Great Museums & Galleries of London
London is renowned for its fantastic museums and galleries. They cover all aspects of life and culture and many have a long and fascinating history. The museums and galleries of London attract large numbers of domestic and international tourists and visitors as well as the locals, including the thriving student community of this great cultural capital.
The ten selected here are cultural icons that you may have heard even if you have never been to London. Apart from the Royal Academy of Arts, they are also free of charge except for temporary exhibitions. These are mature collections with plenty to discover and enjoy so a long visit, at least a full afternoon, is highly recommended. If you are lucky enough to have several days in London, more than one visit to each museum and gallery would be rewarded with rich insights. The delightful cafés in each attraction will keep you refreshed and ensure you are ready to see more wonderful exhibits after your breaks. For those aspiring to build their own library or art collection the gift shops and bookshops in these attractions will provide ample inspiration.
The British Museum is one of the most famous and visited museums in the world. Whether you are a lover of Egyptian art, a student of Greco-Roman antiquities or enthralled by the finds from Babylon and Ninevah, there is so much for you to see. Top billing has to be given to the sculptures from the Parthenon also known as the Elgin Marbles. The Roman antiquities include many interesting exhibits from the occupation of the British Isles by the Romans. They are displayed in a dedicated Roman Britain room. This world-class museum has fantastic collections on African, Middle Eastern, Asian and American art. The Prints and Drawings Department is also worth a visit.
The Victorian & Albert Museum, known as the V&A, is dedicated to art and design. It is one of three great museums in the Kensington area of London. The Natural History Museum and the Science Museum, also covered in this report, are the other two of the ‘Big Three’. The Museum is named in honour of Queen Victoria and her beloved husband Prince Albert. It boasts magnificent collections of fine and decorative art with some wonderful ceramics, textiles and glasswork on display. Fashion and furniture from around the world provide inspiration to designers for their own efforts. Among its fine arts offerings notable are the sculpture galleries including works by Rodin. The magnificent National Art Library, a public library for the fine and decorative arts, is housed in splendid surroundings within the Museum.
Built in the Romanesque style by the Gothic Revival architect Alfred Waterhouse in 1881, the Natural History Museum is a bold architectural statement of the Victorian age. Known for its innovative use of terracotta and painted panels, the building is worth a visit for its architectural merit alone. It would be no exaggeration to liken the imposing and elegant central hall of the Natural History Museum to that of a Romanesque cathedral. The Museum is hugely popular with visitors of all ages. Its famous dinosaur and fossil displays are especially exciting for young visitors. The central hall was dominated by the display of the replica of a diplodocus skeleton called ‘Dippy’. In 2017 ‘Dippy’ was replaced by the actual skeleton of a young blue whale, ‘Hope’.
This Museum is brilliant for teachers and schools and popular with budding scientists. Eye-catching displays on maths, science, medicine and engineering offer a wealth of information on the history of science and the development of industry and technology. The Clockmakers Museum originally in the Guildhall in Moorgate is created by the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, a livery company of the City of London established in 1631. Highlights include ’Old Bess’, a beam engine by James Watt created in 1777; James Watson and Francis Crick’s double helix (1953); and the command module of the Apollo 10 mission to the moon (1969). The Flight gallery shows off early aircrafts including single-seat fighters.
For newcomers to London and Londoners alike, the Museum of London is a wonderful resource. Filled with compelling artefacts, it tells the fascinating story of London from its foundation to the modern day. From the pre-history of the Thames Valley and Roman Londinium to the Great Fire and the Blitz, the museum is bound to catch your interest with its strong exhibits. Study Charles Booth’s 19th century city map of the London poor, marvel at some Art Deco or read up on the Suffragettes in this jewel of London history. The museum is situated on the London Wall, first built by the Romans as a defensive wall around 200AD.
Situated in Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery is a real London landmark. It was founded in 1824 after repeated calls for a national gallery and moved to its present building in 1838. Its collection of Western European art spans seven centuries. Highlights include the Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck, The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger, van Gogh’s celebrated Sunflowers, Georges Seurat’s Bathers and Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus. Among English masterpieces visitors can see The Fighting Temeraire by Turner, Constable’s The Cornfield and The Hay Wain and The Morning Walk by Thomas Gainsborough. Turner’s paintings, which the painter left to the nation, are divided between the National Gallery and the Clore Gallery, Tate Britain.
This gallery specialises in portraits and offers a brilliant opportunity for the study of portraiture. The collection is also of interest to social and cultural historians. The subjects of the portraits are British men and women of renown. Naturally, there are many images of monarchs and members of royalty. Other notable subjects include self-portraits of artists such as the painter and printmaker William Hogarth and Sir Joshua Reynolds, the first president of the Royal Academy of Arts. The Chandos portrait, probably of William Shakespeare, is housed in the gallery. There are also paintings of the Brontë sisters by their brother, Patrick Branwell Brontë. The gallery is closed between 2020–2023 for refurbishment.
Tate Britain is part of a group of art galleries that also include Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It was founded by the sugar merchant and philanthropist Sir Henry Tate in 1897 on the site of the former Millbank Prison. Previously known as the Tate Gallery, it was renamed Tate Britain in 2000 after the opening of Tate Modern. It is the national gallery for British art and it was in fact originally opened under the name National Gallery of British Art though everybody called it after its founder, Tate. Turner bequeathed his collection to the nation which is housed in the Tate in the purpose-built Clore Gallery. In Tate Britain lovers of art can study Turner in all his aspects. The Tate also administers the annual Turner Prize, a high profile contemporary art prize.
Tate Modern is the most visited art museum in Europe after the Louvre. It is based in the former Bankside Power Station standing opposite St Paul’s Cathedral across the river Thames. The daring make-over of the building and its sheer scale is a pull for visitors in itself. Because of its location, the building also offers spectacular views of London. The gallery houses modern and contemporary art from 1900 onwards. The permanent collections include paintings by Picasso, Monet and Klee. Temporary exhibitions are complemented by live installations and educational projects. There is also a performance space and auditorium. In 2014 the gallery hosted an exhibition of Henri Matisse.
The Royal Academy of Arts is situated in Burlington House, a Palladian mansion in Piccadilly, London. It is the oldest fine arts establishment in Britain, founded by George III in 1768. Its Friends Scheme is the oldest in the world and the Academy is run as an independent charity, receiving no public funding. The first president of the Academy was Sir Joshua Reynolds and alumni include the likes of William Turner and John Constable. The original foundation document allowed a membership of 40 Royal Academicians. Today there are 80 members, practicing artists and architects, elected to the membership by ballot. The annual exhibition is eagerly awaited every summer.
