The Imperial War Museum features galleries and exhibits portraying the dramatic story of the British experience of war, in static and interactive displays. Exhibits such as The Holocaust Exhibition and
A Family in Wartime are powerful experiences that ensure we will never forget the horror of war.
The Artillery
Walk through a simulated First World War trench and imagine what it felt like on the front line, the sounds of the war all around. Above is a Harrier Jump Jet that flew patrols over Iraq in 1990.
Sit in a Soviet T-34 medium tank, a Second World War stalwart for the Russian Army. Explore the hidden compartments of a German agent’s suitcase, or walk through the model house in A Family at War. See an iconic image of Margret Thatcher, or experience sleeping in a cramped bunk aboard HMS Belfast on the Thames. Visit Churchill’s War Rooms or the well-preserved WWII airfield.
The Documents
The museum collects and preserves the documents of wartime army, navy and air force servicemen and women. The letters, diaries and other memoirs those of Field Marshals Sir John French and Bernard Montgomery.
You can also view documents from the WWII, which were previously in Cabinet custody. There are records of George and Victoria Cross winners, and the UK National Inventory of War Memorials. As of 2012, a total of 24,800 documents were kept in the museum.
The Art
The Imperial War Museum has an impressive art collection including drawings, prints, paintings, sculpture, film and photographs. The collection has its origins in WWI when the works were first commissioned by the British War Memorials Committee.
The collection has expanded from 3,000 works of art in 1920 to 84,980 in 2012, and includes such renowned war artists as John Singer Sargent, Wyndham Lewis, John Nash, Christopher Nevinson. Ken Howard and Linda Kitson.
Numerous other exhibits include flags, uniforms, badges and insignia, trench art, medals, weapons and ordnance, and military vehicles.
The Library
The impressive library houses a collection of modern conflict, works on warfare from WWI, biographies, social, economic, cultural, military and political works. There is also a great stamp collection, ration books, newspapers, magazines and more. The Library reported a collection of more than 80,000 items in 2012.
Obviously, the Imperial War Museum has maximum appeal for history buffs, but it’s not all war. You can also visit the Tibetan Peace Garden, or take a bicycle tour or on the Afternoon Tea Bus. And there’s a café to relax and have a snack and a cuppa.
Address: Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ Tel: 0207 416 5000
Website: www.iwm.org.uk Nearest tube station: Lambeth North
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