Best Museums to Visit

[Northern Lass]

Which are the best ones to visit
let us know on this thread

[snoopysue]

Heritage Motor Centre Motor Museum, Gaydon, Warwickshire

Total nostalgia, as we only had British cars when I was a child!

[Margarett]

Ironbridge Gorge Museums in Shropshire, birthplace of the industrial revolution.

[Northern Lass]

Black Country Living Museum in Dudley
well worth a visit

[gardener]

The Foundling Museum
http://www.foundlingmuseum.org.uk/

This is in London, Bloomsbury area, and well worth a visit if you are in the area.

[Rob]

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
Home of Rembrandt's "Nachtwacht".
Then when you come out walk across Museum Plein and visit Van Gogh's Museum and if you go now they have,till May,an exhibition of Picasso to boot!!

[BC Wench]

Forge Mill Needle Museum/Bordesley Abbey, Redditch. www.forgemill.org.uk

[Antie Em]

The Cumberland Pencil Museum, Lake District : http://www.pencilmuseum.co.uk - Kids'll love it. Last time I went there was an exhibition of Raymond Briggs' Snowman

[MattFletcher]

London has many great museums but the lesser-known Museum of London (part of the Barbican, near St. Paul's) is my favourite.

[Rhinoceros]

The Cumberland Pencil Museum, Lake District : http://www.pencilmuseum.co.uk - Kids'll love it. Last time I went there was an exhibition of Raymond Briggs' Snowman

Seconded. Even as an adult I love visiting this museum!

[garrypaulbrooks]

I've had a bit of a "museum crawl" in the last couple of months since lockdown ended. Here are a few I strongly recommend, in no particular order

(a) The Huguenot Museum, Rochester
https://huguenotmuseum.org/

Small but really interesting museum, very enthusiastic staff. Well worth a visit whether you are of Hugeunot descent or not

(b) Braintree District Museum, Essex
https://www.braintreemuseum.co.uk/

Excellent - and surprising - local museum. Braintree has a far more interesting history than you might think, it was something of a centre of religious nonconformity in the 17th & 18th century, partly due to Courtaulds, who were Calvinist Huguenots, but also from a 17th century influx of Flemish immigrants mostly working in the cloth trades. Two USA presidents are descended from Braintree residents

[c]The Royal Engineers Museum, Gillingham[/b]
https://www.re-museum.co.uk/

Excellent museum detailing the work of an all too often forgotten section of the military

(d) Chatham Dockyard
https://thedockyard.co.uk/

A few miles from the Royal Engineers Museum, great on a dry day. Unfortunately you can't go into a submarine at the moment

(e) Bailiffgate Museum and Gallery, Alnwick, Northumberland
https://bailiffgatemuseum.co.uk/

Lovely old building, very helpful staff. Some interesting short videos

[f]The National Army Museum, Chelsea[/b]
https://www.nam.ac.uk/

Much less visited than the Imperial War Museum, but IMHO just as good

Enjoy!

[garrypaulbrooks]

I somehow forgot this one:

"M Shed "in Bristol

https://www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/m-shed/

As an ex-Bristolian, I thought this place was great. The "people's" history of many of Bristol's neighbourhoods is terrific, I spent hours on it. Plenty else to recommend this museum, give it a go if you are near Bristol.

Be warned - parking is terrible & expensive nearby. I'd advise dropping your car somewhere a few miles out and walk in, or get a bus.

Nearby, The Watershed is a great Arts complex (mainly cinema) and King Street is a true gem of Old Bristol, including the theatre Royal, the 400 year old Llandoger Trow (sadly closed at the moment; future uncertain) and The Old Duke, famous for live jazz.

[garrypaulbrooks]

Another two:

Maidstone Museum (once it's open again - Kent's all in Tier 3)

https://museum.maidstone.gov.uk/

A really excellent museum in a lovely building, with very helpful staff. Well worth a special visit, allow 2 hours.

Wheal Martyn clay works, Cornwall

https://www.wheal-martyn.com/

Good exhibits, great to wander around outside on a nice day. Fine café with home-made yummies.

If you visit the Eden Project on the same day you get cheap entry to the Wheal Martyn

[Frodo]

Museum of Science and Industry Manchester. Very good for a family visit with excellent demonstrations. It is on the site of the first passenger railway.
If you wanted a museum based holiday there is also the Imperial War Museum North, The People's History Museum, Manchester Museum and The National Football Museum. There are also a number of other smaller museums along with art galleries including The Lowry all worth visiting.

[garrypaulbrooks]

Yesterday we visited the Fitzwilliam museum in Cambridge - fabulous place, with a brilliant exhibition "Defaced! Money, Conflict, Protest" on until 8th Jan - see it f you can.
More at
https://www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/visit- ... ct-protest