V&A
The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
The V&A is located in the Brompton district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in an area that has become known as “Albertopolis” because of its association with Prince Albert, the Albert Memorial and the major cultural institutions with which he was associated. These include the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Royal Albert Hall. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Like other national British museums, entrance to the museum has been free since 2001.
British Museum
The Museum houses a vast collection of world art and artefacts and is free to all visitors. Find information about visiting, including admission and opening times, events and exhibitions, gallery guides and teaching resources. Search highlight objects of the collection and view current research projects.
Natural History
The museum is home to life and earth science specimens comprising some 80 million items within five main collections: botany, entomology, mineralogy, paleontology and zoology. The museum is a centre of research specialising in taxonomy, identification and conservation. Given the age of the institution, many of the collections have great historical as well as scientific value, such as specimens collected by Charles Darwin. The museum is particularly famous for its exhibition of dinosaur skeletons and ornate architecture sometimes dubbed a cathedral of nature both exemplified by the large Diplodocus cast that dominated the vaulted central hall before it was replaced in 2017 with the skeleton of a blue whale hanging from the ceiling. The Natural History Museum Library contains extensive books, journals, manuscripts, and artwork collections linked to the work and research of the scientific departments; access to the library is by appointment only. The museum is recognised as the pre-eminent centre of natural history and research of related fields in the world.
Imperial War Museum
IWM is a family of five museums recording and showcasing experiences of modern conflict. Some of those experiences paint a picture of everyday life in wartime, others give us a glimpse of something exceptional. All of them help us to explore the causes of war and its impact on peoples lives.
Sir John Sloanes Museum
The historic house, museum and library of distinguished 19th century architect Sir John Soane. At Soanes request, the house has been left untouched since his death almost 180 years ago.