Free Museums In London

Free museums in London is something that this city has in abundance. I very much doubt whether any other city in the world offers so much quality stuff for free. It is truly amazing that there is so much for free in London, which is generally one of the most expensive cities on the planet.

I don’t know for sure how many free London museums there are, but I would hazard a guess and say there must be at least 20. I know looking at boring old paintings of Britain’s elite from years gone by isn’t something that excites me. However I know that what is one mans hell is another’s heaven.

Thankfully the many free museums in London offer an amazing diversity of subject matter from which to choose from. I’m pretty certain there will be something out there for everyone.

Free Museums In London

Horniman Museum & Gardens:

This London museum was founded by Victorian tea trader Frederick John Horniman in 1901 to showcase to the public his collection of natural history, cultural and musical instruments. The collection has been added to significantly over the years and of the 350,000 objects housed in the museum only around 10% are now Horniman’s.

As well as the museum, their is an aquarium and over 16 acres of beautiful gardens.

Science Museum:

For those of you that come out in a rash at the thought of boring old dusty paintings, The Science Museum could be the place for you.

This free London museum holds a collection of over 300,000 items, including such famous items as Stephenson’s Rocket, Puffing Billy (the oldest surviving steam locomotive), the first jet engine, a reconstruction of Francis Crick and James Watson’s model of DNA, some of the earliest remaining steam engines, a working example of Charles Babbage’s Difference engine, the first prototype of the 10,000-year Clock of the Long Now, and documentation of the first typewriter. It also contains hundreds of interactive exhibits.

Tate Britian:

For those for those of you that like boirng old British historical and contmepoary art this is the place for you, this is the place your where your dreams come true!

The main display spaces show the permanent collection of historic British art, as well as contemporary work. It has rooms dedicated to works by one artist, such as: Tracey Emin, John Latham, Douglas Gordon, Sam Taylor-Wood, Marcus Gheeraerts II, though these, like the rest of the collection, are subject to rotation.

Wallace Collection:

This London museum opened in 1897 and houses a world-famous range of fine and decorative arts from the 15th to the 19th century with large holdings of French 18th-century paintings, furniture, arms & armour, porcelain and Old Master paintings arranged into 25 galleries.

The Wallace Collection was mainly created by Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford (1800-1870), who left it and the house to his illegitimate son Sir Richard Wallace (1818-1890), whose widow bequeathed the entire collection to the nation. The museum opened to the public in 1900 in Hertford House, Manchester Square, and remains there, housed in its entirety, to this day. A condition of the bequest was that no object ever leave the collection, even for loan exhibitions.

V & A:

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects.

Named after Prince Albert and Queen Victoria, it was founded in 1852, and has since grown to cover some 12.5 acres and 145 galleries. Its collection spans 5000 years of art, from ancient times to the present day, in virtually every medium, from the cultures of Europe, North America, Asia and North Africa.

If the 5 free museums in London that I have just previewed today, don’t excite you enough to go and visit them, have a wee look at my article London Is A culture Vultures Paradise. Where I list 5 more free London museums.

There are so many amazing free museums in London that it should be a criminal offense to come here and not at least visit a couple of them!

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1. London is a Culture Vultures Paradise
2. 5 Cool Places To Visit For Free In London
3. Just Some Pictures From The RAF Museum In London