Hidden Gems Guide to London Museums

Hidden Gems Guide to London

Hidden Gems - Museums

London is a dream come true for art and

history lovers and there are so many excellent

museums and galleries to explore throughout

the city. Most visitors will head straight to the

British Museum, the National History Museum

or the Victoria and Albert Museum, as these

are the most well-known tourist attractions.

However, once you have visited the popular

major museums in London, there are many

other hidden gems museums to discover, each

one offering a glance into a different aspect of

history.

Look beyond the big names and explore some

of these other interesting museums for

insights into culture, art and history, such as:

The Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a mysterious fraternal

organisation that originated in the 14th

century. The organisation describes itself as a

“beautiful system of morality” and it is “veiled

in allegory and illustrated by symbols”. If you

are intrigued by the history of this group, you

can learn more about it at the Library and

Museum of Freemasonry in London.

This fascinating museum contains a collection

of interesting objects with masonic decoration,

including silver, glassware, furniture, clocks,

jewellery, pottery, regalia and porcelain. Many

of the items that belonged to Royal

Freemasons such as Edward VII and Prime

Minister Winston Churchill are on display here,

as well as many photographs, engravings and

other artefacts. The museum also contains a

large collection of items that relate to other

fraternal societies such as the Sons of the

Phoenix and the Oddfellows.

Hidden Gems Guide to London

The Fan Museum

This is the only museum in the UK that is

entirely devoted to every aspect of fans and

fan making. It is home to over four thousand

beautiful antique fans from all over the world,

dating back to the 11th century and to the

present day. Located in the heart of historic

Greenwich, it has won a number of awards

from the English Tourist Board and the

National Art Collections Fund. The exhibitions

are very well put together and they reveal the

sociological, historical and economic contexts

of the fans.

If you plan your visit to this museum on a

Tuesday or a Sunday afternoon, you can enjoy

a traditional afternoon tea in the elegant

Orangery and guided tours of the museum. The

temporary exhibitions rotate every four

months, so you if you go often you can see a

great selection of some of the most beautiful

(and rare) fans in the world.

All images courtesy of the Fan Museum

Hidden Gems Guide to London

The Old Operating Theatre

This is one of the strangest and most

interesting museums in London. It is the oldest

operating theatre in Europe, originally part of

the old St. Thomas Hospital. The Old Operating

Theatre is located within the roof space of an

English Baroque Church and during the 1800s,

medical students would come here to watch

the sometimes brutal operations conducted by

the doctors there.

Many of the surgeries performed here were

amputations and other such major surgeries.

Before 1846 surgeons had no anaesthetics and

they depended on swift techniques, mental

preparation of patients and alcohol (and other

drugs) to dull the senses. Ouch!

The Table image courtesy of Dazeley

Image courtesy of The Old Operating Theatre

Hidden Gems Guide to London

Leighton House

Frederic Leighton was one of the most famous

British artists in the Victorian era and he gained

renown internationally. He became the

President of the Royal Academy of the Arts in

1878 and was considered an expert on art and

culture at the time.

Leighton bought this land in 1864 and made

plans to create a house dedicated to artistic

appreciation. He continued to add to and

embellish his home for the 30 years that he

lived within it. Located in the Royal Borough of

Kensington and Chelsea, this is the only

purpose built studio home that is currently

open to the public in the UK.

It not only houses a stunning collection of art,

but this “private palace” also features truly

impressive architectural features including

intricate mosaics, a golden dome and ornate

detailing.

All Images courtesy of and copyright Leighton Museum

Hidden Gems Guide to London

Benjamin Franklin House

Learn about one of history’s great minds at the

Benjamin Franklin House, the world’s only

remaining Franklin home. Known for being an

inventor, scientist, diplomat, founding father

of the USA and philosopher Dr Franklin lived in

this home for 16 years between 1757 and

1775. It has since been turned into a museum

and educational centre.

Tours of the home take place throughout the

day and there is also the Historical Experience

- a multimedia show that uses lighting, visual

projection, sound and live performances to tell

the story of Franklin’s London years.

The house itself was built around 1730 and it is

a Grade I listed Heritage Building. It still has a

number of its original features, including the

18th century panelling, the fittings, the bricks,

the beams and the central staircase. Visiting

this house at 36 Craven Street in the Heart of

London is a must for any history lover.

The Benjamin Franklin House Historical Experience images courtesy of Benjamin Franklin House

The Benjamin Franklin House Historical Experience images courtesy of Benjamin Franklin House

Hidden Gems Guide to London

St. John’s Museum

From 11th century Jerusalem through to the

modern day, this museum tells the fascinating

story of the history of the Order of St. John, St.

John Ambulance and the St. John Eye Hospital

in Jerusalem. The Order of St. John originally

founded a hospital to care for sick pilgrims in

Jerusalem and has maintained this caring role

up until present day, working on many

humanitarian projects worldwide.

Historic tours around the museum are

available Tuesday, Friday and Saturday at

11am and 2:30am, lasting around 80 minutes.

This interesting museum is one of the great

hidden gems of London, tracing the history of

this well-known charity back over 900 years.

Visits to the museum are free of charge, but a

donation is recommended as the museum is

not government or charity funded and relies

totally on visitor support.

The Link Gallery St John's Museum

The Order Gallery St Johns Museum

The Chapter Hall all images featured courtesy of St Johns Museum

Hidden Gems Guide to London

Ragged School Museum

This museum, located in the borough of Tower

Hamlets, was opened in 1990 on the historic

premises of the ‘Copperfield Road Ragged

School’, led by Dr Barnardo. The school was

created in 1877 with the purpose of serving the

children of Mile End with a basic education. It

was open until 1908 when the school boards in

London were established to take over the job

of providing an education for the students.

The museum gives visitors a glance back in

time to what a Victorian classroom would have

looked like at the turn of the century, as well

as a typical East End kitchen from 1900. There

are also interesting gallery areas and exhibits

about the local culture and history of the East

End at the time. The museum is open from

10am until 5pm on Wednesday and Thursday

and between 2pm and 5pm every first Sunday

of the month. The museum also holds historic

Victorian school lessons on the 1st Sunday of

the month. General admission to the museum

is free.

All Images courtesy of the Ragged School Museum

Hidden Gems Guide to London

The Museum of Brands

This colourful and entertaining museum tracks

the history of consumer culture, revealing how

some of the most well-known brands have

evolved over the years in their use of

advertising and packaging. The museum begins

with brands and packaging from the 1800s and

continues up to the present day.

The Museum of Brands is located just around

the corner from the world-famous Portobello

Road Market and it is considered one of the top

10 attractions in the city of London. There are

interesting temporary exhibitions on display at

the museum, ranging from exhibits focusing on

beer and tobacco advertising to the role of

advertising during war time.

All images courtesy of the Museum of Brands

Hidden Gems Guide to London

British Optical Museum

This “eye-opening” museum is dedicated to

the history of the eye care and optical

professions in London. It was founded in 1901

by J. Sutcliffe of the British Optical Association

and it has more than 20,000 impressive objects

and archival items related to the history of

optometry. Many of the objects in the

collection are rare and unique and there is also

an interesting display of art that depicts

optometry through the years.

The museum is free to visit for the public, but

you must make an appointment. You can also

book a tour of the meeting rooms of the

College of Optometrists. This museum is

thought to be one of the oldest optometry

museums in the world.

All images courtesy of the British Optical Museum

Hidden Gems Guide to London

Geffrye Museum

You can learn a lot about the history and

culture of an era by looking at the way people

built and decorated their homes during any

period. This museum is dedicated to the

history of the home and it gives a historic

perspective into how homes and gardens have

changed throughout the years. The homes

reflect the evolution of society and changes in

style, taste and behaviour over the past 400

years.

Walk through a series of period rooms that

have been recreated in various styles, from

17th century oak furniture opulence to muted

Georgian elegance to 20th century modern

style. It is a great place to experience the

culture of England over so many different years

and periods.

The museum offers free entry and is open from

Tuesday until Sunday and on Bank Holiday

Mondays, from 10am until 5pm.

Geffrye Museum exterior photography Richard Davies courtesy of the Geffrye Museum

Room 5 A drawing room in 1830 photographed by Chris Ridley landscape courtesy of the Geffrye Museum

Hidden Gems Guide to London

Sir John Sloane’s Museum

Architect Sir John Sloane was the son of a

bricklayer and was born in 1753. He had a long

and well-respected career. He designed his

home at 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields as a place to

display all of the works of art and antiquities

that he collected. In 1833 he established the

house as a museum by creating an Act of

Parliament which required that the romantic

interiors be preserved the way they were at

the time of his death.

The museum offers expert-guided tours

around its wonderful interiors and there is lots

to see inside. Because the interiors must be

kept the same as they were at Sloane’s death,

there are no labels and panels explaining each

of the objects and artworks. Therefore, it is

very valuable to have a knowledgeable guide

take you around the museum and give you

some informed insight into Sloane’s life and

collections.

Horniman Museum

This museum is located in Forest Hill, London

and it opened in the year 1901. It was designed

in the Arts and Crafts style by Charles Harrison

Townsend. The founder of the museum was

Frederick John Horniman, who inherited his

father’s Horniman Tea Company. It was the

world’s largest tea trading company at the

time, so Frederick used the money from the

business to collect art, musical instruments

and cultural artefacts from all over the world.

He gathered a collection of approximately

30,000 items and the Horniman museum now

displays this great collection of anthropological

wonders and artwork – which has now grown

to feature a total of 350,000 objects!

Some of the most well-known exhibits in the

museum include the large collection of historic

stuffed animals and the interesting and

beautiful aquarium. The museum is set within

16 acres of land and it also includes a nature

trail, an enclosure with small animals, an

ornamental garden, a bandstand from 1912

and a sound garden with large musical

instruments that visitors can play. Entrance to

the museum is free and it is open daily from

10:30 am until 5:30 pm except on Christmas.

These are just a few more of the interesting

London museums that you can discover while

exploring this great city!

Citybase, Telephone House 3rd Floor, Fenton Street, Lancaster, LA1 1AB T +44 (0)845 4300124 F +44 (0)845 2269832 E info@citybaseapartments.com

https://www.citybaseapartments.com/destinations