It's an interesting place, depending on your age and knowledge of space. Plenty of interactive…read moredisplays about various aspects of space: planets, stars, basic physics, and history. Be prepared for a lot of school children, and don't expect much when it comes to food or beverages. Just bring your own snacks. Parking is £3 for the day and the wifi is free.

Very good place to go if you like space and want to learn about it. There are a lot of family…read morefriendly things to do there as well

What an amazing place! We happened to see this museum as we…read morewere walking by and were intrigued by their moving signage. Inside there are plenty of machines that whir and perform small tasks or even make music. Lots of interactive things to see and do, buttons to push, pedals to press, even a magnetic marble track you can build yourself! It's a treat for young and old and definitely worth the small entry fee.

The opening hours are stated for October to March. Opening hours from April to September are a…read morelittle longer (10:30 to 18:30 daily). A friend recommended this place to me thinking that my boys would like it. My friend was right! We did all enjoy the interactive displays. The extent of the interactivity is mainly pressing a button though but it's still good. There is an interesting range of mechanical art and my boys and I were fascinated by the mechanisms. It is quite a small place. It cost £19 for the four of us (2 adults and 2 children) which isn't too bad but, considering we spent less than an hour in there and saw everything, it does seem a little expensive. There are two floors. One very small room on each floor displaying different pieces of art. It can get rather crowded due to the small size, especially downstairs where the entrance/exit is the same. In the same small area, there is a counter where there is a single member of staff who both admits people and serves the gift shop. The gift shop is basically a small portion of the wall within the ground floor of the museum. Many items are over-priced and the selection is very limited. We did enjoy ourselves there and would recommend it but it could get claustrophobic and the upstairs can be noisy (although it does state this on the signage).

A great museum set in the grounds of a Roman bath site with a massive Roman wall. The displays…read morecover prehistory, Roman, Saxon and Medieval Leicester. There are some great objects - the mosaics and wall paintings are unmissable, some of the best in the country. It is free to get in (so good in the school holidays!) and they hold regular special events. There is a free brochure you can pick up that lets you know when the events are so that's quite handy. They also hold an enquiry service so if you dig up any archaeology in your back garden you can take it in and get it identified!! The staff are always polite and friendly and will go out of their way to answer any questions you have. It looks like it could do with a bit of a refurbishment, but I guess they need the council to give them some money - but the displays are really good despite this. Toilets and museum are always clean and there is good disabled access (once you've gone all the way round the site and got in through the car park!)

I stopped in here while looking for another museum... I am terrible with directions. The staff in…read morehere were really friendly. They invited me to have a look around and directed me to the Guild Hall Museum that I originally set out to see. Like, many museums in the UK, Jewry Wall is open to the public and free of charge. The day I visited there was some sort of sword fighting demonstration taking place outside. I don't think I managed to see all the museum has to offer as I think I missed most of the ruins outside the main building. This museum focuses on the local history of Leicester. It doesn't take much time to go around and see everything - would recommend stopping by.

You know, it's amazing how fast a museum pops up after they make a significant discovery, though as…read moreit turns out sometimes it does take quite a while for a museum to appear at times. Still, it was only recently that King Richard's body was found, and yeah, suddenly a King Richard museum appears on top of the grave site. Then again, that is sort of similar to how shrines and churches in the past appeared on special sites. Yeah, the museum was actually pretty cool, it's just a shame that you have to catch a cab to get to Bosworth Fields.

An excellent learning center dedicated to the history of Richard III and the modern discovery of…read morehis grave. His remains were reinterred in the nearby cathedral. The highlight of the Visitor Center is the opportunity to view the gravesite where his remains were discovered. A viewing floor made of glass covers the site, allowing visitors to view the location of the dig and discovery. It features a hologram projection that allows viewers to see what the skeleton looked like when uncovered. Also fascinating is a replica of the skeleton, in a different part of the Visitor Center, and a video display of CT scan results of the wounds on Richard's bones and analysis of the weapons likely to have made them. Other exhibits briefly review the dynastic battles that later became known as the War of the Roses.

Another way of escaping the city in Leicester. Most of my escape places are also free…read more The Hall (Grade II* listed) is in the midst of two acres of serene walled gardens that are open to the public. The gardens were an important aspect of the Hall in Victorian times (a status symbol that showed the family's wealth). Belgrave Hall provides an oasis of peace and quiet in a busy city. It was built in the early 18th century, in what was then a small village 3 miles from the town of Leicester. Now city traffic passes, almost unnoticed, just beyond the garden walls. In its current role as a museum, the rooms have been designed to appear as they may have been decorated and used in Victorian times, with the contrasting lifestyles of an upper middle class family and domestic servants. This period was when the Ellis family was resident. The beautifully laid out natural room settings create the feeling of having just missed the occupants of the house. Edmund Cradock, a 'nouveau riche' hosiery merchant, built the Hall between 1709 and 1713 and died soon after its completion. Ellis and his wife Priscilla moved to the Hall with eight of their eleven children seven daughters and their youngest son. The family lived there with their servants the cook, housekeeper, parlour maid,aid-of-all-work, coachman and gardener. The Ellis sisters bought the Hall from their brother in 1868, after he inherited it from their father. Upon the death of the last remaining Ellis sister in 1923, the Hall was sold. Little is known of the next owners, the Simons. The Vann's who lived there from 1767 to 1844, ran a thriving hosiery business from the Hall, employing the local framework knitters as outworkers. They gave generously to many local charities, including Leicester's first free school. John Ellis, who purchased Belgrave Hall in 1845 and his family were also noted for their good work in the community. Ellis, a wealthy businessman, was responsible for bringing the railways to Leicester in 1833. In 1936, the estate was sold to Leicester City Council for £10,500 around a third of its actual value. A number of statues and monuments from lost gardens in Leicestershire are now situated within the gardens. The rock and water garden, botanic garden, eco garden and glasshouses compliment the older, formal grounds. Refurbishment work carried out in 2005 included improved access to the gardens. The rooms show how a house of the period worked in great detail. Free admission.

This is an amazing 2 story museum with all kinds of artifacts from old wedgewood to Egypt's tomb…read moreand artifacts Teapots and tea cups old coins to everything in between. 2 nd floor loads of paintings to look at. Entry is free which is always a plus.

The Fitzwilliam Museum offers a well rounded and varied collection. It is sure to please most…read moremuseum visitors regardless of interests. If you're a fan of the work of Georges-Pierre Seurat, you're sure to enjoy the 1884 Neo-Impressionism painting, "The Couple" (original title: Un dimanche après-midi sur l'île de la Grande Jatte). Does it somehow look familiar? This was a study for A Sunday on the Island of la Grande Jatte! "This work is one of many that Georges-Pierre Seurat made in preparation for a much larger painting. The woman's stiff posture is accentuated by her tightly buttoned jacket and the exaggerated bustle of her skirt, which echoes the curve of her parasol. Given that the area of Paris depicted here was known for prostitution, it has been suggested that the woman is a sex worker on the arm of a male client." Give yourself several hours if you plan to take in the entire collection. If you are fortunate enough to live nearby and can visit often, take your time and you're sure to fall in love with one of the many wonderfully curated items found within the museum walls.

Great building..love it. This building, which dates back to…read more1390, has seen many incarnations. Originally built for the Guild of Corpus Christi, it was extended during the 1400's to include two halls. The Guildhall has been used as the town hall, city library, courtroom, school, and even a museum. The building's interior features exposed wood beams and an elaborate gilded coat of arms. Today, the city uses the structure as a performance venue. When it was a museum I was in there, on a winters day, alone. It has a long sweeping staircase and I started to walk down it saying (out loud) I care not for your fortune, my Lord. I shall never marry you for you are not worthy. etc. When I got to the bottom, standing silently, staring at me, was a school party! I smiles, said hello and rapidly left. Built in stages between the 14th and 16th centuries, the city's most prominent public building was Leicester's first town hall and contains one of the oldest libraries in Britain. It is one of the best preserved timber framed halls in the country, dating back six hundred years. The Guildhall has had many uses and lives. The Great Hall itself was built in about 1390 as a meeting place for the Guild of Corpus Christi (a small but powerful group of businessman and gentry). Over the next hundred years the Great Hall was extended and the two wings at either end added. By the end of the 14th century the corporation of Leicester had begun to meet in the Guildhall. When the Guild was dissolved in 1548 the Corporation bought the buildings for the sum of £25 15s 4d! In 1632 the Town Library was moved into the East Wing of the Guildhall from St Martin' s Church. It is the third oldest public library in the country. At about the same time the ground floor of the West Wing was refurbished as the Mayor's Parlour. The Great Hall was often used as a courtroom and a jury Room was created above the Mayor's Parlour. The Guildhall was also used regularly for theatrical performances, banquets and civic events. With the growth of the town and the expansion of local government functions in the 19th century it became increasingly clear that, as a town hall, the Guildhall was far too small. After much debate a new Town Hall was built on Horse Fair and opened in 1876. For the next fifty years the Guildhall was used for several purposes including the headquarters of the local police and a school. It became very dilapidated and there were even calls for its demolition as an eyesore! Fortunately, the council decided to restore the building and following a major renovation programme it was opened to the public as a museum in 1926. It is reputed that William Shakespeare appeared here. In recognition of this, the television company, Maya Vision, brought the Royal Shakespeare Company to perform at the Guildhall as part of its 2003 series for the BBC, 'In Search of Shakespeare,' written and narrated by the historian, Michael Wood. Part of the Shakespeare legend is that Shakespeare first came across the tale of King Leir whilst appearing at the Guildhall and this inspired him to write his own play King Lear. There is, however, no actual evidence to support this, although the legend of King Leir is often associated with Leicester. Today, The Guildhall is best known as an excellent performance venue, attracting acts from across the country, and as a museum where visitors can step back in time and come face to face with 'Crankie Gemmie' and 'Emma Smith', two of Leicester's notorious pick-pockets who can be found lurking within the Victorian police cells. The Guildhall is reputedly Leicester's most haunted building - five ghosts have been reported in total. Because of its reported hauntings, it has appeared on various TV programmes, most notably being investigated on Living TV's 'Most Haunted'. Derek Acorah and David Wells, immediately sensed the presence of Victorian era pick pockets, policemen and an 'evil presence' in the cell area. Footsteps were heard in the library roof space, two duelling men were sensed in the Great Hall and many of the crew felt sick in the area of the cells. Members of the public can also investigate the ghostly goings on at the Guildhall as it has become a popular place for several paranormal companies who hold overnight events there. The most frequent visitor is the White Lady, a name given to the phenomenon though she is very rarely seen. The ghost makes her presence known by moving the heavy Tudor furniture around the library and by opening doors once they have been locked and bolted. On numerous occasions, staff and police have been called out in the evening to attend to burglar alarms which have been triggered by an unseen presence. The White Lady also has a soft spot for the large Bible which is situated on the main table within the library. Staff will often close the Bible in the evening only to find that in the morning it is back open in exactly the same place as the night before. No one

The Guildhall is quite interesting in that it has been many things, the old town hall, a theatre, a…read moreschool and a police station!! There are lots of different bits you can explore including the cells and the haunted library! They put on lots of concerts and ghost hunts there and also you can get married there! Normally though, just to look around it's free to get in and they run lots of craft days for the kids. Something for everyone really, I only mark it down as disabled access isn't great for the top floors (not really their fault as it's such an old building) and there are not many displays to look at, apart from in the cells, it's all about the building!

Apart from the beautiful building and the setting of New Walk itself many a happy, relaxing hour…read morecan be spent here. New Walk Museum and Art Gallery is situated along the historic New Walk . In 1849 the Literary and Philosophical Society formally presented to the town its various collections, which have grown and developed over the last 150 years into one of the premier collections and museums in the Midlands spanning the natural and cultural world. The museum has a coffee shop, is a venue for a wide variety of musical performances and is even licensed to host wedding ceremonies. New Walk Museum has been the inspiration for many people including Lord Attenborough and Sir David Attenborough, who pursued their love of art and natural history as a result of spending their formative years as regular visitors to the galleries. Leicester's oldest museum. Permanent exhibitions include: Wild Space is an exhibition that investigates what we mean by the word 'biodiversity'. By looking at different species and the habitats in which they live we can see how vital they are to the well being of the planet. The Mighty Dinosaurs Walk in the footprints of giants and discover the awesome power of these fascinating creatures and their sea going cousins the plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs. Watch out for the mighty Rutland Dinosaur and the 'Barrow Kipper'. Leicestershire's Rocks Leicestershire stands over rocks of many different ages and types, some of which are 600 million years old. Discover Leicestershire's rocks and explore a wide variety of fossils and minerals. Ancient Egyptians Step back in time and explore a civilisation that has lasted for 3,000 years. Come face to face with ancient Egyptians and find out how they lived and died. Mummies, coffins, gods and treasures greet you in the darkened corners of the tunnels. World Arts The new World Arts gallery provides insights into the vast range of human creativity and skill which has gone into making and decorating objects across the world. 'Our World Through Art' displays a regularly changing selection from Leicester's permanent collections featuring artworks from the 16th to the 21st centuries. Showing the brightest and best of the permanent collection, key works range from powerful 20th-century artists such as Francis Bacon, Peter Doig and the Old Masters to new, vibrant works from African-Caribbean and South Asian artists. Plus changing temporary exhibitions. Well worth a visit when in Leicester.

The New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, located a short walk from Leicester train station (helpful…read moresigns will point you to it) is a small "mix & match" place which includes displays on archaeology (both dinosaurs and Egyptian history), nature and fine arts. Entry is FREE and photography is allowed. The best part is the natural history display, which is very nicely presented. The Egyptian artefacts will not impress more knowing visitors, and are of main interest only to kids. If you've ever been to a proper Egyptian mummy exhibition (like the one at the British Museum in London), you will almost certainly be disappointed by what Leicester has to offer. The art collection, I'm afraid, is small and almost entirely forgettable. Most of the few dozen paintings on show (in one single large gallery, plus a very minor "modern" art display in the adjacent room) are second-rate genre paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries. Though officially called "the Victorian collection", they had to fill up the space with some seventeenth century art as well, none of it remarkable. Only a handful (like about 4) paintings are minor works by major artists of their time, like Edmund Blair Leighton or Alfred Sisley. The rest are by mostly unfamiliar artists. The "modern" collection does have paintings by Stanley Spencer and L.S. Lowry, but only one each. My advice: If you're mobile, take the train to Birmingham, or even Derby, and visit their art galleries, which have more interesting works on show. Their collections are superior to this one - in the case of Birmingham Art Gallery, MUCH superior. The New Walk Museum is of interest to locals and kids (When I visited on a Tuesday it was overflowing with the small fry). Adults from farther away need not bother!

RAF Coningsby, on the B1192 south of Horncastle, Lincolnshire. About half a mile from Coningsby…read morevillage, 13 miles north-east of Sleaford on the A153. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight operates a Lancaster, five Spitfires, two Hurricanes, two Chipmunks, and a Dakota. In 1986, it became possible to view these historic aircraft, at their base at RAF Coningsby. In the years immediately following World War Two it became traditional for a Spitfire and Hurricane to lead the Victory Day flypast over London . From that event there grew the idea to form an historic collection of flyable aircraft, initially to commemorate the RAF's major battle honour. Since it began in 1957, the aircrew on the Flight have been drawn from volunteers who maintain the 12 historic aircraft both at Coningsby and out on the display circuit. Visitors are led on a guided tour around the BBMF hangar by knowledgeable and enthusiastic volunteer guides, who give freely of their time and who, in many cases, have first hand experience of the aircraft Entry to the exhibition centre, souvenir shop and car park is free; there is a small charge for guided tours of the hangar, with special rates for groups Well stocked shop offering an extensive range of aviation gifts. There is a permanent exhibition gallery exploring Lincolnshire's links with the RAF plus regular programme of temporary exhibitions. Open Monday to Friday 10.00am - 5.00pm Guided tours of the hangar from 10.30am - 3.30pm (3.00pm November - February) but of course in show season they cannot guarantee certain planes will be there. You will see them flying somewhere though. These are REAL planes folkand I love 'em!

I stumbled upon the Time Machine Museum recently on a short visit to the sleepy little village of…read moreBromyard and would like to recommend it as certainly somewhere a little different than the ordinary run-of-the-mill attractions, and the perfect place to entertain the kiddies for a couple of hours! The building itself is actually the Old Bakery and looks like a very quaint old-fashioned village grocery store-cum-tea shop, but step inside and you will not only find a stunning Elizabethan style coffee shop, but also THE TARDIS! Step inside the old Police Box and you will immediately find yourself transported back in time to a fantastic wonderland consisting literally thousands of rare & collectable antique toys, bears and dolls just to name a few. There are also dozens of famous film memorabilia including life size droids & characters of The Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Stingray, Star Wars & of course, Dr Who & the Daleks to delight the enthusiast! There is also a permanent puppet display - the ONLY one in the country, a Railway, and Dads Army memrobilia including a genuine, Millitaria Display. Also, not to forget to mention - Disney! All in all, there is something for everyone, hours of fun for both young & olda magical collection of both fantasy & nostalgia that will take your breath away - I was totally amazed!

I'm about as far from a Sci-fi fan as you can get but as my brother loves all that so a friend…read moresuggested I take him here...... It's a little hidden gem and brought back memories of all the Dr Who I hid behind the sofa during. It's worth just turning up for a chat with Andy the owner of this private & vast collection. No spoilers here but if you were born in the 60's its a great way to spend a couple of hours reliving childhood memories, one or two exhibits are unique gems for avid fans too. Would agree maybe not for kids and OK its £8 adult but something has to pay the bills! No cafe that I seen but Brew just up the road is lovely, Combine with a stroll around Bromyard & its a great and reasonable day out