The Musical Museum in Brentford, Borough of Hounslow, London, offers a substantial and spectacular…read morecollection of (mostly) "mechanical," self-playing musical instruments such as player pianos, a Mighty Wurlitzer cinema organ (which is also used for screenings of silent films with live music accompaniment), orchestrions and even a mechanical violin-playing machine. The exhibit is arranged over three floors of a detached building and includes a fairly large concert hall that's also a cinema (for sound films, too). There is a guided tour several times a day (11.30, 13:30 and 15:30 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays), which I strongly recommend - for not only do the knowledgeable guides have many stories to tell about the relatively brief period in which these instruments were popular at the homes of the middle and upper classes, they can also operate these machines so you can hear the tunes from the piano rolls etc. You can ask these guides anything about the exhibit, too. Almost all of the instruments at the museum are in working order! The tour in included in the entry fee. The Musical Museum is a 15 minute bus ride from South Ealing underground station (Bus No.65) and has its own parking lot. Alternatively, you can arrive by train from London's Waterloo Station to Kew Bridge. You can nicely combine the visit with one to the nearby London Museum of Water and Steam, which is completely different of course but similarly interesting. The Thames river banks of Richmond with their cafés are only a short walk away, they are nice for a Sunday out. On the ground floor there is a also a small but cute collection of toy instruments which you might remember from your own childhood - i.e. if you happen to be a hundred. Audio guides to the collection are available in English, French, German and Polish at all times and are included in the admission fee. You leave the building through the small museum shop where you can buy not only books and leaflets but authentic vintage piano rolls - hey cost just a couple of UKP each and all the money goes into the costly upkeep of the old instruments. Of course you won't be able to play them unless you have a player piano at home, but maybe you will find a nice memento of your favorite classical or salon piece. Please see my photos to get a better impression of the museum.

This is another really cool museum in South Kensington, however, I do wish I could've spent more…read moretime here. On the second floor, there is a science/health/medicine exhibit and I learned a lot. My favorite is the bariatric manikin, which I don't typically see in the US (I'm not sure we have them). To be honest, this museum seems to be tailor made towards the younger/kids demographic. I had enjoyed my time here nonetheless. This museum is located across the street from the South Kensington V&A.

This science museum has a good entrance. You will travel to the middle earth from the escalator. It…read moretakes you into rotate earth. This museum is free to public but you still need reserve your ticket ahead of time. The museum has good industry section. The displays have steam engine, future car. We like the flight section. It is beautiful display. The mineral section also has good collection of minerals. They very odd looking. The visit of this museum may need two hours. It is easy to access.

My favorite part of visiting the UK are the free museums. Much to my surprise and delight...when I…read morewas looking for things to do in Richmond...this museum pops up. I was super excited to try it. I could tell it was not going to be a London museum experience when I was lead to this nondescript biding and had to climb the stairs up a few floor to get to it. This is a tiny museum and basically across just a couple of rooms and has info regarding the local history during the war and BC times as well. The elderly volunteer was super nice.

I am so pleased to have discovered this museum. Living so near London, I am slightly spoilt by the…read moreendless choices of museums that we have on our doorstep. Practically every moment of history is well documented somewhere across London. Having been used to the vast spaces of say, the Tate Modern, I forgot that museums can be small venues, and yet be just as informative. I found the Museum of Richmond on the top floor of the Old Town Hall, which is the large Victorian building that slopes down to the riverside. I had only popped in because there was a sign outside which read 'Charity Christmas cards for sale'. I had no idea that inside this building sat Richmond Library, and on the top floor Richmond Museum. I was the only visitor in the museum, bar the staff, who could not have been more helpful and informative. In fact, they guided me through the various sections, explaining the history as they went. The most fascinating thing that I learnt was that Richmond used to have a Palace, it sat on what is now Richmond Green and was occupied by Henry VIII until he moved down the road to Hampton Court Palace. They have a model of how the Palace was laid out which I spent about half an hour gazing at. Other sections included Wartime Richmond, the slave trade connection, the railway age, information about the Royal Parks, and a section about the Carthusian Monks and their connections with neighbouring Sheen. It was one of the most informative afternoons that I have had in a long while, and it won't be long before I go back. Admission is free, by the way.

A soon as I saw the name on the sign outside I HAD to go in. They have a wide variety of products…read moredisplayed from information pamphlets, books and jewellery that looks like ummm well I'm not sure what word Yelp will consider PC or risqué so just read the name of the business and you'll know exactly what I'm messing. You can wear them on your ears with a knitted sweet or on a chain around your neck made of an plastic type material, they had bold showing every size, shape and colour. You can also get t-shirts. The staff stayed behind the desk but they were friendly and greeted everyone that entered. I realised like myself most people seemed to be coming in out of curiosity and don't make any purchases but b they staff took that in stride and continued greeting everyone with the same courteous smile. Kudos to this company for celebrating woman so boldly

Small lovely museum, funded mainly by donations with lovely staff. Educational and mind opening…read moreexperience. I hope the museum gets the opportunity to expand and have more exhibits. When we came they had an exhibit about menopause. I think more people need to learn about the vagina in general and as a whole and understand what it is like to have one and all the burdens that come along with it and without it in the end.

I came here during the last timeslot of the day, 3:30 PM…read more The British museum is tailor made for someone like me. The exhibits span hundreds of years. The architecture of this museum is quite unique, especially the triangular shaped windows. The gift shop in this museum spoke to me. Everything was so cute and character themed. I wished I could've booked an earlier time slot as there was not enough time to see everything by closing time.

A lovely museum with tons of choice as far as learning about history. However, when it comes to…read moreaccessibility with a pram and a small child it leaves a little to be desired due to large crowds. The elevators are full of people who are fully capable of walking, but cannot find the stairs. There is only one toilet that has capability to change a baby but be prepared to wait more than 15 minutes to use it. (I gave up and changed mine in the pram in the corridor). I would honestly hate to be a person in a wheelchair at this museum. We purchased a cup of tea and a sweet treat at the café upstairs but as soon as we paid we realized that there was nowhere to sit. All of the rooms exit to this one area and people were just sitting at the tables who did not have any food- also, really there could've been more tables It's a large area. We sat on the floor with our tea tray and ate. The flow up the museum is just off. There is no suggested route when entering or exiting the exhibits meaning that everyone is kind of entering an exiting from a variety of rooms making it a madhouse. It's also really hard to follow the flow of an exhibit because you don't know where you were supposed to start. We reserved tickets two months in advance (for myself and my baby) But I don't know what the purpose of reserving tickets was because no one checked them and it seemed like all of London was packed inside of the building. It was impossible to even turn around in many places (even in the less popular exhibits). And this was on a Wednesday! We stayed later to see if it would thin out but by 4 o'clock given the crowds decided to call it quits. I was really excited to spend the day at this historic museum. But the amount of people made it impossible to enjoy. I would've paid to come in if it meant less people.

Good museum to visit. Need about 4-6 hours due to a lot of chambers to visit. The collection of the…read moregem stone is one of the great. You can see large diamond with multi cut system. The museum has a lot of pre historic animals. The main hall is beautiful to display the animals bones. Especially the deep sea animals. I wonder how the Jurassic park is born. This is the ancient early history. They also have current animal sample. The earth and minerals display also very good. The education for the kid is good.

The exterior of this museum looks like a castle. This was one of the many museums in South…read moreKensington. I thought that the experience went well and that the line moved fast. I had pre-booked tickets, which made the experience smoother. Once inside, there were so many exhibits. My favorite part is the earth escalator, however, it was closed on the day that I went. I also loved the exterior gardens in the museum. It is great for a picnic or a journaling/reading session. I'd highly recommend stopping by to check out the dinosaur bones.

You may know of The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, one of the very best museums in…read moreLondon, but do you know about its Acton Depot site? If not, then you should, this is a storage/restoration facility for historic buses, underground trains, signal gear, ticket machines, booths, signs and other artifacts. It is absolutely stuffed to the gills and beyond with fascinating objects and staffed by delightful and highly knowledgeable volunteers. If you have even a passing interest in London's public transport history, you absolutely must visit. You need to pre-book unlike the Covent Garden site and it is so worthwhile doing so. Cannot wait to return again soon.

Are you a great big old transport anorak? Then you should be all about the London Transport Museum…read moreDepot. It's easy to get to from Acton Town tube station - just cross the road and follow the green path all the way to the top of the hill. Once you see the Museum roundel, you've arrived. I arranged a tour for a group of 10 people (which costs £100), and the visit is scheduled to last 2 hours. We were warmly greeted and given an introductory talk about the Depot Museum, which was useful and interesting. They do open days and other tours at the weekends, which are probably more likely for Yelpers to do. Then we got led into the depot itself. Our tour was guided by a very nice volunteer, who was very enthusiastic about buses. Unfortunately it was all a bit too mechanical for me - I would rather have heard about the social implications of the buses, or some general factoids. He was also a bit softly spoken, which was difficult for a few of the members of my group, as they were all OAPs. After an hour, we'd managed to look at around 15 buses, a trolleybus and a tram. Bearing in mind the Depot is mahoosive, at this point I took my leave, so I didn't get to see the trains and other ephemera that I'm sure was to follow. If you have a special interest in such things, I'm sure this is a very enjoyable time. If you've only a passing curiosity, try for one of the open days.

Our visit to this remarkable house revealed a treasure trove of history, ambition and humanity. We…read moreappreciated having Will as our guide, whose knowledge enlightened and enriched our experience. The grounds add quiet splendour in which to relax -- the ambience of the whole place makes it a real gem.

I visited Strawberry Hill on a school trip, and it was a really educational experience! The house…read moreitself is so interesting to look at and walk through, and our tour guide was very knowledgeable. The commute there from London was a bit rough, but it was a cool experience to see.

Great museum to visit In London. This is private collection that displays to public for free. The…read moremuseum is big. You may need two hours or more for visiting. The museum has three floors. The museum has good ancient arm collection. The ancient arm has many types of arm. That includes armor, sword, bow, fire arm and more. Other than arm, the art collection is many types too. Painting has the most in the art collection. Statues and furniture also collect a lot.

The Wallace Collection is a free museum in a beautiful townhome near Manchester Square. I visited…read morewith my husband about two weeks ago to see their current temporary exhibit (more on that below), and we had a great visit. The museum is located in the former townhouse of the Seymore family - the Marquesses of Hertford. The museum is named after Sir Richard Wallace, who built a collection of fine and decorative arts from the 1th to the 19th centuries along, with the Marquesses of Hertford. The collection opened to public view in 1900. The townhouse itself is gorgeous. From the second I walked in and saw the staircase in the Entrance Hall, I knew I was in for a treat. With several gorgeous rooms, the museum is worth visiting to see a beautifully preserved 19th century London townhome. Each room has beautiful chandeliers, furniture, paintings, sculptures, and more. The museum also has a collection of European arms and armor, which take several rooms to display. In addition to their permanent collections, they also show temporary exhibitions. Right now and through November 29, their exhibit is "Winston Churchill: The Painter," which is the first major retrospective of Sir Winston Churchill's paintings since his death and brings together more than 50 of his works (half of which come from private collections). While visiting the museum is free, there is a fee to visit the temporary exhibit (20 pounds for adults, 18 if you buy online ahead of time). The exhibit was incredible and well worth a visit. I learned a lot about Churchill that I didn't know prior to the exhibit (most of what I knew about him concerned his political leadership), and I found many of his paintings quite beautiful and moving. Whether you're visiting for a temporary exhibit or just to see the townhouse and its permanent collection, the Wallace Collection is incredible. It's a special museum in London, well worth including on an itinerary for a trip to London.

This is a lovely little museum, privately run (And thus, not free of charge). If you're AT ALL…read moreinterested in large-scale steam engines - and, frankly, which small or large boy isn't - you should visit this place located in Brentford, London - close to the Richmond river banks of the Thames. The location enables you to catch two interesting museums - this one, and the close-by Musical Instruments Museum (see my review) - and later take a stroll by the banks of the river and enjoy the small pubs and restaurants. Kew Bridge rail station is near, but you can also go by bus from South Ealing station. Opening times are: Mon - Fri 11:00 - 16:00 and Sat & Sun 11:00 - 16:00. The Museum of Water and Steam manages to squeeze a lot of intriguing exhibits into a rather smallish building (see my photos). There's also a lot of information tables to read while you're exploring the museum. This place is great, of course, for families. A small shop and café are included, naturally. The building used to be the old Kew Bridge Pumping Station, which dates back to 1838. The present museum was opened in 1975. In 1997 the Museum was awarded an Engineering Heritage Award by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and Britain's Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). A second IMechE Engineering Hallmark was awarded in 2008 for the restoration of the Bull engine, making the Museum one of only 12 sites to achieve more than one of these awards. There are demonstrations of the largest steam engines for the small fry, and some entertaining accompanying info "performances". Check the hours. Expect to spend around 1-1.5 hours at this place, and about the same amount of time at the Musical Instruments Museum, if you're visiting both. That, and a visit to some small café on the Thanmes banks, and half a day of your London time will have been spent usefully. Suffice to say that both these places are "hidden gems," so don't expect queues or crowds. You can even hire these premises for weddings or birthdays. Private, non-flash photography is allowed.

The museum is a cathedral of steam powered pumping, and you won't fail to be impressed by the grand…read morescale of the engines, especially if you get the chance to see some of them working in steam. There are exhibitions about water supply and sewerage and the use of water in the home over the years, and many other attractions.