A wonderful museum, easily accessible by train from London…read more It is an historic site from early Bicycle and automobile racing and also aviation history. I knew of it from the writing on Corgi Diecast Cars as a child. There is a wonderful display of important British racing Cars and foreign competitors. Vintage motorcycles and bicycles are also well displayed. A big part of the museum is a display of British aviation history with commercial airliners I knew as a child and especially, an intact Concorde that you can visit. Remember to buy that ticket separately! The volunteers staffing the museum were uniformly cordial and pleasant.

Visited with friend who lives in Wimbledon and was happy to drive us out to Brooklands, about 30…read moremin. We had intended to stay 2 hours, ended up staying 5. The highlights were the Concorde, 2 VC10s, multiple other historically significant civilian planes and also many military aircraft, mainly fighters. The auto section taught me a lot about the early car speed record holders. Many models in the museum are kept in working order. One hanger is reserved for an aircraft manufacturing hands-on exhibit. The docents know a lot; one of them even had worked there in the 1960s back when it was Vickers. The cafetaria food is tasty too.

Well, lawks. We visited the Chiltern Open Air Museum last April and, as I assume it's still there,…read moreit's about time this review got finished. So here goes. Bottom line: This is a great place for kids and families, or simply for a stroll around the many buildings very interesting buildings that are reconstructed here. The museum takes old buildings of all sorts -- agricultural, industrial, pre-war, post-war, etc. -- and rebuilds them on this one site. Walking through the streets is like stepping back in time, as you pass a toll house to find a dairy farm and then, around the corner, a prefabricated war-era bungalow with an air force hut (replete with gas mask and war-time air navigation maps!). There are activities for kids of all ages, various little stalls selling home-made this-and-that, and a (slightly pricey) little cafe for tea, cakes, and sandwiches. Highlights for us included the prefab house (with outdoor bomb shelter), toll house (where the kids learned how to knit), and the lambs and shire horse ponies. This is a gem of a museum where families can wile away a few hours in the sunshine. Certainly worth visiting if you're in the area.

A great way to spend a few hours!…read more The museum has got a strange collection of buildings that have been 'collected' from the Chiltern area. There isn't really any theme to the museum other than that - the buildings date from all kind of eras. I'm not sure of the exact amount, but I'd guess there where about 20 buildings, including farm buildings, a school house, a toilet block and a church. The museum has got a small cafe if you need to get some warming soup or a cup of tea, and gift shop selling the usual souvineers (and, rather bizarrely, a Robocop postcard) One warning - as it says on the tin - the museum is 'open air' so if you go on a cold or windy day make sure you are well wrapped up!

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.

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.

What a great time! Anytime I am in Europe, I've gotta visit…read moreat least one new-to-me castle. And since my partner at the time also wanted to check out the Ted Lasso pub, which happens to be in the same town of Richmond, just on the entire opposite side of the town, we figured we could kill two birds with one stone....or visit two attractions on one train ride. I am not a Bridgerton gal, but apparently some of it was filmed at this castle...I was here because of the Tudor and Stuart connections! It is huge and beautiful and I could have spent 3 more hours here! But also there was a private event being set up for the next day so some of the gardens were off limits unfortunately. The gardens too! GORGEOUS. LOVELY. WONDERFUL. Highly worth getting the audio tour, as well. It was so interesting to hear about the different royals who made residence here and how they each changed the palace. Entry is timed, and I would recommend aiming for earlier in the day if you are really in to the history and seeing it all. Because there is A LOT to see. It helped that the weather was perfect during my visit here since there are gardens to explore and much of the interesting parts of the castle grounds are open to the elements, but it was a highlight of my trip to London no matter what.

One of my favorite tourist sites to visit when back in the UK…read moreKnown as King Henry VIII palace it is such a great place with lots to see and obviously a ton of history Do the headset tour the first time you visit so you know all the rooms and what you're looking at I especially love the old kitchen area and the gardens , the garden maze was always a fun area as a child Staff are all super nice and helpful Lovely day out

Beautiful! The WWT has two adorable otters (feedings at 11am and 2pm) and so many ducks and geese…read moreof different colors than I had ever imagined existed! There are a south and west paths to follow and several lookout centers along the way to get a birds eye view of the wetlands. They also offer talks giving information about the various geese and ducks they have there. I love nature but am not a bird watcher or enthusiast and I still felt quite interested in seeing what was there. Although a bit of a trek to get out there, especially from East London, I would say worth it if you would like a nice nature day and especially if you are a fan of ducks and geese.

I had been meaning to go to this place for years since I moved to London. Finally managed to track…read moreit down and get some Autumn duck spotting on the calendar. This place is amazing, it is almost impossible to believe that you are in London when here, and you really are in London! Looking out over the wetland the horizon is this weird mish-mash of high-rise buildings and London landmarks, is really cool actually. Plenty of parking, and the best way to get there is by car, and you are given a free token to get out if you visit the centre, otherwise I think it'll cost you £7.50 to get out. The entrance building is also the gift shop, which you are able to wander around on your way out towards the exit. Nice little bird/duck related products, and it seems almost half the shop is dedicated to children's items! The wetland area itself is magnificent and there are loads of fabulously coloured ducks and geese for everyone to get excited about. The read-beds look beautiful in Autumn and that time of year also rewards you with a wide range of migratory birds to spy on from one of the numerous hides dotted around the site. If you have kids the highlight for them will most likely be the adventure area all the way at the end of the South Route. Be warned though, there is a maze of underground tunnels for little ones to play in and it is one-hell of a pain if they decide they don't want to leave or come out - those with bad backs and find it hard to bend should abstain! All in all a fabulous place that I cannot recommend highly enough, spoiled by one simple, yet vital element that this place HAS to get right - the cafe. The food is appalling, I mean really appalling...at least it was when we visited. "Undercooked, overcooked, bubbling free, the fish, beans and chips are all cooked dis-gus-ting-ly" (sung to the Wombles theme-tune). For a centre such as this, that can keep a family entertained all day very easily, it really is important to get the catering part right, even mediocre, but this place falls very short. But please visit, walk, listen, spy on the unsuspecting ducks, grovel in the playground...but avoid the indoor cafe if you possibly can.

While in London we wanted to check out a show, since we were a mixed group - we decided on a…read moreacrobatic dance show. This place is free to enter, but the tickets for the shows are extra. The show was very fun, but what I didn't expect is how cool this place was. It's like a beer garden with several different booths offering sweets, cocktails, beer and food. We found a lovely picnic table under a large tree, relaxed and enjoyed a couple cocktails before the show. People were everywhere sitting on the fake lawns, packed to tables and all having a pretty good time. They also had pretty decent restrooms for an event venue that is open to the public. Pretty fun for all ages and a nice place to relax while chilling on the South Bank.

If I had kids and wanted to take them somewhere in London that I could enjoy as well - Udderbelly…read morewould probably be that place! There's a decent range of beers to choose from at standard London prices, plenty of places to sit - both covered and uncovered for that 1 hour of sunshine, and plenty of activities going on (some ticketed) to entertain the masses! Something for everyone really!

I stumbled upon this tiny art gallery which was three rooms filled with amazing local art. Exhibits…read morechange and I was pleased with the selection and space. There is a small cafe and a few tables inside for a quiet chat or feel comfortable to walk around and admire the art. One of London's less known gems.

Regularly changing exhibitions of contemporary arr and photography. Try a coffee and cake...you can…read moresit surrounded by the artworks. Lovely open floorspace. Some of Britain's top art societies exhibit here.

Perhaps not as spectacular or as instantly recognizable as the National Portrait Gallery or the…read moreTate Modern, but the Geffrye is good at what it does. It's a museum recording and celebrating London interior design and decoration through the ages. With displays from the 1700's right through to the 2000's, it's a neat look at the evolution of the typical English home. You'll be hard pressed to spend more than an hour or two here and I recommend moving on if there are a school-load of students. It can get very loud. Do spend the £2 for the audio guide. It's well worth getting the additional background and detail that isn't mentioned on the display captions or the various postings. I'm glad I went, but I don't know that this is the sort of place you do a second time.

Lovely museum that gives you an idea of what houses in London looked like across the centuries…read more Especially beautiful to visit during Christmas time with each room done up in era appropriate Christmas decorations. This museum closes for 2 years for refurbishment on 7 Jan 2018, so do visit before that.