Bruce Castle is a Grade I listed 16th Century manor house in 20 acres of parkland. I went to school…read morea few streets away and we visited this small white castle a few times. It is definitely well kept, and being as old as it is, it is full of history. The main exhibitions were on the World Wars, it was almost like an Army museum. This is a huge part of Tottenham Heritage, the one thing that stands, and in many ways, the Tottenham local should be very proud of it, Henry VIII actually funded certain parts of the building to be completed in his years as King.

Located close to Tottenham, the Bruce Castle Museum is an odd sort of place. It has a feel of a…read moresmall town museum, rather than one in the metropolis. The old house, still grand despite historical modifications, is charming, whilst also in need of some TLC (which in this case might mean tonnes of lottery cash). Inside the exhibitions are varied and interesting though perhaps a little worn around the edges. It seems as if all the historic items of interest and value stored by Haringey Council have been dumped here, and arranged wherever possible into some sort of coherent order. The variety is interesting, but means in truth there is a lack of quality exhibits in any one genre. There are small exhibits on local sport, the history of the house (including ghost story), local life during World War Two, the growth of Tottenham, picture-filled corridors on the ground floor and a larger exhibition space upstairs. The most interesting exhibit within the museum, and possibly the only one that would genuinely justify a visit is located on the ground floor. Where the rest of the museum is a hotch-potch of items the exhibit relating to Broadwater Farm Estate is excellent. Based on a university research project, the large exhibit looks closely into the building and development of the infamous housing estate associated with the 1980s riots. It is fascinating how badly conceived the estate was in the first place, then how poorly built. The levels of deprivation and crime, and the eventual riots are widely known, but what is excellently presented is the subsequent creation, development and success of a growing community unity. The story of the Broadwater Farm Estate may be best known for the violence, but that would be wrong. The colourful, dedicated and determined community leaders that brought the estate back from the brink are modern heroes, and their story deserves to be more widely known. Generally I would find it hard to recommend the Bruce Castle Museum to anyone who had not yet exhausted London's larger and grander offerings. But the permanent exhibition on the Broadwater Farm Estate is informative, thought-provoking and gives a sense of hope for the good nature of people, and a reminder of what communities can achieve when working together. It would be fair to say the exhibit would benefit from an update, but for those with an interest in London's built and social evolution will find it fascinating and easily worth the visit.

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.

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!

Interesting small museum, mainly covering the history of the chair making industry in High Wycombe…read more It has displays of many various styles of chairs which have been produced in the town. There is also an are showing various tools and machinery which has been used over the years. Upstairs the is and interactive section aimed at children, and also a small art gallery. All in all a pleasant place to visit for a quite interval in our hectic lives. Entry is free

Interesting museum covering the history of the chair making industry in High Wycombe. Shows various…read moretools and machinery which have been used over the years to make all types of chairs. There is an interactive section aimed at Children which my son found interesting. It is free to enter and worth a visit.

Great bank in England. Entrance is free. There is a good collection of paper money and notes. The…read morebank located near London war memorial. You just need to get off the Bank tube station. The bank museum has a million pound stack that you can sit on. The stack is the 20 pounds notes. I also like the old bank notes. It is beautiful printed. Coin collection also good for the viewing. The visit takes 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. It is handicap accessible. There is gold bar there you can touch.

cool small museum, nothing super cool but interesting enough and its super quick to get throughread more

The Household Cavalry Museum is a living Museum in the heart of Horse Guards, Whitehall, London…read more It celebrates the history & accomplishments of The Household Cavalry offering a unique 'behind the scenes' look at the work that goes into the ceremonial & armoured reconnaissance role of HM The King's Mounted Bodyguard. If you have visited London, you are probably familiar with the sight of two mounted troopers in Whitehall. Take a walk between the horses and under the arch into Horse Guards Parade and you will find this small but perfectly formed museum in the corner of the parade ground. The Museum is situated in Horse Guards, the heart of ceremonial London, with access off Horse Guards Parade. It is within very easy walking distance of Trafalgar Square, Parliament Square & Downing Street, St James's Park & Buckingham Palace & the Embankment piers

Might round up to 3 stars if I was feeling overly generous, but I can't. There were some…read moreinteresting facts to be learned, but this museum was TINY. Like, super TINY. I kept thinking I was missing the rest of the museum. Definitely not worth £10. Maybe £5, if I'm feeling generous. Recommend a hard pass. There are so many fabulous museums in London, and this was not one. The Imperial War Museum is right around the corner. Much more worth a stop!! Go there!

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.

On day four of my London visit I toured the Wellcome Collection and nearby Grant Museum. Grant's…read morecases were filled to the brim with stuff, pickled and defleshed critters. The specimens ranged from perfectly reconstructed skeletons to somewhat mishapen taxidermy pieces. Of particular interest to me were the intricate Blaschka glass models of mollusks and cnidarians; to date no one has been able to replicate their work. For £15 you can adopt a specimen for a year, which includes a plaque with your name and invitations to special events. Best of all, unlike the Hunterian, you can take photos. If you're more of an interpretive arts type you can arrange to move one of the specimens (with some restrictions/exceptions) to one of the central tables for closer viewing. If your tastes run a bit on the macabre side or if you're a bio geek I would highly recommend a stop.

The Grant Museum has been on my list for a little while now and I honestly had the best afternoon…read more The extent of the collection is beautiful and they have an amazing array of both dry and wet specimens. They have just so much stuff! From skeletons and skulls to brains and body parts and what I can only refer to as a jar of moles. It's honestly fascinating and every specimen is beautifully labelled. The only thing I was slightly disappointed by was that the cabinets go so so high, beyond anyone's reach and I was desperate to see what I was missing! Though as this museum is there primarily for education purposes with the connected uni it's completely understandable that they squeeze as much in as possible despite the average spectators needs. The staff were also really helpful if you asked for a particular animal or specimen which was great. My personal favourites were the python skeleton, the many many delicate bats and the backlit microscope slides. Oh and the sneaky skeletons up top peering over the edge! Oh and did I mention it's completely free?