Great Britain is a country of great cultural heritage, the number of museums per capita is higher than in the whole world. There are collections and expositions for every taste and interest. Let's talk about the most famous museums in the UK, about what you can see there and how to get there.
Art museums
London is the recognized capital of the global art market. Therefore, there are many art galleries. The most interesting museums in the UK:
- The group of Tate galleries in London, Liverpool, Cornwall, and the most famous of them - the Tate Modern Gallery of Modern Art - is among the top 10 most visited museums in the world.
- Serpentine Gallery in London, it hosts interesting exhibitions of contemporary art.
- The National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh, which houses an excellent collection of Western European art.
- The London National Gallery, where you can see more than 2300 works by European painters.
- Saatchi Gallery in London. Here is a private collection of contemporary art by Charles Saatchi.
All art museums are open for free access and annually receive several tens of millions of visitors.
Specialty Museums
In England, a huge number of thematic museums. To them, of course, is the largest museum in Great Britain - the British. But he will be discussed later.
The largest in London is the Natural History Museum. It housed collections of botany, zoology, geology, mineralogy. In total, the funds of the institution include several tens of millions of exhibits. The museum is famous for the dinosaur skeleton installed in the lobby of the main building, as well as a large number of interactive exhibitions. For example, you can visit the rainforest, in space, feel the earthquake and much more. More than 5 million visitors come here every year.
Another interesting specialized museum is dedicated to marine history. He was placed in a monument of architecture, at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich.
One of the most visited is also the Beatles Museum. About 300 thousand fans of this group come here every year.
For modern children, the most interesting will be the Harry Potter Museum - this is a real immersion in the magical world of J. Rowling novels and films on them.
Literary Museums
England gave the world a lot of famous writers, in whose honor interesting museums were opened. So, the most famous literary museum in the UK is the Charles Dickens House Museum. It recreates the atmosphere of a real Dickensian house, as well as the atmosphere of a typical house of a representative of the wealthy class of the 19th century.
Another popular museum associated with literature is the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Due to the popularity of the Sherlock series, the museum is experiencing a real boom in visitors.
Of course, it is difficult to imagine England without Shakespeare. In the town of Stratford-upon-Avon there is a house-museum of the great playwright. Here he was born and died, and the environment in which the Shakespeare family lived was recreated in the museum.
Edinburgh has a Museum of Authors, which displays exhibits telling about the famous Scottish writers Robert Burns, Walter Scott and Robert Stevenson.
Unusual museums
England would not be itself if it were not for the most amazing and miraculous museums. The first place among the most unusual museums in the UK is the teapot museum - Teapot Island in Yolding. Here you can see almost 8 thousand teapots, as well as buy unusual teapots and souvenirs.
In the town of Maidstone there is a Dog Collar Museum, here you can see an exhibit of the 15th century and many later collars.
The unusual museum was created by architect John Soane. He collected a huge collection of various antiquities from Greece, Egypt, India and made incredible collages and installations from them.
The most famous of the unusual museums in London is Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Here are the figures of the most famous people in the world. Visitors can take a selfie with Trump or with the Beatles group and visit the horror cabinet.
Optionally, you can visit the museums of pencils, mustard, teddy bears or lawn mowers.
Top 9 museums in the UK
To make a rating of museums in Britain is a thankless task, since choosing a museum is largely a matter of taste. However, there is a simple selection criterion - this is the number of visitors. According to this indicator, the top 9 includes the following institutions:
- British museum.
- Victoria and Albert Museum.
- National Museum of Scotland.
- Museum of Design.
- Museum-bunker "Military rooms".
- The cruiser Belfast.
- Museum of coal.
- Museum of transport.
- Kelvingrove Art Gallery.
British museum
The first place among British museums is rightfully held by The British museum. He began his work in 1753, during his existence he collected a huge collection of antiquities, objects of art and life. Including an unprecedented number of exhibits from archaeological sites of Ancient Egypt, such a collection is not even in Egypt itself. Also here you can see many interesting exhibits from India, Oceania, Africa, the Middle East, a good collection of works of art, household items. Entrance to the museum is free, more than 6 million visitors come here every year.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Another famous museum in the UK is the Victoria and Albert Museum of Decorative Arts and Design. It is the world's largest collection of household items and arts and crafts. The institution was opened in 1852 in the wake of the 1851 World Exhibition. Prince Albert wanted to exhibit somewhere the items that were exhibited at this exhibition, as well as the collection of DPI. The proceeds from the World Exhibition went to the construction of the building. In 1899, on the initiative of Queen Victoria, the central building of the museum was built. In total, it occupies several buildings in South Kensington. In the halls there is a large collection of silver and tin products, works of art, costumes. The museum has the largest collection of British photographs of the early period.
National Museum of Scotland
Another interesting museum in the UK is in Edinburgh. Initially, it was conceived as a museum of antiquities. It contains a large collection of objects from archaeological excavations in Scotland, as well as in Ancient Egypt and the East. But gradually the museum was overgrown with other interesting exhibits. For example, an unusual exposition dedicated to Elton John has been created here, in other rooms you can see the stuffed cloned Dolly sheep, as well as exhibitions related to scientific achievements and the natural history of Scotland.
Museum of Design
This newest museum in London has become an innovation in museum business. The best works of contemporary designers are exhibited here, and for them it is a kind of professional recognition, a significant milestone in their careers. And getting objects into a permanent exhibition is considered as a recognition of genius. Therefore, the museum not only allows you to see the most advanced design in the world, but also is a platform for professional communication between designers.
Museum-bunker "Military rooms"
Another interesting museum in London is dedicated to the Second World War and the activities of W. Churchill. This is his bunker. Here you can see the private quarters of the Prime Minister, the office, his wife’s bedroom, the operational headquarters, from where Churchill managed the military operations. The museum is interesting for those who want to learn more about the history of Great Britain and the life of famous people.
Cruiser Belfast
There is another interesting museum in London on the Thames - this is the Belfast military cruiser, standing on an eternal joke near the Tower Bridge. This ship is a matter of pride for the British. It played a key role in the famous and most important naval battles of World War II. During a tour of the ship, tourists can inspect all the rooms and get acquainted with its heroic history.
Coal Museum
There is an unusual institution in the town of Blainevone: this is a real coal mine, turned into a museum. To go down to the mine, you need to put on a real mining uniform weighing about 5 kilograms. In the museum you can see how hard the work of the miners is, to get acquainted with their way of life and working conditions.
Museum of Transport
In London there is another interesting museum, which collected about 1000 exhibits. These are various types of vehicles - from ancient to modern. There are many exhibits dedicated to the subway, which London is rightfully proud of. It is interesting that some of the exhibits can be touched, climbed into them, and you can also try yourself in the role of a car driver or locomotive, which children really like.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery
Glasgow has an interesting private museum of Kelvingrove. This is a real Scottish palace, which contains a good collection of Western European art. There is also a wonderful collection of weapons and armor, there are antiquities and even an English fighter from the Second World War.