January 2000 – London, England

I suspect just about everybody will be shopped, eaten, and partied out in January. The weather here will no doubt be gray and dreary. It’s a perfect time for visiting London’s many excellent museums and galleries.

No doubt the average traveller will have difficulty in deciding which of London’s countless museums and galleries to visit. In order to help you choose I have decided to share my personal opinions of the capitals more famous collections. My rankings are based solely on my own opinions and I make no apologies to British Institutions I may not have given the standard spiel about.

If none of the following museums tickle your fancy, there’s bound to be a London museum that does. Some of the many specialist museums include those dedicated to war, cats, toys, Sherlock Holmes, transportation, science, pipes, clocks, marijuana, and countless other topics.

British Museum

Free.

Tottenham Court Road tube station.

I am not a big fan of the museum. Sure it’s big and has many important artifacts, but I find it boring. The museum still houses its pieces in exciting glass display cabinets. There are so many items in each room that they all blur together. And to make matters worse each room is poorly lit causing me to get sleepy.

More importantly, the artifacts collected may be of great historical importance, but that doesn’t mean they are nice to look at or meaningful to the average person. Notable exceptions are the Egyptian and Greek sections, including colossal statues and eerie mummies.

My personal route of suggestion for seeing the museum is the take a sharp left at the entrance (past the gift shop), this will open into the area of Egyptian pillages. Half-way down the gallery take another left into the Greek pillages (including the Elgin Marbles and a rebuilt temple). Head back to the Egyptian gallery and carry on to the end, go through the doors and take the stairs to the first floor, left at the top will bring you to the newly improved mummy display. Another alternative is to take a guided tour, details of which are found at start areas throughout the museum.

Stacy Rating: 3/5

Victoria & Albert Museum

Admission fee, free for students.

South Kensington tube station.

In my humble opinion the V&A is much better than the British Museum. Dedicated to the decorative arts, the original mandate of the museum was to collect large and aesthetically pleasing pieces for the purpose of encouraging and educating British designers. This means that the average person can easily appreciate what they see. Additionally pieces are large and the galleries are generally bright and airy.

A particular delight of mine is the Gamble Room, which serves drinks and light snacks on the ground level. The dress exhibit is popular but I personally prefer the plaster casts displayed in room 46. Plaster casts were made of important sculpture and monuments in the days before easy travel in order to teach art students. The result in room 46 is David, church facades, tombs, and the Column of Phocas in Rome – so large it’s chopped in two. Tours are offered about once and hour and leave from near the admission desks.

Stacy Rating: 5/5

Wellington Museum (Aspley House)

Admission fee, included with V&A ticket (the museum is a branch of the V&A). Admission includes audio guide.

Hyde Park Corner tube station.

This is the London mansion of the First Duke of Wellington (who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo). The museum houses nice artwork and china as well as one big centrepiece in a refreshing setting. Surprisingly the Duke was a great fan of Napoleon and this is reflected in the many portraits, paintings, and most obviously the giant naked Napoleon at the staircase. I think this is a nice museum to visit to view artwork in a house setting, but I guarantee you will be humming Abba’s Waterloo for the remainder of the day.

Stacy Rating: 2/5

Wallace Collection

Free.

Bond Street tube station.

My personal favorite London museum/gallery. Similar to the idea of the Wellington Museum as it is in a London Mansion, but it houses a much larger, more extensive, and more interesting collection. The collection includes furniture, pottery, and armour, as well as paintings that cover every inch of every wall. This is a great place for people who do not like regular museums as there is something for everyone, and at very least it’s a nice stroll in a beautiful setting (even my Mother liked it).

Stacy Rating: 5/5

Sir John Soane Museum

Free.

Holburn tube station.

Some people’s favorite London museum, this is the 18th century architect’s John Soane’s home that looks almost exactly as it did on the day of his death. The collection contains mainly Mediterranean antiquities displayed in a rather unusual manner.

Unfortunately nothing is labeled and there is only one tour a week. The tour is 2:30 every Saturday, tickets go on sale at 2:00 and are limited to 22 – expect a line-up. As with the Wallace Collection, this is an excellent museum for people who don’t normally enjoy museums, especially as it is more bizarre than any other London museum.

Stacy Rating: 4/5

Museum of London

Admission fee.

Barbican or St Paul’s tube stations.

Dedicated solely to the history of London this museum is an excellent alternative if you are actually interested in the city you are visiting, rather than the plunder on display at other museums. The museum is arranged as a walk through history, beginning in prehistoric times and ending in present day. The displays are more “modern” than those found in other London museums and you actually come away from here feeling you have learned something.

Stacy Rating: 4/5

Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI)

Admission fee.

Waterloo tube station.

Good for kids as it is one of the few London museums that’s interactive – kids can practice their animation skills and star in a movie. However, I find it a little weak for adults, the highlight being the old black & white porn movies. I also find it a little weak on content, especially as they didn’t point out “America’s Sweetheart”, Mary Pickford (founder of MGM), was Canadian. As a Canadian I get tired of people assuming we’re American just because we sound like them, especially when it’s perpetuated by bodies of authority.

Stacy Rating: Kids – 4/5 Adults – 2/5

National Gallery

Free.

Charing Cross tube station.

One of the world’s greatest art collections, at least a quick visit is a must for every London visitor (and conveniently located on Trafalgar Square). My personal favorite section is the impressionists, which can be found in the galleries to the right of the entrance.

Stacy Rating: 5/5

National Portrait Gallery

Free.

Charing Cross tube station.

To me the appeal of the National Portrait Gallery is not in the portraits, but in the audio guide descriptions of the people in them. As this is the “national” gallery expect a long line of people important to the British, not necessarily you. My personal favorite is the small Tudor gallery in the basement.

Stacy Rating: 3/5

Tate Gallery

Free.

Pimlico tube station.

I find the Tate very disappointing, mainly because I don’t like Constable and the gallery devotes a large portion of its space to him. My only pleasure in the Tate is that I found the original of my living room print. My advice would be to view the gallery at the left of the entrance and leave (unless you like the quaint farmscapes of Constable, in which case carry on to the right).

Stacy Rating: 1/5

Questions?

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