Museums
The British Museum is one of the world’s oldest museums. The collection consists of millions of objects though only some can be on public display at one time. You can see the Lewis Chessmen, the Sutton Hoo Ship Burial and the Rosetta Stone.
The Victoria & Albert Museum in South Kensington holds one of the greatest collections of arts in the world. Its highlights include the British Galleries 1500-1900, arranged to trace history from Henry VIII to Victoria.
The National History Museum plays host to a collection of over 60 million fossils, minerals and animal specimens. The Life Galleries are dedicated to exhibits on animal life – whether it’s bugs or giant dinosaurs. The most famous sight greets you as you enter – the plaster cast of the Diplodocus.
The Science Museum, also in Kensington, features many floors of educational and entertaining exhibits such as a flight simulator and the Apollo 10 command module. The Medical History Gallery in the museum’s attic holds a substantial collection of medical history gems.
The National Gallery was founded in 1824 to exhibit a collection of 36 paintings. Today the National Gallery homes over 2,000 works. There are masterpieces from almost every European school of art. The modern extension holds the gallery’s earliest works: Italian paintings by masters like Giotto and Piero della Francesca.