Grand museums in Nostalgic London

A cathedral of creativity, the V&A is one of the very best museums in the world. Inside, you’ll find a celebration of the decorative arts with permanent exhibition spaces dedicated to fine jewellery, beautiful ceramics, intricate glassware, sculpture, textiles and fashion, spanning 5000 years of artistic history, all for free. The buildings themselves are reason enough to visit. Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone in May 1899 for a space intended to showcase the best of contemporary design. It’s been developed over the decades but the V&A, with its decorative domes and arches, remains an extraordinary example of Victorian architecture.

The Natural History Museum and its stunning, cavernous terracotta building opened in 1881 to house the British Museum’s growing collection of artefacts and specimens. At the time, new species and plants were being discovered regularly and it was designed to be big enough to showcase huge items like dinosaur skeletons. The space contains an extraordinary number of historical exhibits, while continuing important research that shines a light on our current struggles. Just as it was when it opened, the NHM is free to enter.

Founded in 1753 after Sir Hans Soane left his collection of more than 70.000 objects to the nation, the British Museum became the first national public museum in the world. It was free to ‘all curious persons’ and continues to be so today. Visit to see fascinating objects like cat mummies, letters written by Roman soldiers and a 1,8 million-year-old stone tool, as well as world-famous artefacts like the Rosetta Stone.