Museums of England: overview, history, interesting facts and reviews

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:39

First time in the UK and not sure where to visit for cultural enrichment? It is for you that we have prepared a rating of the most interesting museums in England. Despite the fact that there are, in fact, a lot of museums, it seems to you that 6 main ones, the reviews of which are the most positive.

Victoria and Albert Museum London

The list of the best museums in England is headed by this museum, which was founded in 1852. The Victoria and Albert Museum is an architectural and decorative arts museum named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. It is one of the few buildings in Kensington that highlights the couple's love and patronage of the arts and sciences. It was part of the area known as "Albertopolis", named after the prince. The museum continues to display great works of architecture from the past and present. It, like other national museums, is free to visit.

Initially the exhibition was called "Museum of Manufactories". It was not static: the exposition constantly changed its place and moved. The construction of the museumwhich we see now began only in 1899.

To date, the number of objects of the exhibition is 6.5 million exhibits. They are absolutely heterogeneous and are man-made products of contemporaries and the first manufactories: furniture, books, photographs, sculptures, glass and metal products, textiles, accessories and jewelry, etc.

Sir John Soane Museum

This house-museum is not only included in the list of the best museums in the UK, but is truly considered one of the most unusual. John Soane is a neoclassical architect who bequeathed his house to be left exactly as it was before the architect's death - which is why we are still enjoying it almost 180 years later.

The house is full of interesting sculptures and things. It is the search for your favorites in the house-museum that makes walking around it interesting and exciting. One of the museum's most epic exhibits is William Hogarth's eight-cut painting, The Career of the Waste (1733), which depicts the rise and fall of the fictional Tom Reckwell.

Another not-to-be-missed exhibit is the huge 3,500-year-old alabaster sarcophagus found in the tomb of the Egyptian King Seti in 1812, considered one of the most important objects ever discovered in Egypt.

Finally, in the library-dining room you can stumble upon the architect's favorite painting. The Serpent in the Grass (1785) by Sir Joshua Reynolds hangs opposite Soane's self-portrait. Many see this as specialvalue.

This museum is worth a visit just to see the real art store. In addition, the very atmosphere of the house of the great architect who designed the Bank of England can create an additional feeling of being in the UK of the 19th century.

Natural History Museum London

The museum's ratings are off the charts. And, perhaps, the point is not only in the exhibits, but also in the Gothic-style building itself, built in 1880. The facade of the building is designed in the Romanesque-Byzantine style, which makes it even more mysterious and remarkable.

The museum's collection contains about 70 million items related to botany, zoology, mineralogy and paleontology.

Particular attention should be paid to the collection of the founder of the museum - Hans Sloan, who created a collection of herbariums and skeletons of animals and humans.

British Museum

The British Museum is both an architectural beauty and a treasure trove of some of the world's most famous antiquities. In fact, for many travelers, this is the best museum in England. Moreover, it is free to visit. From the Rosetta Stone to the Elgin Marble to the Window Man, the British Museum is a history buff's dream containing millions of artifacts. Due to the huge collection, the initial visit to the museum can seem overwhelming: it is very difficult to choose the exhibits that interest you the most from the first time among a large number of them.

If you need a little help withnavigating through 8 million museum exhibits, consider taking a tour. Some of them, including daily tours and weekly lunch lectures, as well as Friday night tours, are free. You can also book a tour and special early morning excursions for £14 (about $20) and £30 (less than $45) respectively. Audio guides that cost £7 (less than $10) are also available for rent daily.

The Beatles History Museum in Liverpool

A must visit place for any self-respecting tourist coming to the UK. Museum of England, which tells about the birth and career of the legendary Liverpool Four.

This museum is a real attraction that will take you back to the 60s. The Beatles History Museum in Liverpool showcases everything related to the rock band, with audio tours by John Lennon's sister and rare memorabilia that will make your friends jealous. See where the Beatles came from as you explore their rustic hometown starting at Albert Dock. Collect original newspaper clippings, art and clothing all year round.

The museum of the history of the legendary band can impress not only true fans. The very atmosphere is imbued with the spirit of the time when everyone was crazy about John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

Another popular museum in England. Free to visit Nation althe maritime museum is in the heart of the Royal Museums Greenwich (which also includes Queens House and the most famous clipper ship in history, the Cutty Sark).

For hundreds of years, Greenwich has been of particular value to maritime Britain - for trade, travel and naval interests. That is why the collection at the National Maritime Museum is an incomparable treasure trove.

With extensive renovations, its galleries offer exhibits for every category of visitor, from students interested in history to toddlers who want to pretend they are at sea.

The museum has a large gallery called "Nelson, Navy, Nation". It tells a story stretching from the Glorious Revolution to the defeat of Napoleon: shipbuilding, battles, Admiral Lord Nelson's public adulation, and historical passages that reveal what life was like as a sailor over 200 years ago.