subject: 5 great lesser known London museums [print this page] 5 great lesser known London museums
London is a haven for culture lovers, with a staggering array of museums covering all aspects of British culture and far beyond. Even if you've visited the city numerous times and think you've seen everything it has to offer, you could be pleasantly surprised when seeking out its lesser known institutions.
The great thing about many of London's museums located off the main tourist trail is that they're free to enter, so you can pack even more into your London trip without stretching your budget. Sir John Soane's Museum is one such example, located in Lincoln's Inn Fields, which features a quirky collection of antiquities collected by its namesake in his former townhouse residence. From Ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome to medieval objects, this is a great chance to get up close to historical artefacts without the crowds of the British Museum.
For an even more laid-back museum experience, visit the Geffrye Museum on Kingsland Road, which is also free to enter and explore its beautiful gardens and extensive collection of period furniture and textiles. This elegant residence offers a revealing insight into the living habits of the middle classes from the seventeenth century to the present.
If you're a fan of conspiracy theories and all things sinister, you could also have an eye-opening experience at the Library and Museum of Freemasonry, featuring books and objects from across the world that belonged to such luminaries as Winston Churchill. While you may not find the answers you seek to explain global conspiracies, the museum could put you on the right track.
Many of London's lesser known museums are great for visiting with children too, such as the Ragged School Museum in Mile End, where Dr Barnardo fed and educated so many of the city's younger inhabitants in the Victorian times. This museum features a number of interactive events on the first floor, where children can revisit the Victorian era and experience what it might have been like to live and learn in those times.
The Cartoon Museum is another sure-fire hit with kids, and its particular focus on the British artistic tradition should make it equally alluring to art historians too. The Heneage Library contained on the premises houses more than 6,000 comics and 5,000 books, with a regularly changing theme making return visits more appealing, especially with the abundance of cheap train tickets to London meaning there are more reasons than ever to visit the UK's inspirational capital.
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