Off the beaten track: our favourite London museums

I’m sure you’ve been to the Science and Natural History museums. If you haven’t, sort that out. Here are our favourite smaller museums, where you

can ditch the crowds and just enjoy the atmosphere.

Apsley House & Wellington Arch

149 PiccadillyHyde Park Corner

W1J 7NT

Apsley House has one of the best art collections in London, with

Velazquez and Rubens adorning its walls – and a massive statute of a

naked Napoleon. See if he really was that short in stature… Then

enjoy the grand Wellington gallery – and Wellington Arch on the corner. For the really morbid,

check out Wellington’s death mask.

The Wallace Collection

Hertford HouseManchester Square

W1U 3BN This museum-meets-gallery-

meets-period-house is amazing, usually half-empty and completely

free to wander round, undisturbed. See one of the

largest collection of Marie Antoinette’s trinkets and some

famous artwork, porcelain, armour… then treat yourself in the

courtyard brasserie. Take the virtual tour now.

Benjamin Franklin House

36 Craven Street WC2N 5NF

(Near Charing Cross tube station)

Yes, that Benjamin Franklin. Hidden on a small, innocuous

street, this house is definitely an experience. Between 1757 and

1775, Franklin – scientist, diplomat, philosopher, inventor,

Founding Father of the United States – lived here, mediating

relations between America and England. Walk in his footsteps!

Bank of England Museum

Threadneedle StreetEC2R 8AH

I promise this isn’t as dull as it might sound. You actually get to

hold a gold brick (though sadly not keep it)! There’s some interesting stuff about forgery. And hey, it’s a

bank – with collections of artwork, furniture and bank notes, this is a

very different museum experience.

Charles Dickens Museum

48 Doughty Street WC1N 2LX

For the literary-minded out there…well, it is Dickens’ London. The

house has been kept in Dickensian condition and holds over one

hundred thousand items including rare editions and personal effects.

Some of Dickens’ best-known novels were written here, so soak

up the talent and find some inspiration. “It was the best of

times, it was the worst of times…”

Churchill War Rooms

King Charles Street SW1A 2AQ

A totally British experience. If art and literature isn’t doing it for you,

immerse yourself in Churchill’s England – all underneath the noisy city. The Map Room has been kept the way it was in 1945 – these are

the rooms from which a war was run. You can even see those

patented cigars.

What have you uncovered in London lately? Give us your exclusives on what’s on in London’s museum scene – and if you

check out any of these fantastic exhibitions, drop us your reviews. :)