Guidebook for London

Lucy
Guidebook for London

Arts & Culture

It’s well worth climbing the tiny spiral staircase to this 19th century operating theatre in the attic of St Thomas’s Church—you can really imagine gruesome scenes in the horseshoe-shaped theatre. The herb garret is stuffed with interesting and sinister objects, including medical specimens, skeletons, and some truly terrifying operating equipment. The entire space was lost in 1862 when St Thomas’s Hospital moved and the entrances to the theatre were blocked up. In 1956 it was rediscovered by a researcher, and it’s the only 19th century operating theatre to have survived in Europe.
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El Museo del Antiguo Teatro de Operaciones y el Garret de Hierbas
9a St Thomas St
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It’s well worth climbing the tiny spiral staircase to this 19th century operating theatre in the attic of St Thomas’s Church—you can really imagine gruesome scenes in the horseshoe-shaped theatre. The herb garret is stuffed with interesting and sinister objects, including medical specimens, skeletons, and some truly terrifying operating equipment. The entire space was lost in 1862 when St Thomas’s Hospital moved and the entrances to the theatre were blocked up. In 1956 it was rediscovered by a researcher, and it’s the only 19th century operating theatre to have survived in Europe.
It’s incredible to see the number of historic vehicles on display at this museum in a former Victorian flower market. Unusually, visitors are encouraged to climb on or in many of the double-decker buses, trams, and steam locomotives on show, which really helps bring the city’s remarkable transport history to life. Every so often, the museum releases tickets for the most amazing Hidden London tours. They take you down into disused tube stations, including one used by Churchill for refuge during the Second World War, and share some incredible stories. It’s always good getting to see somewhere you can’t normally go.
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Museo del Transporte de Londres
The Piazza
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It’s incredible to see the number of historic vehicles on display at this museum in a former Victorian flower market. Unusually, visitors are encouraged to climb on or in many of the double-decker buses, trams, and steam locomotives on show, which really helps bring the city’s remarkable transport history to life. Every so often, the museum releases tickets for the most amazing Hidden London tours. They take you down into disused tube stations, including one used by Churchill for refuge during the Second World War, and share some incredible stories. It’s always good getting to see somewhere you can’t normally go.
Described by David Hockney as a work of opera, Dennis Severs’ House is theatrical and enthralling. It’s been refurbished in the style of 10 different historical periods, and as you walk around the candle-lit house, the idea is that the owners have just left the rooms you enter. The evocative sounds and smells are atmospheric works of art in their own right. Not many people know that Dennis Severs was actually a Californian artist who created the house’s imaginary Huguenot inhabitants as a unique experience for visitors. Everything here is unusual and unexpected, down to the tiny crutches in the garret that reference Dickens’s Tiny Tim.
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Dennis Severs' House
18 Folgate St
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Described by David Hockney as a work of opera, Dennis Severs’ House is theatrical and enthralling. It’s been refurbished in the style of 10 different historical periods, and as you walk around the candle-lit house, the idea is that the owners have just left the rooms you enter. The evocative sounds and smells are atmospheric works of art in their own right. Not many people know that Dennis Severs was actually a Californian artist who created the house’s imaginary Huguenot inhabitants as a unique experience for visitors. Everything here is unusual and unexpected, down to the tiny crutches in the garret that reference Dickens’s Tiny Tim.
This tiny museum was set up to house a zoological and entomological teaching collection for the University of London (now UCL) and comprises over 68,000 specimens. It’s really refreshing to learn about the animal kingdom by studying skeletons in cases and specimens in jars. The most unusual object is a tightly packed jar of 18 moles. The museum is open Monday to Saturday 1-5 pm, but I recommend getting to one of their evening events if possible, especially the “dead, life drawing” classes.
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Grant Museum of Zoology
21 University St
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This tiny museum was set up to house a zoological and entomological teaching collection for the University of London (now UCL) and comprises over 68,000 specimens. It’s really refreshing to learn about the animal kingdom by studying skeletons in cases and specimens in jars. The most unusual object is a tightly packed jar of 18 moles. The museum is open Monday to Saturday 1-5 pm, but I recommend getting to one of their evening events if possible, especially the “dead, life drawing” classes.
This beautiful museum is in a large landscaped garden. It houses musical instruments (some of which you can play), an aquarium, and an array of natural history treasures, including a comical taxidermy walrus. My favourite is the merman/monkey fish, which was thought to be part monkey, part fish, but was later found to be made of a fish and papier-mâché. There are occasionally dance and musical events in the lovely 19th century conservatory by the cafe. Even if you can’t get a ticket to one of these, the conservatory is worth a visit anyway.
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Museo y Jardines Horniman
100 London Road
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This beautiful museum is in a large landscaped garden. It houses musical instruments (some of which you can play), an aquarium, and an array of natural history treasures, including a comical taxidermy walrus. My favourite is the merman/monkey fish, which was thought to be part monkey, part fish, but was later found to be made of a fish and papier-mâché. There are occasionally dance and musical events in the lovely 19th century conservatory by the cafe. Even if you can’t get a ticket to one of these, the conservatory is worth a visit anyway.
This lovely museum celebrates famed father-son engineers Sir Marc Brunel and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It’s charming and unflashy—there are no computer screens. The Grand Entrance Hall is actually an enormous underground chamber that was the entrance to the Brunels’ creation, the Thames Tunnel, where Isambard nearly drowned. The museum team grows herbs in the rooftop garden and uses them to create delicious cocktails for their cocktail bar, Midnight Apothecary. It’s open Friday and Saturday during the summer and for special events once a month the rest of the year.
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Brunel Museum
Railway Avenue
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This lovely museum celebrates famed father-son engineers Sir Marc Brunel and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It’s charming and unflashy—there are no computer screens. The Grand Entrance Hall is actually an enormous underground chamber that was the entrance to the Brunels’ creation, the Thames Tunnel, where Isambard nearly drowned. The museum team grows herbs in the rooftop garden and uses them to create delicious cocktails for their cocktail bar, Midnight Apothecary. It’s open Friday and Saturday during the summer and for special events once a month the rest of the year.
An impressive building packed with maps, paintings of naval battles, and a collection of figureheads. The Forgotten Fighters Gallery explores the often overlooked naval and maritime elements of the First World War, with poignant stories and thought-provoking objects like the tiny altar cross that was made out of a bullet by a French soldier. As well as the main museum, this site also includes the excellent Queen’s House and Royal Observatory, where you can stand on the Prime Meridian of the World. As with all national museums, basic admission is free, but it’s worth paying to see the always-outstanding temporary exhibitions.
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National Maritime Museum
Romney Road
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An impressive building packed with maps, paintings of naval battles, and a collection of figureheads. The Forgotten Fighters Gallery explores the often overlooked naval and maritime elements of the First World War, with poignant stories and thought-provoking objects like the tiny altar cross that was made out of a bullet by a French soldier. As well as the main museum, this site also includes the excellent Queen’s House and Royal Observatory, where you can stand on the Prime Meridian of the World. As with all national museums, basic admission is free, but it’s worth paying to see the always-outstanding temporary exhibitions.
The British Museum, where I work, is hardly unknown, but there are so many unusual objects, and it is truly exceptional. And with over 8 million works relating to history, art, and culture, there are plenty of surprises. Visit the Clocks and Watches gallery on the hour, and you’ll hear an unusual array of bongs, tings, and tunes. The silver-gilt huntsman automaton in the Waddesdon Bequest gallery is one of the most unusual items. This 17th century drinking game was propelled around a table by a clockwork mechanism with a removable head to drink from. Look out for secret doors in the beautiful and fascinating Enlightenment gallery.
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Museo Británico
Great Russell Street
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The British Museum, where I work, is hardly unknown, but there are so many unusual objects, and it is truly exceptional. And with over 8 million works relating to history, art, and culture, there are plenty of surprises. Visit the Clocks and Watches gallery on the hour, and you’ll hear an unusual array of bongs, tings, and tunes. The silver-gilt huntsman automaton in the Waddesdon Bequest gallery is one of the most unusual items. This 17th century drinking game was propelled around a table by a clockwork mechanism with a removable head to drink from. Look out for secret doors in the beautiful and fascinating Enlightenment gallery.

Sightseeing

This is no ordinary National Trust property. This 1535 Tudor house was built by a courtier of Henry VIII and is the oldest domestic building in the east of London. When you stand in the imposing oak-paneled Great Chamber, there’s a rich sense of history, but this is also a forward-thinking venue, with some brilliant late-night tours and LGBT events. One of its unusual treasures is a wall mural painted by squatters who moved in during the 1980s and had punk gigs in the basement. The mural’s single eye on a vermillion backdrop remains a visible reminder of their takeover of this gorgeous building—you just know those gigs would have been incredible.
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Sutton House
2-4 Homerton High St
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This is no ordinary National Trust property. This 1535 Tudor house was built by a courtier of Henry VIII and is the oldest domestic building in the east of London. When you stand in the imposing oak-paneled Great Chamber, there’s a rich sense of history, but this is also a forward-thinking venue, with some brilliant late-night tours and LGBT events. One of its unusual treasures is a wall mural painted by squatters who moved in during the 1980s and had punk gigs in the basement. The mural’s single eye on a vermillion backdrop remains a visible reminder of their takeover of this gorgeous building—you just know those gigs would have been incredible.