Art and antiquities
Modern art, fashion, history and even The Beatles, whatever your group’s penchant, the UK’s diverse collection of museums and art galleries has something intriguing to offer. Kerry Bailey takes a look at what’s available for groups to visit.
Finding an attraction that can provide an entertaining yet educational itinerary has never been easier for GTOs, with many museums and art galleries in the UK offering interactive exhibits, engaging guided tours and exclusive evening openings. Group members of all interests are well catered for. Sports fans will find museums dedicated to football, tennis and rugby whilst amateur historians can enjoy living history displays and budding artists have a wealth of art galleries to explore. Although it would be impossible to list every venue in the UK, this page aims to give GTOs a taste of what’s on offer.
National heritage
Many of Britain’s national collections can be found in London, allowing groups to easily combine a cultural visit with shopping or a trip to the theatre in the capital city. As an added bonus, many of the following attractions offer free entry.
The British Museum is situated in the heart of central London and was founded in 1953. Here, amongst its collections, 13 million artefacts relating to over two million years of the world�s history and culture can be found. These include the remarkably well-preserved body of an Egyptian man – believed to be over 5,000 years old – and legendary artefacts such as the Rosetta Stone, a stone inscribed with the same passage of writing in two Egyptian language scripts, believed to date back to 196 BC. Entry is free and groups can take advantage of free audio tours and pre-booked guided tours.
Not far away, Leonardo da Vinci’s notebook, a copy of the Magna Carta and the original recording of Nelson Mandela’s trial speech are just some of the treasures stored in the British Library at St. Pancras. Entry is free and groups of 10 or more can pre-book guided tours. Two audio tours are also available; one highlights the architectural importance of the building whilst the other identifies and gives a brief history of the Library’s treasures.
Staying in central London and stepping inside the Bank of England, groups can visit the Bank of England Museum, which documents the bank’s history from its foundation in 1694 to its role today as the UK’s central bank. The Museum is free to enter and free talks and presentations are also offered to pre-booked groups.
Heading to Kensington, meanwhile, The V&A Museum houses collections of furniture, fashion, glass, ceramics and jewellery with some items dating back 3000 years. Entry is free and groups can pre-book exclusive talks and guided tours including the ‘Behind the Scenes Tour’, which allows visitors to view and even handle first editions by some of Britain’s favourite authors including Charles Dickens and Beatrix Potter.
The nearby V&A Museum of Childhood allows visitors to reminisce about their childhood days, by viewing the UK’s national collection of childhood related artefacts. With a variety of dolls houses, teddy bears and – for the boys – substantial collections of cars some of the items date back to the 16th century and reflect the diversity of childhood experiences throughout history. Entry is free.
Staying in Kensington and located behind a grand Victorian frontage is the Natural History Museum. The Museum aims to promote the discovery, understanding and responsible use of the natural world. Over 70 million objects can be found across five different zones, ranging from dinosaur skeletons to the remains of ‘Winnie’, the whale that lost its way in January last year and died in the River Thames. Entry is free.
Also in Kensington, the Science Museum has over 300,000 objects in its care that cover the history of western science, technology and medicine. A real highlight of visiting is the opportunity to take part in an IMAX cinema showing, where groups can watch 3D films. Entry is free although there is a supplementary charge for IMAX cinema showings and simulators.
In Greenwich, meanwhile, The Fan Museum is believed to be the only museum in the world dedicated to fans. The Museum is home to more than 3,500 examples from around the world ranging from the 11th century to the present day. Groups of 20 or more are offered discounted admission and the option of a pre-booked guided tour for a small charge. Meal packages can also be arranged.
Also in Greenwich, The National Maritime Museum has over two million items relating to astronomy, time, ships and the sea, including the bloodstained uniform in which Lord Admiral Nelson died. Entry is free, with guided tours available to pre-booked groups.
Documenting the small boat industry and Cornwall’s maritime history, meanwhile, is the National Maritime Museum Cornwall. Here, groups can enjoy lots of interactive exhibits such as Nav Station, where you can try your hand at steering an interavtive boat with a tiller and Set Sail, which has various audio-visual displays that aim to give visitors an idea of life at sea. Groups of 10 or more benefit from discounted admission as well as their own fast-track entrance. GTOs are admitted free.
Home to the Wombles, Morph, Bungle, Zippy and George and several Daleks, The National Media Museum – formerly The National Museum of Photography, Film and Television – in Bradford is a must for groups making a cultural visit to Yorkshire. As well as an IMAX cinema and the working BBC Bradford studios, the Museum has various galleries for groups to explore. These include ‘Animation’ – housing well known characters and models from television programmes past – and the new ‘Experience TV’ gallery, which allows groups to create their own film sets, special effects and news programmes. A new gallery is set to be unveiled at the end of the year entitled ‘Media Matters’, which will focus on new media. Entry is free.
Whilst in the north of England, the National Museums Liverpool is England’s only museums group based outside London. It is comprised of World Museum Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, Lady Lever Art Gallery, Museum of Liverpool, Sudley House, Merseyside Maritime Museum, HM Customs & Excise National Museum, International Slavery Museum and the National Conservation Centre. Changes in the past year include The Museum of Liverpool Life, which opened in 1993, closing last year to allow building work to start on a new Museum of Liverpool, expected to open in 2010. Work is also being carried out on a new International Slavery Museum, which is due to open in August.
In Northern Ireland, meanwhile, groups can visit one of the four National Museums Northern Ireland (MAGNI), which are comprised of the Ulster Museum, the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, the Ulster American Folk Park and the Armagh County Museum. The Ulster Museum is currently undergoing a £12 million refurbishment and will re-open in 2009. Groups of 15 or more receive a 10% discount on admission to all of the museums.
Famous personalities
Britain is full of museums that pay homage to well-known personalities or historical figures. Here is a selection.
Starting in Hampstead and worth a look is The Freud Museum, which is housed in the former London home of Sigmund Freud, the Austrian psychiatrist. In addition to his library and study, both of which have been preserved to look as they did in his lifetime, groups can lie on Freud’s famous psychoanalytic couch – where all of his patients reclined during therapy – and view archived films of Freud and his family in Vienna and London. Although groups are not offered discounted admission, they can pre-book out of hours openings and educational talks.
Groups are also welcome at The Handel House Museum, the former 18th century home of German composer George Frideric Handel, in Mayfair. The house has been restored to look as it did during Handel’s occupancy and offers discounted admission to pre-booked groups.
The Florence Nightingale Museum in Westminster, meanwhile, tells the story of the life and work of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing in the UK. As well as a variety of early nursing artefacts, visitors are able to see a collection of Nightingale’s personal belongings including her dresses and collection of travel souvenirs. Groups of 15 or more receive discounted admission with free pre-booked guided tours also available.
Staying in the capital, the Dickens House Museum is the last surviving London home of Victorian author Charles Dickens. The house is laid out as it would have been in his lifetime with the bedrooms, hall and study full of Dickens’ personal belongings ranging from books and busts to his original writing desk. Groups must pre-book with the option of an out of hours guided tour available.
Travelling to Yorkshire and to the village of Haworth near Bradford, groups can take a self-guided tour around the Bronte Parsonage Museum, which was the home of Anne, Charlotte and Emily Bronte from 1821 until 1861. Many of the family’s original furnishings are still in place including Charlotte’s writing desk and the sofa on which Emily died in 1848 of tuberculosis. Pre-booked groups of 10 or more receive discounted admission as well as a free introductory talk.
Groups can discover more about one of the most widely acclaimed bands in history in Liverpool at The Beatles Story museum at Albert Dock. Here, visitors can walk along the recreated streets of Hamburg – where The Beatles first toured – to the sounds of screaming fans and various other interactive exhibits whilst learning about the band’s rise to fame. The attraction’s collection of memorabilia is extensive, ranging from band members’ birth certificates to John Lennon’s glasses. Groups of 10 or more can take advantage of discounted admission. A free audio tour is also available, which includes commentary from the likes of Paul McCartney.
History comes alive
Groups can discover the interiors of 17th century middle-class homes, enjoy a silent film in a 1920s cinema and do a spot of shopping in a Victorian village shop at the many living history museums dotted around the UK.
Showing the changing styles of middle class domestic interiors from 1600 to the present day is the Geffrye Museum in Shoreditch, London. Set in Grade I listed buildings, the Museum underwent an extensive refurbishment programme last year. This saw the introduction of four new period rooms dated 1630, 1695, 1745 and 1790. Groups receive discounted admission.
The Museum of London, meanwhile, also in the capital, documents the history of London and its people through a series of galleries. This month sees work begin on the £18 million transformation of the ground floor galleries. The new development will be entitled ‘Capital City’ and will focus on London’s momentous occasions and events over the past 300 years and will be completed in 2009. The Museum will remain open whilst work is carried out and offers free entry to groups.
For a taste of what life on London’s rivers has been like throughout history, groups can head to the Museum in Docklands, which is housed within 19th century sugar warehouses on the West India Docks in London. Admission to this attraction is also free.
Whilst not technically a living history attraction, groups can learn about the modern day workings of one of the capital’s most historic bridges at the Tower Bridge Exhibition in London. Located inside the towers of the Bridge, the exhibition gives groups an insight into the history surrounding the structure and offers visitors the opportunity to visit the Victorian Engine Rooms, which are home to the original steam engines that once powered the Bridge’s lifts. This month saw a refurbishment introduce a new ticket area and entrance whilst new features in the Victorian Engine Rooms include a large projection screen that shows a video of how the Bridge is lifted today, bringing a halt to the capital’s traffic more than 1000 times a year. Groups of 10 or more are offered discounted admission.
In Hampshire, Milestones, Hampshire’s Living History Museum contains a variety of recreated historic streets and buildings for groups to explore, with extensive collections of domestic and industrial artefacts on display. Pre-booked groups are offered discounted admission. Whilst here, groups may like to combine a visit with a trip on the Watercress Line, a preserved steam railway operating between the towns of Alton and Alresford in Hampshire.
Although not strictly living history, the New Forest Museum in Hampshire documents the history of the New Forest and makes an interesting visit. Groups of 10 or more are offered discounts on entry and guided tours when pre-booked.
Blists Hill Victorian Town in Shropshire, meanwhile, offers groups the opportunity to experience Victorian life and visit its many recreated Victorian stores. Blists Hill is one of the ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums. The others include Enginiuty, Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron, Darby Houses, Jackfield Tile Museum, Coalport China Museum, Museum of the Gorge, the Ironbridge and Tollhouse, Brosely Pipeworks and Tar Tunnel. Groups are able to take advantage of a combined ticket that admits entry to all of the ten museums once for up to six days after purchase. A series of special interest workshops, held at some of the museums, are also available when pre-booked.
Heading to the Midlands, groups can make a stop at the Black Country Living History Museum in Dudley, which features historic buildings that have been moved from various locations around the Black Country and rebuilt onsite. Visitors can watch a silent film in the 1920s cinema, take a lesson in the 19th century school room and enjoy a pint of real ale in the Victorian Bottle and Glass Inn amongst other activities. Groups must pre-book with discounts available to 10 or more people.
Moving into Yorkshire, make a stop at the York Castle Museum, in York, to discover various aspects of Victorian life within the Museum’s recreated Victorian streets. Thanks to a refurbishment last year costing an estimated £300,000, groups can now enjoy new interactive night and day lighting and audio sound effects. New rooms have also been added including a Victorian classroom and newspaper office. Groups receive discounted admission.
Beamish – The North of England Open Air Museum, meanwhile, is situated in several hundred acres of County Durham countryside and aims to recreate life in the North of England in the early 1800s and 1900s. Groups can experience life as a landowner at Pockerley Manor, arranged as it would have been in 1825, or as a humble farmer at Home Farm, the attraction’s working farm. Groups receive discounted admission whilst GTOs are offered free entry.
Travelling to the west country and to Helston in Cornwall, groups can make a stop at the Flambards Experience. Here, over 50 shops and homes can be explored in the recreated lamplit Victorian streets with the aid of the new one-hour audio tour that was launched at the end of last year. There is a small charge for this. Also of interest is the Britain in the Blitz section of the attraction, where groups can experience wartime Britain and a recreated air raid. Groups must pre-book to receive discounted admission.
Heading to Torfaen in Wales, Big Pit: National Coal Museum allows its visitors to experience life underground at a real coal mine. On visiting, after being ‘kitted up’ with a helmet and cap lamp, groups descend over 300 foot underground with an ex-miner and are treated to a one-hour guided tour. Entry is free.
Clang, clang, clang went the trolley
From the romance of early 1930s motorcars to Del Boy’s Robin Reliant, the UK’s transport history is well documented in several museums.
Worth a stop is The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in Hampshire, where over 250 historic and modern automobiles are on display. Of particular interest is the permanent ‘Star Cars’ exhibition, where Mr. Bean’s yellow Mini and Del Boy’s Robin Reliant – of ‘Only Fools and Horses’ fame – can be found. James Bond enthusiasts, meanwhile, will certainly enjoy the ‘James Bond Experience’, which houses an extensive collection of vehicles used in the James Bond films. Pre-book groups can take advantage of discounted entry and free themed tours.
The Coventry Transport Museum, meanwhile, boasts an extensive collection of British road transport including some 240 cars, buses and commercial vehicles. Admission is free with guided tours available for groups to pre-book.
For a slightly less modern form of transport, pay a visit to the Crich Tramway Village in Derbyshire, an Edwardian village featuring historic buildings and houses that have been moved from other parts of the country and built onsite. Here, groups can see an extensive collection of trams that back to the 1800s at the onsite National Tramway Museum. Pre-booked groups receive discounted admission whilst GTOs are offered free entry.
Home to the UK�s national rail collection, meanwhile, is the National Railway Museum in York. The Museum tells the story of rail history from the early 19th century to the present day and boasts an impressive collection of ‘Palaces on Wheels’, trains built for the sole use of the Royal Family. In addition to over 100 locomotives and some 200 other rolling stock, groups can enjoy extensive collections of signalling equipment as well as tickets, passes and labels. Entry is free.
Also part of the National Railway Museum and offering free entry is Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon in County Durham. It combines the historic buildings and workshops of the Timothy Hackworth Museum with a new building housing over 60 vehicles including Sans Pareil, a steam locomotive built by Hackworth in the 1800s. Groups can pre-book guided tours for a small charge.
Moving to the west of the country and to Gloucestershire, the National Waterways Museum is housed within a Victorian warehouse at Gloucester Docks and charts the history of British canals. Groups of 10 or more are offered discounted entry.
Sporting achievements
Everyone likes to relive great sporting moments, and with plenty of museums dedicated to most sporting activities, GTOs will never run short of ideas.
Championship trophies, Rafeal Nadal’s ‘pirata’ trousers – worn during his 2005 match at Wimbledon – and the outfit worn by Andre Agassi during his last Wimbledon match in 2006 are amongst the items on display at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum in London. Here, tennis fans have the opportunity to see the actual Wimbledon Men�s Dressing Room from the 1980s, which has been moved and rebuilt at the Museum in addition to the option of a guided tour of Wimbledon�s behind the scenes areas. Groups should pre-book and receive discounted entry.
Cricket fans are also well catered for at the MCC Museum in St Johns Wood, London, where famous cricketing memorabilia such as the stuffed sparrow that was ‘bowled out’ by Jehangir Khan in 1936 can be found. A visit to the Museum includes a guided tour of Lords cricket ground. Discounts can be negotiated.
On the fringes of London, meanwhile, at the Twickenham stadium, groups can make a stop at the Museum of Rugby, which is full of rugby related memorabilia. Additionally, as part of the visit, GTOs can arrange a guided tour of the stadium for their members. Visits should be pre-booked.
Travelling north of London to the town of Henley on Thames, the River and Rowing Museum re-opened last year after an extensive refurbishment programme. All of the displays have been repositioned and several new features have been introduced. A particular highlight is the new ‘In the Cox’s Seat’ interactive experience, which allows groups to watch a 360-degree film from the perspective of a rower in the Henley Royal Regatta race. Groups receive discounted admission.
Further north still, the history of horseracing can be discovered at the National Horse Racing Museum, which is located at Newmarket Racecourse on the border of Cambridgeshire. Groups of 20 or more receive a 10% discount.
Moving into Birmingham, The National Motorcycle Museum is a tribute to the history of motor cycle sports. Groups can negotiate discounts.
Groups are offered free entry at the National Football Museum in Preston, Lancashire, where visitors can not only find out about the history of the game, but can also test their footballing skills. Interactive highlights include ‘Goalshooter’, where you can test your penalty taking abilities and ‘Table Football’, where your own table football match is recorded and you can watch replays of your game.
Military moments
Whether your interest is in World War I uniforms and ration cards, World War II fighter jets or the Holocaust, the UK has many museums that remember wartime eras.
A good place to start is The National Army Museum in London, which tells the story of the British army and its battles over the past 500 years, demonstrating how military people and events have shaped our country. Admission is free.
The Imperial War Museum London, meanwhile, demonstrates what living during the two world wars was really like. On visiting, groups can experience the recreated conditions that would have been endured by First World War troops in ‘The Trench Experience’, in addition to paying a visit to a recreated Second World War street as it would have looked at the height of The Blitz. Entry is free and groups receive discounted admission to special exhibitions.
Also part of the Imperial War Museum group, the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms are well worth a visit. The Cabinet War Rooms are the original underground rooms that were built in 1938, from which Churchill announced he would ‘direct the war’. The Churchill Museum, meanwhile, offers groups an insight into the life and personality of the former Prime Minister. Combined entry to both museums is by audio tour, for which groups receive discounts.
Staying in London, Winston Churchill’s Britain at War Experience recreates London during the Blitz. Groups can take a lift into a recreated underground air raid shelter to see the surroundings in which thousands of people would have spent sleepless nights in addition to experiencing various audio and visual effects designed to imitate an air raid. Pre-booked groups are offered discounted entry.
For a glimpse into war at sea, groups can board the HMS Belfast, which is permanently stationed between London Bridge and Tower Bridge and is another attraction belonging to the Imperial War Museum group. Groups of 10 or more receive discounted entry whilst GTOs go free.
In north London, the Royal Air Force Museum London houses over 100 aircraft from all over the world in addition to hundreds of thousands of aviation related artefacts spanning a century of history. Entry is free and groups of 10 or more can pre-book free 30-minute guided tours.
In Hampshire, the Army Medical Services Museum covers the history of military medicine, veterinary science, nursing and dentistry from 1660 to the present. Included in the displays are uniforms, medals, surgical instruments and military ambulances. Entry is free.
Heading into Cambridgeshire, the Imperial War Museum Duxford is located on an original World War I airfield and boasts an impressive collection of military vehicles and naval exhibits in addition to various aircraft. Groups of 20 or more receive discounted admission.
In Shropshire, meanwhile, The Royal Airforce Museum Cosford documents man’s successes and failures in flying and missile development from the early days of aviation, through the two world wars to the present day. Admission is free with guided tours also offered free of charge to pre-booked groups. There is a small charge for the use of flight simulators.
Further north in Manchester, the Imperial War Museum North looks at how war has and continues to affect people’s lives. Entry is free and groups can take advantage of discounted guided tours and meal packages. GTOs are offered a guided familiarisation visit prior to bringing a group.
Artistic minds
Art lovers also have plenty of venues to choose from, with art galleries to be found in every region.
The free to enter National Gallery in London houses an extensive collection of Western European paintings dating back to 1250. The collections’ subjects reflect the history, religion and myths of this area of the world and consist of works by the likes of Van Gogh, da Vinci, Michelangelo and Rembrandt. Pre-booked groups can arrange a free guided tour whilst, for a small charge, educational slide talks can also be arranged.
Also free to enter is the National Portrait Gallery in London. Pre-booked groups can benefit from a range of talks and guided tours whilst, for groups that prefer to explore by themselves, an audio tour is available offering recorded commentaries on over 350 portraits.
The Royal Academy of Arts, also located in the capital, predominantly focuses on British art from the 18th century to the present day. Featured works include those by the likes of Reynolds, Gainsborough and Hockney. Groups of 10 or more can arrange discounted admission to various exhibitions whilst evening talks and slide shows are also available when pre-booked.
Situated between the Strand and the Victoria Embankment in a grand 18th century building, Somerset House is home to three notable collections. The Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery has a rich assembly of works including Impressionist and Post Impressionist masterpieces whilst the Gilbert Collection boasts over 800 works of European gold, silver and other decorative art. The Hermitage Rooms, meanwhile, recreate the d�cor of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, in miniature. Pre-booked groups of 10 or more can take advantage of discounted admission and the Three Day Pass, permitting unlimited entry to all three collections over three days.
Staying in the capital, The Foundling Museum tells the story of the Foundling Hospital, which was established in 1739 and was London’s first home for abandoned children and also the very first public art gallery in the capital city. As well as extensive collections of paintings and sculpture, groups can view poignant tokens that despairing mothers left with their abandoned children so that they might identify them in the future. Groups must pre-book and can negotiate special rates.
Tate Britain, meanwhile, also situated in London, aims to give visitors an insight into the development of art in Britain from the time of the Tudor monarchs in the 16th century to the present day. Highlights of the collections include paintings by the likes of Gainsborough, Reynolds and more modern artists such as Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Tate Britain is one in a family of four galleries comprised of Tate Modern in London, Tate Liverpool and Tate St. Ives in Cornwall. All offer free entry.
Set in a Grade I listed mansion in over 120 acres of parkland in South Warwickshire, Compton Verney is certainly worth a look. It houses over 800 works of art ranging from Chinese bronzes, believed to be the largest collection outside London, to an impressive collection of British folk art. Pre-booking is essential with discounts available to groups.
The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, meanwhile, is particularly noted for its collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings and drawings, believed to be the largest collection in the country. Entry is free with free guided tours also offered to pre-booked groups.
Heading to Manchester, The Lowry combines a variety of performing and visual arts under one roof with some 350 paintings and drawings by artist LS Lowry. Groups of 10 or more receive discounts on a variety of offerings here from theatre visits, catering and tours to introductory talks.
A little further north in Leeds, groups are welcomed with free entry at the Henry Moore Institute. Dedicated to sculpture, groups can view a range of temporary and travelling exhibitions as well as the permanent collections, which contain an impressive number of works by the artist Henry Moore.