Free Museums in Englefield Green

"London’s best contemporary art gallery has plenty of interactive activities for kids. It’s inside the former Bankside Power Station and younger kids can run around the vast Turbine Hall. Kids aged 3 and older can sketch their own masterpieces at the Bloomberg digital drawing bar and then have their art projected onto the gallery’s walls."

"Tate Modern holds the national collection of British art from 1900 to the present day and international modern and contemporary art. Tate Modern is actually one of the largest art galleries on the planet and one of the most important modern art museums in the world."

"Explore Tate Modern’s world-famous collection of modern and contemporary art from Picasso to Warhol. 🧑‍🎨 Like London’s other national museums, entrance is free!"

"Quick Tip: Get here about 20 minutes before the National Gallery opens as it can get quite busy later in the morning. National Gallery(free to the public)"

"Also known as the National Gallery of British Art, it holds the country’s most extensive collections of national historic art, as well as contemporary. The gallery is also known for holding the prestigious and career-defining Turner Prize exhibition, which features the work of its four winning British visual artists each year. Catch it if you can to be among the first to see the next national treasure of the art world."

"Located in Millbank, The Tate Britain is another of the best free museums in London. The Tate Modern might be the cool new kid on the block, but personally I prefer its more austere sister museum further downriver, the Tate Britain. The museum opened in 1897 and has been welcoming visitors to admire a huge collection of British art from the Tudor times onwards since."

"Another member of the Tate group, Tate Britain is actually older than the larger and better-known Tate Modern, dating all the way back to 1897. While the Tate Modern holds international modern artwork, Tate Britain is now dedicated to historical and contemporary British art. Nearest tube station: Pimlico."

"What makes the National Portrait Gallery so compelling is its familiarity; in many cases, you’ll have heard of the subject (royals, scientists, politicians, celebrities) or the artist (Andy Warhol, Annie Leibovitz, Lucian Freud) but not necessarily recognise the face. Highlights include the famous ‘Chandos portrait’, thought to be of William Shakespeare (room 4), the first artwork the gallery acquired (in 1856), and a touching sketch of novelist Jane Austen by her sister (room 18)."

"Tucked behind the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery is the biggest collection of portraits in the world. It’s not quite as vast as the National Gallery but it’s very much worth taking your time to see the collection. One interesting thing about this free London art museum is that the paintings are chosen for the significance of the subject, not the artist."

"Located in an adjoining building to the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery houses a collection of historic portraits of important and famous British people. Nearest tube station: Charing Cross."

"This excellent branch of the Victoria & Albert Museum displays one of the best collections of childhood-related objects in the world. Kids are fascinated by the immense number of dolls, dolls’ houses through the ages, vintage board games, construction toys (Lego, Meccano), battery-powered robots and favourite toys from the 20th century, decade by decade. Action figures, teddy bears, puppets, magic lanterns and MicroMachines are among the highlights here."

"Technically a part of the V&A, the Museum of Childhood has gained an excellent reputation as one of the best free things to do in London. With a collection of toys spanning centuries, the museum is the perfect day out for kids, while adults will also surely find something to wake their nostalgia. Museum of Childhood © Flickr Andrea Vail"

"The Museum of Childhood is a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum which specialises in objected designed by and for children such as toys, clothes and more. Nearest tube station: Bethnal Green."

"Based in south London’s Brixton, the Black Cultural Archives is the only place in Britain that is dedicated to the history of the country’s black communities. The museum has a great collection of modern and historical artefacts and photographs that all tell their own stories on the topic of black British culture. When the museum was first coming together 30 years ago, it was a time when the African and Caribbean community in London was severely underappreciated, so the co-founder Len Garrison began collecting what is now one of the most comprehensive collections documenting the cultural heritage of Black Britain."

"This neo-Gothic house built in the late 1890s for William Waldorf Astor, of hotel fame and once the richest man in America, showcases art from UK museum collections outside the capital. Visit as much to see the opulent house (it's astonishing) as the collections on display, but note it's only open for a few months each year for the Winter Exhibition Programme (see the website). Check out the bronze putti (cherubs) chatting on old telephones on the steps!"

"The British Library is the largest national library in the world, with an estimated 200+ million items in its collection. As well as its many books, the library holds historic manuscripts, maps, stamps, photographs and even music from every age of written civilisation. Visit the ‘Treasures of the British Library Gallery‘ to see some of its most significant items, including the Magna Carta, original writings from both Charles Dickens and Shakespeare, Michelangelo’s anatomical illustrations, one of the earliest Qur’ans and a copy of the world’s oldest dated complete printed book, the Diamond Sutra."

"170 million items and 330 miles of shelf space make this not only one of the best museums in London, but also one of the biggest. It also hosts regular, curated exhibitions based around its rare collections; including displays of the original manuscripts of Charles Dickens, Virginia Wolf, Jack Kerouac, Lewis Carroll and varying instalments of maps, sacred texts, newspaper and sound archives. Details: 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB | Free entry, exhibitions from £14 | Find out more and book–"

"The House of Dreams Museum is the vision of London art director Steven Wright, who has lived in the East Dulwich home since 1982. He began to turn it into a museum in the late 90s. It serves as a shrine to his dead parents and partner."

"Restaurants Japanese Regent Street. Parents be warned: it’s all about roll-your-sleeves-up DIY at this branch of Kintan, a bargain-priced Japanese yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant in a basement off Oxford Circus. Smoky, thick-ridged grills are built into each table and the fully illustrated medley ranges from USDA kalbi short-rib to excellent pre-marinated spicy pork."

"Sushimania is a chain of 10 restaurants in England, but the quality of food is high. Waiting staff are ‘straight to the point’, and the venue is a little shabby, but you’d forgive any lack of pleasantries once your food starts arriving. Their extensive menu has well over 100 items, with plenty of vegan options amongst these."

"Traditional Japanese cuisine ranging from sashimi, sushi, traditional & modern makis. As well as grilled seafoods & meats, tempuras, rice....."

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"Arguably the city’s most flamboyant restaurant, Richard Caring’s Sexy Fish is a sight to behold. Apparently it cost £15 million to produce – which won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has stepped inside. With bronze Damien Hirst-designed bronze mermaids adorning the bar, a coral reef ceiling, a giant gold-plated crocodile on display and walls running with water, the space feels like some kind of mystical, underwater-inspired wonderland."

"A delivery, Deliveroo-only kitchen — so proceed informed — which adds a regionally diverse option to a share of good Cantonese options in west London. A crimson, brooding mapo tofu is excellent, with skewers of barbecued lamb or chicken holding up surprisingly well; skip the noodle dishes and seriously consider the pork and Chinese cabbage dumplings."