Best History Museum in Harmondsworth

"British Museum – The British Museum is one of the best free museums in the world and is an absolute must visit on any trip to London. The museum is dedicated to human history and culture with its permanent collection consisting of some eight million works and is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It documents the story of human culture from beginning to present, covering items from all continents."

"The British Museum has been offering free admission to ‘studious and curious persons’ since it was first founded in 1753. It’s the most popular museum in the country, with over 6 million visitors a year but don’t worry, it’s big – very big, so there’s room for everyone. Where to start with this magnificent, overwhelming place, dedicated to human history, art and culture?"

"No visit to London would be complete without a trip to the British Museum. It’s home to over 8 million artefacts, including the Rosetta Stone and Parthenon Marbles. There are so many things to see in this museum that even a full day spent here will barely scratch the surface."

"Westminster Abbey is often mistaken as one of the cathedrals of London. It’s an easy mistake to make, but it’s an Abbey which has served as the Coronation Church for Kings and Queens of England for almost a thousand years. Westminster Abbey is one of the big-ticket top three or four things to do in London, and it’s something we suggest you make time for, even if you only have a 1-day London itinerary."

"London’s most famous and beautiful church is a definite must-see in the city. Rebuilt in the 13th century (but with a history that goes back even further), it is now on the UNESCO World Heritage List. To visit as a tourist you’ll need to buy a ticket either online or at the abbey, but you can enter free as a worshipper."

"The greatest stories from the greatest city are spread across nine permanent galleries, taking you on a huge journey from London before London, through Roman and Medieval London, to key historic moments such as The Great Fire, and the evolution of London as the People’s City and a World City. Keeping with the theme of London education, guest exhibitions include Beast of London, which explores the fascinating role animals have played in shaping the capital, and The Clash: London Calling, where over 150 items showcase the history of London’s most iconic band."

"The greatest city in the world deserves its own museum, and that’s exactly what the Museum of London provides!. Set somewhat incongruously in the middle of a brutalist roundabout, exhibits here cover everything from the city’s ancient past as a Roman settlement right up to the present day, featuring both the 2012 Olympic cauldron…  to a congealed lump of sewer blockage from our city’s great nemesis, the Fatberg. A planned move to the site of the old Smithfield meat market is expected to occur in the coming years, but they’re still at London Wall for now."

"Located on London Wall and close to the Barbican Centre, the Museum of London documents,explores and tells the ever changing story of the history of London."

"The Cinema Museum in London was founded in the 1980s by Ronald Grant and Martin Humphries. Grant and Humphries filled the museum with objects from their private collection of cinema memorabilia. The museum is housed in the workhouse where Charlie Chaplin lived during his childhood."

"London’s Cinema Museum is devoted to keeping alive the spirit of cinema from the days before the multiplex. Admission is only via joining one of their regular guided tours, which costs £10."

"The museum has three permanent galleries, including Ancient Origins, which showcases changes in the area dating back from prehistoric times, and Town of Kings, which highlights the development of Kingston as a market town starting during medieval times. The building that houses the museum is Grade II listed."

"Fronted by a pair of intimidating 15in naval guns and a piece of the Berlin Wall, this riveting museum is housed in what was the Bethlem Royal Hospital, a psychiatric hospital also known as Bedlam. Although the museum’s focus is on military action involving British or Commonwealth troops largely during the 20th century, it covers war in the wider sense. Must-see exhibits include the state-of-the-art First World War Galleries and Witnesses to War in the forecourt and atrium above."

"This historic warship, operated today by Imperial War Museums, will definitely be of interest to military buffs, or anyone with even a slight interest in boats. Launched just before the outbreak of World War 2, this Royal Navy Light Cruiser saw action in both World War 2 and the Korean War, before being decommissioned in 1963."

"Despite its name, the cultural venue formerly known as the Imperial War Museum (one of five IWM branches around the country) does not…"

"It’s one of the country’s most celebrated gallery spaces, which is no small achievement seeing as that’s the Royal Academy’s side gig. The 250 year old RA started out as and continues to be a functioning art school, but is known to most for its world-class exhibitions. It doesn’t have its collection on permanent display, so puts all its oomph into blockbuster shows, ranging in recent years from an Ai Weiwei show to an exploration of abstract expressionism."

"Walk through the gates off Piccadilly to the Annenberg Courtyard and into the Royal Academy of Arts. Founded in 1768, it's home to an ever-changing programme of exciting blockbuster exhibitions. Highlights include Queen Victoria's paintbox and the only Michelangelo sculpture in the UK."

"Lose yourself amongst the stone pines, olive trees, and cypresses of this typical Mediterranean landscape. The King William's Temple stands in the middle of the garden, lending a sense of grandeur to the vibrant landscape."

"The Davies Alpine House is a somewhat different greenhouse, it is quite long (16m) and high (10m) and was designed to provide ideal conditions, fresh with natural wind for the best conditions the mountain plants. The collection features a wide range of campanulas, dianthus, small ferns, helichrysum, small lavenders, primulas, saxifrage, thymus, tulips and verbascums along with lesser known species."

"Many of the plants at Kew couldn't survive in Britain's grey, damp climate. The Davies Alpine House supports those that thrive in dry, cool, windy conditions of mountainous areas such as succulents and campanulas,"

"Established in the second half of the seventeenth century by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, the Chelsea Physic Garden is one of the oldest botanical gardens in England. Included among the London Museums of Health and Medicine, this botanical garden has some unique features attracting tourists interested in botany. Noteworthy mentions are Britain’s largest fruiting olive tree and the world’s most northern grapefruit that grows outdoors."