The Tudor House and Garden is a museum in the old part of Southampton…read more Built around 1492, the building was a grand house for most of its life until it became a museum in 1912. It has elements from every century since the 15th, as it has been much remodelled over the years. There's a good audio guided tour, which brings it to life. The exhibits are rather eclectic but the house itself includes lovely touches such as Tudor graffiti and floorboards made from 18th Century ship timbers. At the rear is a charming garden, which has been restored to its original Tudor form. Behind that, built into the town's mediaeval walls, is the so-called King John's Palace. Actually a town house belonging to a wealthy merchant built around 1180, it is a very rare example of Norman domestic architecture. The museum has a small shop and a nice modern cafe in the garden - this can be visited without paying for the museum tour. Staff were notably very friendly throughout our visit.

A fun time at the Tudor House and Garden. It has a lot of history here and you get to learn about…read moreit through the videos and the writings all around. They give you a map showing all the rooms and places to visit during your adventure. Overall I thought this was pretty cool and I do believe kids and adults will enjoy it! Don't forget the garden it is beautiful.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is a must visit for history nerds and boat lovers...not so much for…read moreeveryone else. You'll get to see amazing historic ships, going back over 500 years of of Royal Navy history. HMS Victory: The Royal Navy's flagship that led the important Battle of Trafalgar, which the French Navy was put to shame during Napoleon's destructive wars. Arguably the most famous warship in British history. It's barely holding together as much maintenance and restoration ongoing work continues, but you still can decks and learn about life onboard during the Georgian era. The Mary Rose: King Henry VIII's flagship, which sank in 1545 and was famously salvaged in 1982. The museum showcases the preserved half hull and thousands of artifacts recovered from the wreck, offering a unique glimpse into 16th-century sailor life. Be sure to watch the 4D video! HMS Warrior: was the world's first iron-hulled, armored warship, built in 1860. Its still incredibly well preserved and structurally sound...as it never saw a single battle! Still very cool seeing how modern it felt compared to the older ships. £46/$62 3 Attraction Ticket: as fun this all was, it is really expensive for what you get, so minus one for that.

Saw Spanish galleon not original but has been made as a replica but still good not quite the victoryread more

This is a small and mildly diverting museum, probably best for fans of local history…read more The museum has its origins in the Littlehampton Natural Science and Archaeology Society and opened in 1928, housed initially in the town's library. It moved to a house in River Road in 1965 and to its present location in Manor House in 1991. It was refurbished in 1998. It's nicely laid out, with interactive elements to the permanent displays such as audio points, LCD visual displays, audio sound bites and an interactive touch screen. The collection probably won't, however, take more than half an hour to browse, unless you are a dedicated local. The galleries (more showcases, actually) cover the town's origins, some geology and prehistory, its links with the sea, railways, and the history of the town in the World Wars. Exhibits include some geological items, Victorian paintings of the town, artefacts from the Bronze Age to Roman periods, items rescued from wrecked ships, local war memorabilia, and a wide range of other miscellaneous items. One room hosts a changing series of exhibits such as local arts and crafts, and there is a small play area for children. Perhaps the best collection is that of small model ships, some of them displayed in a 'model harbour'. Free entry. The museum is open from 9am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday, and 10.30am to 4.30pm on Saturdays

I have been recently involved in a Community project for college and used here, in conjunctiom with…read morethe library. As with the library, I found staff here outstanding in their assistance to our team. It is very much a local studies venue but covers an extensive area. The building is an absolute picture from an architect's view. Parking ok and close enough to town centre for lunch. Great fish and chipper round the corner!

Milestones is located just outside the town centre and only a few minutes from Junction 6 of the…read moreM3. It is clearly sign posted and easily found. The museum is housed in a odern purpose built building that is looks deceptively small. It was opened in 2000, and still looks new. It is on two levels, well three but the middle level is just a cloakroom and offices I believe. The top floor (confusingly called Upper Ground) consists of the entrance lobby, toilets, gift shop and restaurant. The gift shop carries a wide range of products with a historical theme. These range from books to sweets and from toys to ornaments. The restaurant serves hot meals and snacks, and is moderatley sized. There are also a few tables in the entrance lobby where picnics can be eaten, as well as a picnic area outside. The main part of the museum is on the Lower Ground and this is accessed either by stairs of lift. The museum is fully accessible to the elderly or disable, and they even have their own electric chairs. However care should be take by those who have mobility problems as the streets are cobbled and in places there are tram tracks. The museum tells the story of how people lived and worked over the past 200 or so years. It is consists of several mock streets and buildings, along with real vehicles and other items. At the start of the museum you are given a personal audio guide and map. This provides commentary on all of the scenes and is a very good idea. It allows people to walk around at their own pace, even children, and deters them from just walking straight past exhibits. They are backed up by numerous films and display boards scattered around the exhibits. The tour starts in a mock up of an Taskers ironworks in Andover in the 18th century. It tells the story of how they made steam engines (not trains, but stationary engines and traction engines). From there the visitor walks out in to the High Street and can visit a saw mill, the station and all kinds of shops that would be found in a typical town at the end of the 19th or begining of the 20th centuries. For example there is a greengrocers, a co-op and even a working pub, where I was reliable informed you could by a pint of ale. Eventually the visitor goes through a time tunnel which takes them in to the 1930's or 40's. Again this is represented by rows of shops and vehicles of that era including a sweet shop where you could buy sweets of a bygone age. There are also two seperate areas for specialist collections and displays which don't fit into the main part of the museum. For example when I visited there was a display of how the home has changed over the decades since the 1920's. The final part of the museum is a mock up of the Thoneycroft factor which was a large employer in the area. This is a living history museum and there were several costumed interpreters walking around, who were more than willing to talki to visitors about the exhibits. Various activities for children are also arranged, such as dressing up in costumes, a victorian school lesson and as mentioned above buying sweets from the sweet shop. To be able to buy the sweets, the children had to have two old pennies and a ration card, just like in Granny's day! These were on sale at the entrance for 60p. The museum state that you need three hours to go round, well it took us three and a half hours, but could easily have taken more. This is a very good museum, well thought out and obviously designed with children in mind. If you plan to go, I can recommend it and would suggest arriving early and plan to spend the whole day there - you won't be disappointed.

I worked at this museum for a few months a while ago, and it's a good place to visit. It's in a…read morelovely modern building and has an excellent range of historical exhibits, all in a recreated street scene from the past. A wonderful idea for a museum, and it's been executed wonderfully staff are friendly, the exhibits are detailed and interesting, and the whole thing provides a fascinating insight into Basingstoke and Hampshire's past. Admission prices are pretty high, admittedly, but I think in this case they are justified for what is an excellent, interesting and very worthwhile place to visit.

This is a lovely little museum, ideal for a rainy day with a pretty garden, and a scary wax work of…read moreGertrude Jekyll, who designed the garden. There are usually fun stuff for little kids to do too.

We'd been here before when the boys were small. I wanted to bring them back because of the…read moreexcellent Electricity and Communications exhibits. Not to mention the hilarious walk through vintage TV and Radio sets. Try explaining cassettes and black and white TV to a 7yr old! The rest of the museum is pleasant; bit quiet and some of the working exhibits were closed which is a bit disappointing on a bank holiday weekend. On the whole a nice 4hrs.

I had to drag some of the other families along here, but I think they were pleasantly surprised! A…read moremuseum of local industry on an old chalk pit does sound dull but there is lots of interactive elements and a wide range of exhibits. For kids the narrow gauge railway is fun and they got a lot of fun and learnign out of the interactive aspects of the electricity and telecom exhibitions. I liked the old bus collection. Its worth tryign to ensure you go here on a day when their will be lots of the volunteers working the various old machinery as this brings it to life. There was printing and pottery and a couple of other 'machines in action' when we were there. A full day out.

Beautiful gardens, with a resident cat it seemed. I think it was Burmese, a real cutie, purring its…read moreheart out, until an annoying little girl came over and asked if it was mine. When i said no, she scooped it up and walked off with it! Wonderful embroidery gallery attached to the cafe with some stunning local work inside.

The Sunbury Millennium Embroidery is intended as a permanent, commemorative record which celebrates…read morethe ancient riverside village of Sunbury-on-Thames and its community at the turn of the year 2000. The Embroidery consists of 9 panels and over 100 insignia of local organisations and companies. it is housed in a new and award winning gallery with cafe attached within the Walled Garden off Thames Street. The website can give an overview. It's a lovely little thing to visit, and the walled garden provides an extension in the form of a beautiful stroll, or Sunbury park provides more of a romp for families. There are often ladies demonstrating embroidery technique as this is all local work, and the gallery is also used for art and sculpture displays. Child friendly - there is colouring and the embroidery is covered with glass but a bronze relief is provided for children or the partially sighted to feel the descriptions of the area and its wildlife.

An interesting if short tour with a lot of good history behind it. I really enjoyed my experience…read morethere. Nothing bad to say about it.

These may be the prettiest gardens in Surrey. I visited and strolled on a lively April day. Don't…read moremiss this if you are in the area.