I went to see the exhibition of Churchill paintings. It was absolutely stunning! It was well…read morecurated, and the audio guide really gave you a sense of importance of painting in his life. I walked through the rest of the collection, which is almost overwhelming. There is a lot to see there. You really do need to use the audio guide, because there is so much art in a small space. I also appreciated the staff. They were helpful, without being intrusive. One of the things I enjoy the most was that people there were truly interested in art. They stopped and looked. Unlike the crowd at the National Gallery, which just went up to a painting, took a photo, and left without ever even looking at it.

Wonderful collection of European paintings and decorative objects. Whole gallery were well…read moredisplayed and easy to navigate. The best part of the collection was, to my taste, European weapons/armory on the first floor. This section is huge and ranging from Middle Ages to late 18th century. The gun selection is exquisite. If you are studying armory, this is a place to visit. Admission is free and accessible. You can easily spend two to three hours wondering and enjoy the atmosphere. Staff are helpful and willing to help. There is a restaurant/cafe to refresh after long day of sightseeing.

I stopped here on a whim while visiting the other sights in Greenwich and really enjoyed it. The…read moremuseum is very, very small, so I only spent about 45 minutes here. They provide audioguides if you wish to use one, but I mostly just read the available signage. I enjoy fashion history, so I found the museum to be quite interesting and of course all of the fans were beautiful. Unfortunately, The Orangery was closed when I visited. They do not serve tea every day, which was a bit disappointing. Be sure to check the website before you visit to make sure they are open if you are hoping to enjoy tea here. The staff in this museum are all very lovely and I had a really enjoyable chat with a few of the staff members. If you enjoy art or fashion, this is a good place to stop if you have a bit of extra time in Greenwich. I wouldn't go out of my way to come all the way out here, but it is a nice complement to the other sights in Greenwich. Admission is only a couple of pounds, so if you need to fill a bit of time, it is worth the stop.

This place is awesome! Found this place looking for afternoon tea during a day trip to Greenwich…read more This is a fan museum with a quaint cafe in the back that offers afternoon tea service. The afternoon tea service was wonderful - it came with a pot of tea. scones, clotted cream, jelly, carrot cake, and choice of lemon drizzle or salted caramel brownie, It is also served in a beautifully decorated room with a garden view. The museum was an added treat and it was fun to explore their fan collection which spans the globe and covers different time periods. One point to note is that you do need to buy an admission ticket to the museum to enjoy their tea service menu but it's worth it. Highly recommend!

Par Ici is a completely unique store and is one of very few in London that only sells handmade and…read morelocal items. Filled to the brim with high quality paintings, jewellery, pottery, cards, sculpture, knitted and fabrics to name but a few, this is a fantastic place for all your gift needs as well as somewhere to pick up your unique and quality household items. For those who craft, you can also buy wool, vintage buttons and other items to help with your hobbies. I love this shop because every time I go there, there is something new to see. I could (and have) spent hours browsing the shelves. Sometimes I can't fully believe what people are capable of making so each visit is a surprise! Indeed it seems there is a lot of talent out there in Twickenham! Currently I'm really impressed with the handmade local soaps and bath bombs they have in there. However if you'd like to try them, as they aren't from a range or mass produced, you'll have to get to the shop as they tend to sell out quickly! Five stars guys, keep up the great work!

Such a great idea for a shop. It's been here many years apparently - even before being local became…read morecool. Really interesting local products, jewellery, paintings, gifts, books - a lot of it from artisans on Eel Pie Island. (Where the Stones used to record.) I bought my elderly parents a gadget here - a kind of hi-tech walking stick with an alarm, flashlight, magnet etc all built in, invented by Trevor Baylis, another local inhabitant.

A solid 4 stars for people visiting just past Tower Bridge. They have a student discount and change…read moreexhibitions (only 1 on display at a time) every few months. The next one will be in mid June. Time arrived: a 3pm visit after we had just swung in from Maltby St Market. We arrived at a splash of color and a huge display introducing the works of Mary Quaint and the change in fashion post-WWII. Exhibition itself: The clothing and mixes of color were well met with an interesting straight forward walking path, but full of turns and different designs with each corner. I think the changes of color, textures, fabrics and overall variation and creativity of space usage was excellent. Tips/Takeaways: -Mary Quaint exhibition through early June 2019, next one mid June 2019 -Student discounts available -A fun 1h visit roughly to see the whole exhibit. Fun if you happen across Maltby St Market on a Sunday afternoon.

I came here for the opening night party for the retrospective exhibition of Foale and Tuffin, the…read more1960s fashion designers. The split level venue was packed with champagne-swilling revelers. I saw Paul Smith and, regrettably, did not stroll over to say hello. Yes, I would have been that horrible American who would've asked if we could take a picture together but before I could, he was gone. And he was such a dashing silver fox too. . . Don't miss this Bermondsey Street museum's gift shop - in it you'll find a collection of unique jewelery, handbags and books. I'm still thinking about the clutch I didn't purchase!

Begun by the founder of Burroughs-Wellcome, the first company to introduce medicine in pill form,…read morethis marvelous free museum specializes in things related to health and the human body. Or science, medicine, life, and art. Or health, life, and our place in the world. Just looking at those descriptors sort of ensured that there'd be something compelling here and there was. A lot. One floor is given over to the collection itself, which is a quirky assemblage of old medical devices and the like, including old sexual devices. Free guided tours are one way to enjoy this part of the museum though I cop to liking the rest of the place even more. The other floors contain exhibits and art which ranged from interesting to fascinating to heartwarming and inspirational. A couple examples: * Words which, when pressed, would light up the associated internal body parts. It's fair to say I don't know where anything inside my body is except maybe my heart and stomach. Now I do. Or I did, for a moment there. * The origins of a mental health project in Africa, where mental health providers are sparse and grandmas we're trained to fill the gap. The results? Improved mental health in the community and the grandmas. There was just so much neat stuff here and not just in the museum exhibits. The ground floor cafe has very good food (try the eggplant parmesan baked individually in a sweet little French crock) and don't miss the gift shop where you'll likely blow all that you saved by coming to this free museum. I certainly did. I left wanting to return to the Wellcome Collection and that was before I even looked at their web site and saw all of the talks and group activities they regularly offer (Death Cafe anyone? Grief Group?). I wish the Wellcome Collection were in my own community as I'm certain I'd take advantage of much more that they have to offer.

I don't know if I caught the museum on a bad day or what. I walked in and said hello to the staff…read moreperson near the entrance - I was rewarded with a dirty look. I was going to ask for some directions but instead just found myself a map. I checked out the two exhibitions they had open. They both were okay. Being Human was fine, not much to see in the gallery to be honest. The other one, Objects in Stereo, was a clever idea that could have been better. I don't understand the point of looking at photos of objects and storage when one could put those objects on display. Fragile things can be displayed in the right way with the right light and temp/humidity conditions. I was very disappointed to not see more of the permanent collection being used. I work as a museum registrar and I was having trouble understanding the reasoning here. Especially since similar objects were on display upstairs. The reading room was the highlight of the collection. Finally some AMAZING historical, medical related objects and art!

The museum was interesting to see and take pictures of and learn the history of thingsread more

The museums permanent collection is free and you can get a ticket to see the special exhibitions…read morethat are going on at the time. On my visit they featured works by Ai Wei Wei as well as a separate exhibition featuring contemporary Saris. I ended up getting the ticket 4 the WeiWei exhibition. Really liked the works on display as well as the overview of historical design artifacts in the permanent collection. I had to be somewhere after so I left after a little over an hour but I could have easily spent over 2 hours there. Definitely recommend.

What a joy it was to stumble upon Deptford Does Art. This art gallery/shop was exactly what I…read moreneeded for all my holiday shopping. Yes, you can go online and buy the same crap from Amazon that everyone else gets OR you can go support a local business that in turn supports local artists (which they both desperately need these days) AND get unique gifts for your loved ones. It's a pretty easy decision, don't ya think? The store space on the top floor was packed with all sorts of framed art, kooky knick-knacks, handmade stuff, and a lot of surprises on the shelves. There's literally something for everyone here with a million impulse items calling out to you. The bottom floor is the gallery space. You'll find all kinds of art hanging on the walls along with prints of said art along with other pieces from local creators. It's a great mix of techniques and themes, from screen prints to watercolors to even oil. The cost of the art tends to be more manageable for normal budgets which is another thing I enjoyed. All in all, I loved this place. The icing on the cake, other than having successfully accomplished 100% of my holiday shopping in a single trip, was the tasty mulled wine they had on sale. I was able to snag a cup to enjoy on the walk back home.

This is a very small out of the way but free museum filled with mostly 'inappropriate' neon signs…read more I say inappropriate not because I was offended but many were sexual or religious in nature and in today's society there are a bunch of over sensitive adult babies. There is a small bar here that you can grab a drink while you walk around, they take credit cards. Overall it's kinda like a dive museum, but o believe worth it to get off the beaten path and away from the crowd of tourists. It is a sketchy neighborhood and the buses to get here are pretty rundown.

Take the London tube (Northern Line) going north to the last stop and hoof it for about 15 minutes…read moreand you'll arrive at this joint, which proclaims to be the largest collection (museum) dedicated to neon art and artists in the world. Located in a gated area with working factories, micro breweries and other commercial establishments. Stroll through, it's free and they play great tunes throughout as you enjoy the neon art. Enjoy some coffee, drinks and snacks at their cafe. The surrounding area has a large number fabulous and authentic global ethnic cuisine options and apparently the longest outdoor street market in London. The William Morris childhood Home and his Museum is also nearby so the area, is free and interesting. Overall it's a great day trip less than 45 minutes tube ride from London.