St. Albans was once the city of Verulamiam. This Roman town was destroyed in AD61 and later…read morerebuilt to its former glory. After nearly 400 years as a major settlement, the town slowly declined when the Romans left in AD410. The Verulamiam Museum tells the story of this Roman town. Mosaics, video presentations, excavated artifacts and recreation of Roman rooms fill this little musuem. Wandering around the rooms I learned how the ancient town was built, how jewelry was made, how the inhabitants of the city made a living and also how their dead were buried. The museum boasts four skeletons, which really impressed me and my morbid love of skulls and bones. There is a small fee of £3.50 for entry to the museum. The rooms are small, but they are full of interesting facts. It's easy to become completely engrossed in another time for an hour or two. The museum is on the edge of a lovely park that is home to the Roman Theatre of Verulamium and also a Roman mosaic. There are ponds, a small church and a cute little cafe. If you find yourself in St. Albans, this is a must-see!

St Alban's is one of England's oldest towns. There has been a settlement here since the 1st Century…read moreBC, and in AD 43 the Romans chose the site for their city of Verulamium, which became the Capital of the Roman province of Brittania. This history is portayed in the Verulamium museum, located next to an attractive park ten minutes' walk from the Abbey. The museum itself is housed in a distinctive red-brick building, built in the Roman style. Inside, the history of the Romans in Britain is portrayed in a very accessible series of exhibits. Children are well-catered for, with video and touch screen installations, and hands-on discovery areas. More traditional finds include fine mosaics and frescoes - some of the best outside the Mediterranean - as well as rare armour, glassware, jewellery and more everyday items.

This museum opened back in October 2016, so my visit today was my first, and what a sweet place it…read moreis. Located on the lovely Pinner Memorial Park, the setting couldn't be nicer. It's an easy walk from Pinner station. It's currently only open Friday-Sunday, but I booked in a group tour and took along 15 people. You enter through the ubiquitous gift shop, which isn't large but has a changing range of items by local artists, as well as books and other little things that I totally wanted. There are 3 rooms - an activity studio, a temporary exhibition, and a permanent exhibition. We couldn't go into the activity studio as it was being used for a half-term activity - glass painting. But there was a sign saying that on a Friday, they have an artist who uses the room to sketch and you are welcome to go in and watch and ask questions. The permanent exhibition is chronological and it was really interesting to see the variety of work that Heath Robinson did - but as ever, having a tour makes a big difference as you get a lot of context and little stories that bring it all to life. The temporary exhibition is currently on the brothers Robinson, and had a great breadth of work from the three Robinsons, including items on loan from the family, things that haven't ever been seen before. The group I brought (all over 60s) were fascinated by the whole thing. Even though I went along knowing very little about Heath Robinson, I enjoyed my visit, too. Our group tour was £5 per person, and another £30 for the steward to do the tour. Normal tickets are £6-ish.

During Veterans Day, we visited Bletchley Park, a mansion which became the primary centre forAllied…read morecode-breaking during WWII. During World War II, the estate housed the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) which targeted the Axis powers encoded messages - most noticeably the Enigma machine! They developed automation (which was fascinating to learn about) to decode the cyphers and messages, translate that into actionable intelligence, and send that information out to the military. Results made direct impact on U-boat, Luftwaffe, and other Axis power military unit effectiveness. While we were there, team members who worked there were present and a C-130 did several flyby's in commemoration of Veterans Day. If you like history, particularly war history, this is a great visit. It's a fairly easy train ride from London and a very short walk from the train station one you arrive! You can take a tour using a guide, an audio guide (which is what we did), or stroll the grounds and read the signs along with stationed guides which can tell you about various aspects of each location.

Fans of the film "The Imitation Game" will recall Bletchley Park as the home of code-breaking,…read morewhere Alan Turing (alongside nearly 9,000 colleagues) worked to decipher the encrypted messages of the Germans and Japanese in World War II; this included breaking the infamous "Enigma" German coding system. This is one of the best museum experiences I've ever had. It does a brilliant job of making a highly technical subject accessible and of bringing it to life, with plenty of human interest. All based in the original buildings, it tells the story of how Bletchley Park was established, and then expanded, as its operations grew during World War II. Rooms are recreated as they would have been in the 1940s, and are beautifully curated to explain how every aspect of the code-breaking operation worked. This covers not just the code-breakers themselves, but everyone from the linguists, canteen staff and administrators, to the motorcycle messengers who rode to and from the radio stations with intercepted messages, and then on to the Intelligence HQs with the deciphered messages (in all weathers, with all the road signs removed, and with blackouts at night!). I particularly liked the wall of original memos from the administrative office, which shows the vagaries of the British class system (wanting more typists of the "Roedean school sort"), alongside very modern concerns about staff shortages, and complaining about the food, heating and just about everything else! Finally, the later exhibits show the development of computers and radio interception, and the implications of the development of AI. There's a huge amount of personal detail about the people who worked here, including oral histories, letters, and diary entries. A highlight has to be Alan Turing's office, set up as he had it in 1944. Then there are the exhibits explaining how code-breaking works in general, and how the Enigma Code itself was broken, with a replica of one of the famous "Bombe" machines that helped speed the code-breaking. (If you can work out how it works, you're better than me!) But equally important was the work of turning the messages into useful military intelligence, and in turn, using that knowledge to develop counter-intelligence, which played a vital role in an early example of disinformation. On our visit, there were lots of guides, some of whom had worked there (one lovely lady was 96), but all were delightfully helpful, very enthusiastic and incredibly knowledgeable. We spent 5 hours there, and still didn't see everything, but the good news is that tickets are valid for return visits for a year. As I said, this is one of the best curated museums I've ever visited. We had a wonderful day out. On a practical level, the museum is less than 10 minutes' walk from Bletchley railway station, but there is a decent-sized car park too. The huge site has been made fully accessible for wheelchair users, and there are plenty of toilets. There are two cafes (pricey but okay) and a tea hut; and a shop, selling souvenirs and generous selection of books about WWII and code-breaking more generally.

Located in Oxford England,this museum was built back in 1683 and has gone over numerous renovations…read moremaking it one of Britain's first public and oldest museum. Admission is free . You can explore exhibits of ancient Egyptian Mummies , Archaeology Specimens,Arundel Marbles and Modern Art just to name a few. A good way to spend free time while in Oxford.

The Ashmolean was a wonderful surprise during our stay in Oxford. I had heard of the museum and did…read morea little research so I knew what to focus on, but it far surpassed my expectations. There's archeological artifacts, art, and so much more from so many varying parts of the world and times. Best of all, it's FREE! If you're planning a visit to Oxford, carve out some time and be sure to visit the museum. (Great rooftop restaurant to boot)

This is a wonderful quirky space. Like the attic of your eccentric uncle who travelled widely,…read morebrought back whatever he could carry, then carefully catalogued everything (idiosyncratically) and then left it for you to go through--that is, if your uncle was the entirety of the British empire. Can't say enough. You can spend days here and still be saying "did you see THAT?"

We had a great time exploring the Pitt Rivers Museum! There is SO much on display it's almost hard…read moreto take it all in. If you're an anthropology buff, this is your place. So many neat things to see and everything you can imagine, too many to list. From clothing to masks to weapons to toys all from different cultures and different times. We even saw a Totem Pole! Overall a fascinating place to visit, just wish we'd had more time to explore!

Interesting small museum, mainly covering the history of the chair making industry in High Wycombe…read more It has displays of many various styles of chairs which have been produced in the town. There is also an are showing various tools and machinery which has been used over the years. Upstairs the is and interactive section aimed at children, and also a small art gallery. All in all a pleasant place to visit for a quite interval in our hectic lives. Entry is free

Interesting museum covering the history of the chair making industry in High Wycombe. Shows various…read moretools and machinery which have been used over the years to make all types of chairs. There is an interactive section aimed at Children which my son found interesting. It is free to enter and worth a visit.

I have to admit I've never bought anything from this gallery but I love looking in the windows…read more Occasionally, when I haven't got small children in tow I venture in. They have a wide range of original contemporary art. Pottery, sculpture, paintings and now jewelery. They have six exhibitions a year, showing both new and established contemporary artists and a range of work from some of their favourite artists. The website is worth looking at, beautiful things displayed well. Also check out the nearby Turril Sculpture Garden in Summertown library and the North Wall Arts Centre gallery.

This gallery often has interesting art on display in the window, and they are very friendly so…read moredon't feel bad about. going inside even if you've no intention of buying anything. I think it's got a bit more conservative in it's choice of art over time, but I guess they've just come to understand the taste if their clients better. It's a bit of a shame for window shoppers, but they've got to make a living after all! I've bought one or two small things from them: a piece of pottery for my mum (she loves it!) and a picture for me. Well worth a visit when you're in the area.

This small county museum is a real gem. The permanent collections address only the history and…read morenatural history of Buckinghamshire. The small complex of buildings in which it is housed is itself worth further investigation as it is located in the last remaining area that exudes the atmosphere of Aylesbury when it was a small but vibrant market town. Staff are very helpful and approachable (not only the attendants but curators too) If you visit, don't miss the Lenborough hoard and, for a provincial museum, the remarkable collection of modern studio ceramics (The only bit of the collection that extends its interest beyond Buckinghamshire) . Although if you have a real interest in ceramics a visit to the reserve collection at Halton might be on the cards! The museum also houses the archive of the Bucks Archaeological Society available for research on Wednesday. Special exhibitions are staged regularly and it is with anticipation that I await the Elizabeth Frink exhibition scheduled for February. Finally, the small café is the ideal place to relax for a coffee away from the plethora of coffee houses close by.

Baesd in Aylesbury town centre, it is conveniently located. There isn't any on site parking, so you…read morehave to park in one of the town's public car parks and walk through. It is not very well sign posted, so do take directions with you when you go. We took our 2 and 3 year old girls along during the holographics exhibition, and it was very good. They have plenty of things to see there, and laso run free exhibitions regularly. Our girls aren't the best behaved or quietest people in the world, but we didn't get a bad response from the staff or other visitors, despite the youngest being completely terrified of the holograms and screaming the place down. The museum was clean and airy, and well set out, and it wasn't too busy either which is nice. Don't expect it to be a whole day worth of activity, but it will keep them entertained for a couple of hours. The museum is next door to the Roald Dahl museum (not free unfortunately) which is great for kids between 5 and 11 years old ish, I wouldn't bother if they're any younger really as they won't get it.