Mordern, Free, Best Art Museums in Lesnes Abbey

"One of the biggest, busiest and most popular museums in the United Kingdom, the British Museum is astounding to visit and is home to one of the largest collections in the world. With huge galleries that house artifacts from around the globe, one could spend months in the museum and still not see everything. There are over eight million items on show; visitors will pass sarcophaguses and statues, ancient texts, art and armor, as well as jewelry, coins and more on their voyage of discovery around the museum."

"When the British Museum was opened in 1759 it was the first free to enter national museum to be open to the public anywhere in the world. The first exhibits consisted of the collection of physician and naturalist Sir Hans Sloane – ancient coins and medals, books and natural remains. Over the centuries it has become home to the most significant finds made by British explorers, like the Rosetta Stone from Ancient Egypt and the Parthenon sculpture from the Acropolis in Athens."

"See two million years of human history at the British Museum. From Egyptian mummies to samurai armour and the Sutton Hoo helmet, there’s something for everyone."

"Named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, the V&A wears the crown as the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design. Its priceless collection includes sculptures, paintings, ceramics, fashion, drawings, and books from ancient times to present day. Like most of London’s museums, admission to the Victoria and Albert is free."

"One of the greatest art and design museums in the world, the V&A contains some of the best examples of Renaissance works of art and most precious jewel collections surviving in the world today."

"One of London's most amazing attractions, this outstanding modern- and contemporary-art gallery is housed in the creatively revamped Bankside Power Station south of the Millennium Bridge. A spellbinding synthesis of modern art and capacious industrial brick design, Tate Modern has been extraordinarily successful in bringing challenging work to the masses, both through its free permanent collection and fee-paying big-name temporary exhibitions. The stunning Blavatnik Building opened in 2016, increasing the available exhibition space by 60%."

"Tate Modern has been one of the top London attractions since its opening in 2000. It houses the Tate’s contemporary art collection in one of the most outstanding exhibition spaces in the world, the former Bankside Power Station. It’s also occasionally used as a concert venue, such as when German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk performed a series of shows there."

"Sitting grandly on the banks of the Thames is Tate Modern, Britain's national museum of modern and contemporary art. Its unique shape is due to it previously being a power station. The gallery's restaurants offer fabulous views across the city."

"1824: The première of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9; the Egyptians capture Crete; ‘New Holland’ becomes ‘Australia’; some government guys in Britain bought 38 paintings. Now: Beethoven’s no longer in the charts, Australia still has an identity crisis, and The National Gallery has over 2,300 works tracing the complete development of Western European painting from virtually every European school of art."

"Home to more than 2,000 paintings from the Middle Ages through to the 20th Century, the National Gallery is another museum that’s free to enter. The gallery is open daily between 11am and 6pm, and booking is required in order to limit numbers in the building. Booking can only be done online and in advance."

"The National Gallery is my personal favourite gallery in the world. You’ll find some of Europe’s greatest masterpieces here, from Van Gogh, to Monet, to Rembrandt. I still remember being brought to tears by the doleful beauty of Turner’s Margate (?) from the Sea."

"Founded by sugar merchant Sir Henry Tate – who also founded the other Tate galleries – the Tate Britain is a wonderful museum to visit, with lots of fantastic British artwork on show. With a huge catalog of work from contemporary times all the way back to the 1500’s, the Tate Britain’s masterpieces include works by William Blake, Francis Bacon, and J.M.W. Turner, among others. Housed on the banks of the Thames, wandering around the exhibitions and galleries is a lovely way to spend the day."

"First opened in 1897, and funded by the sugar magnate Sir Henry Tate, this stately neoclassical institution may not be as ambitious as…"

"While the Tate Modern focuses on more recent art, Tate Britain is all about the past with a big collection of historical British art."

"The University College London Art Museum houses a collection that goes back to 1847. The collection began when artist John Flaxman offered his sculpture models and drawing to the university. Now, there are more than 10,000 objects in the collection, to include etchings by Rembrandt."

"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."

"The Royal Academy of Arts is the first art institution in England. It was established in 1768 and since 1868 it has been based in Burlington House on Piccadilly. In 1998 it expanded to the Burlington Gardens building."

"At the peak of The Shard, British cooking is elevated by Chinese flavours and French technique|© The Shard. Head up to the 35th floor of The Shard to Ting Restaurant – an elegant European-style restaurant with just a touch of Asian influence. Tucked into the Shangri-La Hotel, Ting – named after the Mandarin word for ‘living room’ – deploys flavours such as Chinese five spice, shiso and soy to robust staples of British cooking like pork belly and suckling pig, making for a meal that’s equal parts smart and satisfying."

"Ting Restaurant is part of the Shangri-La Hotel in The Shard and offers perhaps the most Instagrammable afternoon tea in London. Set on the 35th floor of The Shard it provides phenomenal views over London which are Insta-worthy enough by themselves. However, then add to it the cutest afternoon tea set up and you’ve got everything you need for that perfect, quintessentially London photo!"

"Despite its effortlessly stylish setting, Yauatcha makes fine dining thoroughly accessible, with reasonable prices for Michelin star quality food. A celebration of Cantonese cuisine, dim sum makes up the restaurant’s main offering and is served throughout the day, though they have a number of different menu options tailored to several price points. For those looking for something a little more luxe, we recommend treating yourself to their Harmony menu which includes two dim sum, an appetiser, a wok dish, a side and dessert per person."

"The City outpost of Cantonese-European-patisserie-mash-up Yauatcha is now offering home delivery. Choose from everything from steamed dim sum, open-topped scallop shui mai dumplings, venison puffs and crispy duck rolls to sweet and sour pork and Singapore vermicelli noodles. For the first time ever, the restaurant is also offering Taiwanese pineapple pastries – the sweet buttery cake, which has caramelised pineapple at its centre, is said to hold the key to prosperity and good fortune."

"Dim sum al fresco is just one of those things that we can't resist. And it's even harder to now that the Soho and City branches of Yauatcha open. But we don't care, because venison puffs and scallop shui mai make us happy – especially when they're washed down with a Rose Fortune cocktail."

"Restaurants Contemporary European King’s Road. You can sit inside the Saatchi Gallery’s delightful brasserie surrounded by modern art, but on sunny days you can’t beat a seat in the museum’s equally well-curated grounds, with their first-come, first-served tables overlooking the green expanses of Duke of York’s Square. The menu is full of crowdpleasers (crisp plaice and chips, burgers) and it’s equally enticing for a sparkling sundowner come Pimm’s o’clock."

"32-34 Hans Crescent, Knightsbridge, London SW1X Why should you care?. This is the second Crazy Pizza to hit London, coming from ex-Formula One boss, Flavio Briatore. Expect similar pizzas to the original, just around the corner from Harrods."

"Restaurants Oyster bars South Kensington. After gazing at the fossilised fish and piscine rarities in the Natural History Museum, your kids can sample the real thing at this branch of the Wright Brothers’ seafood chain. Slurping fresh oysters straight from the shell is probably not a good idea for the little ones, although fail-safes such as smoked haddock croquettes or good old fish pie should keep them happy."