Mordern, Free, Best Art Museums in Stanborough

"One of the world’s greatest collections covering human history, art and culture, the museum has around eight million artefacts (only a tenth are ever on display) in almost 100 galleries. I’ve been visiting the British Museum since I was a child myself, fascinated by the Egyptian galleries – and the sheer scale of items on display, the variety and the fascinating stories behind so many artefacts mean that kids are likely to be just as enthralled, whether it’s by the mummified crocodile, the Easter Island Moai or something else. This is one I’d personally avoid during the early toddler years: preschoolers are old enough to be interested, babies young enough to snooze around, but chasing after enthusiastic 18-month-olds in a gallery of priceless artefacts makes me shiver."

"London has lots of top class museums and galleries, so picking one out is difficult. The British Museum stands out from a photography perspective. That’s because of the photo you can take there juxtaposing the new modern roofing against the older buildings."

"A look at the turbulent and exciting past six decades of American history through the eyes of artists, starting with the pop art explosion right through to the present day. Date: 9th March to 18th June"

"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."

"Modern art finds its spiritual home at Tate Modern – the most popular art gallery in the world and the UK’s most-visited attraction. Unlike Tate Britain, which houses a permanent collection of historic British art, Tate Modern is all about the here and now. Everything you’ll find within the gallery is modern art, dating only as far back as 1900."

"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."

"With its bold Greek-style pillars, this museum is hard to miss if you’re in Trafalgar Square. Wander around the beautiful museum and you’ll find it’s full of incredible artists creations from many years ago. Portraits of important people in British history is the main theme in The National Gallery."

"The National Gallery is the jewel in the crown of London’s Trafalgar Square. This impressive neoclassical building houses paintings from the mid-13th century to 1900. There’s art from all over Europe here, and every period from the Italian Renaissance to the Impressionist era is well represented."

"If you’re wondering what to do in London, we suggest going to gaze at the most extensive collection of portraits in the world. With free access to over 200,000 portraits from the Tudors to the present day, you’ll see everyone from Shakespeare, Amy Winehouse to The Duchess of Cambridge, and Kate Middleton. Once you’re done working your way through the art, pop by one of the local cafés and grab a treat to eat on the steps of Trafalgar Square."

"London's National Portrait Gallery is a premiere art museum in the heart of the city. The National Portrait Gallery was the world's very first portrait gallery upon its 1856 opening. The gallery's collection focuses heavily on portraits of people who were important to Britain over the years; the gallery is less concerned with who produced the painting, but rather places its value on who the portrait is of."

"Where else but the National Portrait Gallery can you find oils of the Brontë sisters and William Shakespeare alongside black and white photographs of the Spice Girls and a mixed media portrait of J.K."

"Fine art from the 15th to 19th centuries is displayed at one of London’s loveliest small art galleries, set in the 18th-century townhouse of Sir Richard and Lady Wallace, who collected fine paintings, porcelain, artefacts and furniture over generations. See paintings by Caneletto and Rembrandt, and exhibitions on fashion, furniture, ceramics and more. Address: The Wallace Collection, Hertford House, Manchester Square, London W1U 3BNTelephone: +44 20 7563 9500Website:wallacecollection.orgEntry fee: admission is free, exhibitions cost extra"

"Set in a beautiful mansion where the wealthy Seymour family once lived, the Wallace Collection is lovely to walk around and the artworks on display are simply divine. The ensemble of lavish rooms, rich paintings, and stately statues are breathtaking, and you really do feel like you have stepped back in time. Also including fantastic pieces of china, furniture, armor, and ivory, the Wallace Collection is wonderfully presented and conveniently located in the center of London."

"Not so much a gallery as an art-filled time portal, this considerable collection of 18th and 19th century fine art and design at Hertford House is the work of Sir Richard Wallace and his ancestors. Paintings in the collection include works by Rembrandt, Fragonard, Rubens, Canaletto, Velazquez and the wonderful Laughing Cavalier by Franz Hals. Hertford House, Manchester Square, Mayfair, W1U 3BN, wallacecollection.org"

"Championing new ideas in contemporary art since 1970, the Serpentine Gallery has presented pioneering exhibitions for half a century from a wide range of emerging practitioners to the most internationally recognised artists of our time. Across two sites in London’s Kensington Gardens, this art museum presents a year-round, programme of exhibitions, architecture, education, live events and technological innovation, in the park and beyond. Which art museum will you visit next?"

"With its Serpentine Pavilion created by a different architect or designer each year, this is a gallery that has a tendency to extend its love for contemporary art outside its walls and into the surrounding park. The rolling exhibition programme always features a huge range of some of the most cutting edge names in contemporary art, showcasing work across all disciplines from video art to architecture. Kensington Gardens, Kensington, W2 3XA​, serpentinegalleries.org"

"Serpentine Pavilion 2017, Designed by Francis Kéré, Design Render, Exterior © Kéré Architecture. These two contemporary galleries are situated in the picturesque Kensington Gardens in Hyde Park. The Serpentine Gallery, opened in 1970, is in a former tea pavilion, and has shown work by such luminaries as Andy Warhol, Anish Kapoor, Wolfgang Tillmans, Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst."

"The Bankside Gallery in London was opened in 1980 by Her Majesty, the Queen. The public gallery, located near the Thames, houses the Royal Watercolour Society and Royal Society of Painter Printmakers. The gallery displays rotating exhibits focused on modern watercolours and prints."

"Kings College London only recently opened this permanent site for the Science Gallery, a dedicated space for showing contemporary artwork that explores scientific questions. Its inaugural exhibition is all about addiction, called Hooked, and previous shows in its travelling days have investigated blood, food and orifices. Think of it as looking at science through the eyes of an artist."

"Science Gallery London is an art-science-and-health inspired gallery in London. The free museum has been open since 2018 in London Bridge after a series of pop-up exhibits across London. The gallery aims to bring together scientists, artists, and communities with three themed seasons every year."

"Unless you've had your head buried in the sand for the last couple of years, you will have noticed Goose Island's takeover of the London craft beer scene. Head to their first UK bar in Shoreditch which delivers pints fresh from the brewing room and deep-pan Chicago-style pizza to soak it all up."

"For full on pub food done right, Notting Hill’s the Cow is a reliable and rambunctious pick. “Eat hearty and give the house a good name” is their motto, which is swiftly achieved from chowing down on chicken kiev, beef and Guinness pie, pate with piccalilli, and sausages and mash. More contemporary palates can slurp on platters of oysters, buratina cheese with endive and celeriac or pumpkin gnocchi with sage butter."

"Darlish, the Persian ice cream specialists, set up shop under the gaze of St Albans’ medieval Clock Tower in spring 2018, bursting onto the scene with a clever seasonal special – hot cross bun ice-cream sandwiches. All the ice cream is made by hand in St Albans, and it sits in creamy mounds under silver domes on the countertop. On the wall behind, blackboards spell out the day’s flavours: try floral orange blossom studded with pistachios and apricot, aromatic coconut and cardamom, or sweet cream and sour cherry."

"Why: Don’t let the name on the door fool you, Paul A Young may be a master chocolatier, but he also sells ice cream at his trio of upmarket boutiques across the capital. Scoops here are provided by Hackney Gelato, while chocolatey toppings are naturally left to Young and his team. Complete your ice cream by showering it with the likes of cocoa nibs, dark chocolate pearls and hot chocolate sauce, or just go all out and ask for all of the toppings at once (we won’t judge)."

"Shopping Specialist food and drink Angel. Chocolatier Paul A Young takes the sweet stuff seriously, so when he decided to start selling ice cream in his gorgeous boutiques on Islington’s Camden Passage and at the Royal Exchange in Bank, he called in the experts. East London’s gelato wizards Hackney Gelato make three flavours for him, using the same top-notch ingredients that go into the truffles."

"Address: 33 Camden Passage, The Angel, London N1 8EA and 143 Wardour Street, Soho, London W1F 8WA and 20 The Royal Exchange, Threadneedle Street, London EC3V 3LP. For all you chocoholics (and really, who isn't) this top chocolatier is the place to go for your chocolate ice cream hit. Okay, so there's not a huge range of flavours and crazy toppings, but you know what you're getting and you know it's going to be top quality."

"As one of the “OGs” in the matcha scene in London, Tsujiri is most certainly a reliable pick for matcha. They are a matcha dessert tea house so they definitely take their matcha very seriously!. My favourite include the likes of Matcha Soft Serve Ice Cream and Matcha Basque Cheesecake, both lusciously velvety and simply sensational."

"TSUJIRI is a dessert tea house that specialises in everything matcha. Yep, if you’re not a fan of that finely ground fluorescent green tea powder then you’re probably not going to be a huge fan of TSUJIRI. If you’re mad for the stuff, though, you’re in luck."

"Chinatown’s Tsujiri has been mainly about the oh-so-instagrammable matcha soft serves. But they do tubs of their matcha, sesame and black sesame ice cream to have at home too. Delivery: Same day delivery through Slerp"