Mordern, Free, Best Art Museums in Woodford

"The British Museum is one of London's top attractions, and absolutely free. It is bursting at the seams with enthralling artefacts from all over the world, from Egyptian mummies to samurai armour and Anglo-Saxon burial treasures to the Rosetta Stone. Remarkably, the 80,000 objects on display at any one time only make up 1% of the eight million objects in the museum’s possession."

"The British Museum is one of London's top attractions, and absolutely free. It is bursting at the seams with enthralling artifacts from all over the world, from Egyptian mummies to samurai armor and Anglo-Saxon burial treasures to the Rosetta Stone. Remarkably, the 80,000 objects on display at any one time only make up 1% of the eight million objects in the museum’s possession."

"South Kensington’s V&A is one of the world’s largest art and design museums, and it's arguably London’s most glamorous. (Just the building itself is well worth the visit: a glorious red-brick palace filled with sculptural details, extravagant tiling, and frescos.) The collection is helpfully broken down into topics—fashion, theatre, furniture, architecture—and all are comprehensive, usually spanning several hundred (if not thousand) years. Don’t expect to tackle more than one or two galleries per visit, and do check out the seasonal exhibition."

"One of my favourit museum in London, the Victoria & Albert Museum is filled with an extensive collection of items relating to decorative arts and design. From beautiful sculpture galleries to elaborate costumes, Islamic art pieces, and temporary exhibits, every corner is filled with delights. It’s all very stimulating and you’ll leave with countless photos."

"In the trinity of London museums, up next comes the Victoria & Albert Museum. Also located in South Kensington, just across the street from the Natural History and Science Museums, you will find the V&A. This museum couldn’t be more different from the first two on this list."

"Another gem by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, Bankside B power station was a beacon of modernity when it was constructed in the 1940s as the first oil-fired power station in Britain. The imposing chimney, its defining feature, was restricted to a height of 99m (325ft) so as not to outdo its illustrious neighbour opposite, St Paul’s. After shutting in the 1980s, the power station was resurrected by the relatively unknown Herzog & de Meuron, who won a competition to transform its crumbling shell into the new Tate Modern, which opened in May 2000."

"As entwined with the art world as paint, no list of London galleries would be complete without one incarnation of the Tate. Without a doubt the art giant of London, the Tate Modern is home to all things contemporary and unique and always worth a visit. “When my daughter Coco was born, we visited Tate Modern 11 times in her first 6 months!"

"Tate Modern is one of the world’s most prominent museums for modern art. It’s situated across the Thames from St. Paul’s Cathedral, inside a converted power station. Aside from a 360 degree viewpoint, it offers great architectural design inside."

"With more than 2300 European masterpieces in its collection, this is one of the world's great galleries, with seminal works from the 13th to the mid-20th century, including masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, Vincent van Gogh and Auguste Renoir. Many visitors flock to the eastern rooms on the main floor (1700–1930), where works by British artists such as Thomas Gainsborough, John Constable and JMW Turner, and Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces by Van Gogh, Renoir and Claude Monet await."

"Set in London’s busiest open space, Trafalgar Square, this is the grandmother of galleries with more than 2,300 paintings spanning the 13th to the 19th centuries: Heavyweights include Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Velazquez's Rokeby Venus, and Constable’s six-foot long The Hay Wain. It gets packed at weekends, but its so large that you can usually find a quiet corner. You can download an audio tour covering the museum's highlights, but you can also curate your own by selecting the paintings you want to see before you arrive."

"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."

"Tate Britain, which opened its doors in 1897, has a quite incredible collection of art on display in its beautiful riverside building, including paintings by William Blake, John Constable, Whistler and Millais (his iconic painting of Ophelia). It also has the largest number of Turner paintings in the world. A truly wonderful location, and a really first class selection If you want to visit both Tates on the same day, you can take a boat ride from one museum to the other, a much recommended trip in itself."

"Sister gallery to the Tate Modern is the Tate Britain, a bastion of British art. Sporting old-world marble floors, spiral staircases, and Grecian columns, the Tate Britain is a veritable temple of British art from 1500 to today. Get swept away by the world’s largest collection of stormy and atmospheric Turner oil paintings and a considerable assemblage of the most ethereal and romantic Pre-Raphaelite portraits of mythical and literary characters."

"Over in Westminster, Tate Britain focuses on British art from 1500 to the present day. It has everything from historic portraits to impressive sculptures on display. Tate Britain is a great place to get a feel for the UK’s domestic art scene and how it’s evolved over time."

"This historic warship, operated today by Imperial War Museums, will definitely be of interest to military buffs, or anyone with even a slight interest in boats. Launched just before the outbreak of World War 2, this Royal Navy Light Cruiser saw action in both World War 2 and the Korean War, before being decommissioned in 1963."

"This historic warship, operated today by Imperial War Museums, will definitely be of interest to military buffs, or anyone with an interest in boats. Launched just before the outbreak of World War 2, this Royal Navy Light Cruiser saw action in both World War 2 and the Korean War, before being decommissioned in 1963."

"Despite its name, the cultural venue formerly known as the Imperial War Museum (one of five IWM branches around the country) does not…"

"There’s no permanent exhibition at the Serpentine, and the gallery shows just one exhibit at a time, usually by one contemporary artist. This focus means that visits here are far less frantic than at most museums, and with its location in the middle of Kensington Gardens, it’s the perfect gallery for those who might not typically be into galleries. Gareth Gardner/Sir John Soane’s Museum"

"Small but perfectly formed, the Serpentine Galleries sit in the middle of Hyde Park. The galleries' free exhibitions showcase international modern and contemporary art by world-famous artists such as Andy Warhol and Chris Ofili. In summer, don't miss the annual architectural pavilion commission."

"Some of the notable places to see or visit include the Serpentine Gallery, Serpentine Sackler Gallery, the Princess Diana Memorial, Peter Pan statue, the Elfin Oak, and the ornate Albert Memorial. An easy place to spend an hour or two."

"The House of Dreams Museum is the vision of London art director Steven Wright, who has lived in the East Dulwich home since 1982. He began to turn it into a museum in the late 90s. It serves as a shrine to his dead parents and partner."

"Katharina Grosse, 'This Drove my Mother up the Wall', 2017|© Andy Keate. Known for its cutting-edge exhibitions, installations and live art and film events, SLG, which dates back to the 19th century, showcases established British and international figures, as well as emerging artists. In 2016, Gabriel Orozco redesigned the gallery’s rear garden, and in September 2018, SLG expanded across the road into the Fire Station, a converted Grade II-listed Victorian building that provided additional galleries, education rooms, a community kitchen and an archive space."

"What we love about South London Gallery (SLG), a contemporary yet historic art space in Peckham, is that it endeavours to ‘bring art to the people of South London’. Not only does it do this by showing work from never-before-exhibited artists; it hosts educational and immersive art workshops for young people and adults too. Although the gallery is based in its original Peckham Road building, SLG has spread its wings into the old Peckham fire station, and Sceaux Gardens estate, a local artist-designed garden called Art Block for families to enjoy."

"This area of South London is its very own artistic hub, home to colleges, galleries and numerous artists and studios. The South London Gallery, in a superb Victorian building between Peckham and Camberwell, opened in 1891, and its mission was to bring art to the people, as it still does to this day. As well as changing exhibitions of contemporary art, there is a great cafe that serves Peckham’s best coffee, and an beautiful garden designed by Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco, with support from horticulturists at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew."

"Cardinal Place is a state of the art shopping heaven located in Central London. The central location of the mall attracts several tourists. It is situated next to Victoria station and very close to the famous Westminister Cathedral."

"A post shared by Angel Central (@angel_central) on Mar 5, 2016 at 5:33am PST. Angel Central, formerly known as the N1 Shopping Centre, offers shopping, dining, and entertainment in Islington. Located just off the hip Upper Street, Angel Central’s trademark is the giant set of metallic wings that hover over the shopping mall, making for an excellent selfie location!"

"Find vendors from across London selling unique finds in Eccleston Yards every Sunday, just around the corner from Victoria Station. Pick up illustrated children’s books, handmade candles, stunning ceramics, bespoke jewellery and more. Fuel your shopping spree with food from the variety of traders each week."

"The first thing to be said about this homely, two-room East Sheen venue is that, although it is vegetarian, it uses some cheeses with animal rennet, including Parmesan — chef-proprietor Emerson Amélio de Oliveira strongly believes these have a superior flavour. That said, the eco-friendly venue, with sustainability at its heart, has by far the most inventive vegetarian menu in London. Oliveira comes from a Brazilian-Italian background; and this is reflected in dishes such as hand-made pastas and risottos, alongside the use of Amazonian fruit and veg."

"An Instagrammer's dream spot (and popular with the Made in Chelsea crew too) the Ivy Group brought in an award-winning designer to create the space at their King's Road restaurant. There's a covered upper terrace and a cosy firepit when the weather's not all that, but really it's just an evergreen dream out here."

"Kings Road is one of London's most famous shopping streets and also home to the Ivy Chelsea Garden. The restaurant has a relaxed feel, along with a terrace and a garden, so they ar..."

"Next on our list of the best desserts in London, it’s The Ivy. Are you looking for decadence?. Then you need to visit The Ivy Chelsea Garden."

"We have London-based designer Martin Brudnizki to thank for the interior dream that is Annabel’s. The iconic members club re-opened in 2019 following a revamp, with a glitzy new design theme which draws on surrealism and eccentricity – Brudnizki describes it as ‘like falling down the rabbit hole.’ Vying with Sketch for the award of London’s most beautiful bathroom is the rose-hued pink powder room, complete with floral wallpaper, pink onyx shell shaped sinks with gold swan taps and a pink silk rose ceiling. Elsewhere, a bespoke chandelier installation festooned with unicorn and monkeys swoops through several floors."

"Founded in 1963, Annabel’s is arguably one of the most elegant private clubs in London. Its guests have included royalty, Frank Sinatra, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Elizabeth Taylor and Leonardo DiCaprio. It’s notoriously difficult to get membership with new members requiring a proposer, a seconder and an election by Committee – you’re not just walking in."