Best Arts and Culture Places in Nine Elms

"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."

"The mummies in the Ancient Egypt section are a particular favourite. There’s so much to explore whether you’re into the Aztecs and the Incas, the Vikings or Ancient Greece. It’s best to pick just one area to visit each time you go or it’s just too much to take in."

"Spend hours wandering the world-famous British Museum, which exhibits the works of man from prehistoric to modern times, collected from around the world. Don't miss the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon sculptures and the mummies in the Ancient Egypt collection."

"Lovers of culture should head to Exhibition Road, home to some of London’s best museums and galleries. There you will find the remarkable Victoria and Albert Museum, which offers free general admission, talks and tours. The foundation stone of the current V&A building was laid in 1899 by Queen Victoria, and the stunning building houses thousands of art and design objects from a wide range of periods, including Art Deco, Medieval, Renaissance and Surrealism."

"Over in South Kensington, the V&A is another of the best museums in London. Dedicated to all things aesthetic, it’s the world’s largest museum of applied and decorative arts and design. Walking through the V&A is a treat for the eyes."

"The second most popular tourist attraction in the UK, Tate Modern, is a striking London structure. Originally a Power Station, Tate Modern opened in May 2000 as a home to international modern and contemporary art. Displays in Tate Modern cover themes such as Transformed Visions and Poetry and Dream, and give visitors the opportunity to see works of art such as Pablo Picasso's 'Weeping Woman,' 'Metamorphosis of Narcissus' by Salvador Dalí, and 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' by Dorothea Tanning."

"Another great one for name-dropping, but also for keeping your finger on the pulse. Tate Modern showcases work from 1900 onwards, which means modernist pioneers mix with work that’s happening right now. The addition of the Herzog de Meuron-designed building has made it both bigger and better, but the grand old Turbine Hall still has the power to strike awe into visitors, particularly when hosting one of its signature epic installations."

"London’s best contemporary art gallery has plenty of interactive activities for kids. It’s inside the former Bankside Power Station and younger kids can run around the vast Turbine Hall. Kids aged 3 and older can sketch their own masterpieces at the Bloomberg digital drawing bar and then have their art projected onto the gallery’s walls."

"At almost 200 years old, not only does the UK’s most-visited gallery hold one of the most valuable European art collections in the world, The National Gallery also holds a position as one of London’s most treasured pieces of architecture. Priceless artworks, like ‘Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers’ by Van Gogh and ‘Virgin of the Rocks’ by di Vinci, are surrounded by impressive marble pillars, golf-leaf arches, frescoed ceilings, and Victorian glass roofing. With over 2,300 paintings dating from the 13th to the 19th century, it is an eden for history buffs and art enthusiasts alike."

"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 one of the UK’s most important art museums which contains over 2,300 works dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. With many famous works by artists including Michelangelo, Velázquez, Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh and others housed inside a Grade I listed Neoclassical building on the northern edge of Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery is certainly one of the most impressive free galleries London has to offer. Nearest tube station: Charing Cross."

"The greatest city in the world deserves its own museum, and that’s exactly what the Museum of London provides!. Set somewhat incongruously in the middle of a brutalist roundabout, exhibits here cover everything from the city’s ancient past as a Roman settlement right up to the present day, featuring both the 2012 Olympic cauldron…  to a congealed lump of sewer blockage from our city’s great nemesis, the Fatberg. A planned move to the site of the old Smithfield meat market is expected to occur in the coming years, but they’re still at London Wall for now."

"The Museum of London has free interactive galleries exploring the history of London from when the Romans lived there. Toddlers can navigate their way around the museum using the Under 5s Explorer Backpacks filled with games, toys and puzzles to use in the galleries. The museum also has free monthly Baby and Toddler sessions with fun, stimulating activities for them to play and learn."

"The Museum of London documents the history of the British capital from prehistoric times to the modern-day. Primarily concerned with the social history of the city and its residents, the Museum of London is the largest urban history collection in the world. Nearest tube station: Barbican and St Pauls."

"Set up in 2008, Of Cabbages and Kings is laid out retro and funky, like a 1950s American kitchen. It’s a gift shop that sells fine art and arts and crafts products. Named after a line in a Lewis Carroll poem (hence the weird name), the interior is as wonderful and quirky as the name suggests."

"The Cinema Museum in London was founded in the 1980s by Ronald Grant and Martin Humphries. Grant and Humphries filled the museum with objects from their private collection of cinema memorabilia. The museum is housed in the workhouse where Charlie Chaplin lived during his childhood."

"London’s Cinema Museum is devoted to keeping alive the spirit of cinema from the days before the multiplex. Admission is only via joining one of their regular guided tours, which costs £10."

"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."

"Meantime was born & bred in a Greenwich flat over twenty years ago and they’re still crafting beer from alongside the River Thames but in a much swankier tap room. Their first brew, the Union Lager, hit the taps back in 2000 and us Londoners still can’t get enough of it. Since then they’ve introduced us to the likes of tropical IPAs; lively ales that fuse British and German malts; a modern lager straight from London’s back garden; and not forgetting the cheeky Chocolate Porter too, but you’ll always find us raising a bottle of the signature London Pale Ale."

"It is known as the location of the prime meridian and gave its name to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and sits first on the meridian line. The observatory is now maintained as a museum and visitors can learn about the history and discoveries at the observatory, stand on the famous Meridian line, visit Flamsteed House, see a camera obscura, and see the great equatorial telescope. Admission includes an audioguide to make the most of your self-guided visit."

"Located in Greenwich, the Meantime Brewing Company has the mission of demonstrating the full flavour potential that beer has to offer. The commercial brewing house was founded by world-class brewer Alastair Hook, who in 1999 started to invest in it from his flat. The first brew package was made in April 2000, and the first beer brand was called Union, a Vienna-style dark lager."

"24 taps mean a lot of diversity for this tap room-cum-blendery. With worldwide beers all lovingly crafted within the oak barrels behind the bar, the Barrel Project is one for those who want an almost overwhelming amount of choice when it comes to picking their drink of the evening. Guests at Hotels in Paddington Hyde Park won’t want to miss the amazing array of internationally brewed beers, giving everything from Big Milk Stouts to the Sour Solistice IPA."

"Situated along the popular Bermondsey Beer Mile, The Barrel Project is a cool taproom housed underneath an archway. Not only does it contain around 200 oak casks, but it's also got 24 taps of house-aged and international brews."

"Breakfast Clubs are gradually spreading across London, and for good reason!. The clue’s in the name… these guys serve breakfast all day long and high on most customer’s lists are their tasty savoury and sweet American-style pancakes. With a range of options, you can top your pancakes with The All American: eggs, sausage, home-style fried potatoes, streaky bacon and maple syrup, or treat your sweet tooth with fresh berries and vanilla ice cream."

"Restaurants Diners Spitalfields. Available to order online. Breakfast naturally takes centre stage at this cluttered, ersatz homage to John Hughes’s cult ‘youth’ movie, although this Club runs right through from brunch to dinner, with pancakes rolled out and stacked up in mind-boggling quantities."

"So, is there any surprise why there's usually a queue outside its venues on a daily basis?. We think not but, rest assured, its food is worth the wait. The institution's pancakes come pilled high, fluffy and pretty damn perfect."

"Situated in North London, Highgate Wood is one of the four ancient woods of the London Borough of Haringey (together with Queen’s Wood, Coldfall Wood and Bluebell Wood). Containing an impressive variety of trees and shrub species, the Highgate Wood is the home for many foxes, grey squirrels, as well as multiple species of birds, bats, butterflies and spiders. Besides the fact that it was included among the eight Green Heritage Sites in London, Highgate Wood also attracts visitors with its recreational facilities like children playgrounds, cafés, walking trails and sporting fields."

"On the other side of the rose pergola from the Agius Evolution Garden, you’ll find the Kitchen Garden where Kew Gardens grow edible plants to learn more about producing healthy and sustainable food. I love bringing the kids here during the summer to see the various crops, and in the autumn to see the pumpkin patch. Keep an eye out for their Kitchen Garden sales, where they sell fruits and vegetables from the garden from May to September."

"The Kitchen Garden is a vegetable garden with fruits and vegetables, and can be seen growing different products in all seasons. Vegetables are selected for maximum flavor and to provide mature products in all seasons. There you find asparagus, potatoes, peas, spinach, strawberries, carrot varieties (including purple and yellow), gooseberries, garlic, beans and many other foods."