Best Museums in Dale Park

"4,700,000 visitors went to Tate Modern in 2015, an enormous gallery on the edge of the River Thames in a converted power station. The awe-inspiring Turbine Hall (which has hosted works by Anish Kapoor, Rachel Whiteread and Ai Weiwei) leads to mutiple floor of contemporary art, with eight areas divided into different themes. As well as the art, there are events and screenings, a fantastic bookshop, and a restaurant and cafe, the latter with a fabulous balcony view over the city."

"The former Bankside Power Station was selected as the new gallery site in 1994. The original building, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, was constructed in two phases between 1947 and 1963. Swiss architects Herzog & De Meuron were commissioned to convert the building into a gallery, making use of the power station’s iconic oil tanks."

"If you’re into contemporary art then Tate Modern is the place to come and the Switch House galleries are well worth a look. Best shot: from the viewing terrace on the top floor of Switch House. The views of the River Thames and the Northbank are spectacular."

"Overlooking the hubbub of Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery houses an impressive art collection spanning from the mid-13th century to the 20th, with more than 2,300 works range from the early Renaissance through to Old Masters and important examples of Impressionism. Highlights include Jan van Eyck’s The Arnolfini Portrait, Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Diego Veláquez’s The Rokeby Venus, and JMW Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire. There are more than 2,300 works of art in The National Gallery|Courtesy of the National Gallery, London"

"Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Turner, Renoir and Van Gogh—a roll call of Western European masters await you at London’s National Gallery. Boasting more than 2,000 paintings from the 13th to the 19th century, the overwhelming collection is yours to discover free of charge. And if you’re hungry for more art, stop by the National Portrait Gallery next door."

"The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square is one of the most famous attractions in London. It houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dated from the mid-13th century to 1900. If you’re an art lover, it’s a must-visit."

"On the site of the former Millbank Penitentiary, the older and more venerable of the two Tate siblings opened in 1892 and celebrates British art from 1500 to the present, including pieces from William Blake, William Hogarth, Thomas Gainsborough and John Constable, as well as vibrant modern and contemporary pieces from Lucian Freud, Barbara Hepworth, Francis Bacon and Henry Moore. The stars of the show are, undoubtedly, the light-infused visions of JMW Turner in the Clore Gallery."

"Located in Millbank, The Tate Britain is another of the best free museums in London. The Tate Modern might be the cool new kid on the block, but personally I prefer its more austere sister museum further downriver, the Tate Britain. The museum opened in 1897 and has been welcoming visitors to admire a huge collection of British art from the Tudor times onwards since."

"Tate Britain holds the most extensive collection of British art in the world from 1500 to the present day. Don’t miss this free museum in London. You can witness fantastic modern and contemporary art."

"London’s West End is pretty good for celeb spotting, but the easiest place to do it is probably at the National Portrait Gallery. It’s home to kings, queens, cultural juggernauts and sporting heroes – all in portrait form, of course – with a collection spanning over five hundred years of painting history. You can find Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn in the Tudor galleries, Mary Jane Seacole and the Bronte sisters in the Victorian galleries, right up to Amy Winehouse and the Queen in the contemporary galleries."

"National Portrait Gallery / Self-Portrait As A Soldier By Ludwig Kirchner. Before there were selfies, you basically had to hire someone to paint you in order for your face to be immortalised for all to see. Next door to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, the National Portrait Gallery houses a collection of portraits of historically famous British people."

"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."

"This excellent branch of the Victoria & Albert Museum displays one of the best collections of childhood-related objects in the world. Kids are fascinated by the immense number of dolls, dolls’ houses through the ages, vintage board games, construction toys (Lego, Meccano), battery-powered robots and favourite toys from the 20th century, decade by decade. Action figures, teddy bears, puppets, magic lanterns and MicroMachines are among the highlights here."

"The V&A Museum of Childhood, part of the Victoria & Albert Museum, is a London museum dedicated to housing collections by and for children. The museum's collection includes costumes, toys, and objects dedicated to celebrating childhood. In addition to its permanent collection, the V&A Museum of Childhood regularly hosts temporary exhibits."

"Technically a part of the V&A, the Museum of Childhood has gained an excellent reputation as one of the best free things to do in London. With a collection of toys spanning centuries, the museum is the perfect day out for kids, while adults will also surely find something to wake their nostalgia. Museum of Childhood © Flickr Andrea Vail"

"It is home to Kirkaldy's giant testing machine that clocks in at more than 47 feet long, along with other smaller, modern pieces of equipment. The Kirkaldy Machine is kept in working condition at the museum. The museum is available to the public on the first Sunday of each month."

"The Jack the Ripper Museum is devoted to one of London's most notorious and terrorizing serial killers. The museum recreates the setting in which the unsolved Jack the Ripper murders took place in 1888. The collection has original objects related to the crimes."

"Known as the place angsty teenagers, punks and creatives go to hang out, Camden Market is a must-visit in London if you want to experience an energetic and engaging counterculture. Made up of a number of adjoining markets, you’ll be able to find iconic band t-shirts, sterling silver jewellery, tattoo parlours and bespoke boutiques selling 1950s clothing and serious rock and roll attire. Camden Lock is the place to go for eating, with a huge range of street food stalls selling cuisine from all corners of the globe."

"Camden Town is home to a series of markets, encompassing an astonishingly eclectic array of goods to suit all tastes. Pick up some vintage clothes, handmade jewellery, music, or bric-a-brac. The market around Camden Lock features designers and artists, with a selection of international food vendors, too."

"Londoners love fish and Billingsgate Market is the best place to eat it or buy it for cooking at home for family and friends. Prawns, cod, octopus, crab, haddock, eels, anchovies, squid, shark, salmon, sardines – the list is endless. Fish market vendors are experts in how to catch, farm, store and cook fish, and serve it up to you in a restaurant too."

"The Photographers’ Gallery at 16-18 Ramillies Street 2012/Kate Elliott, Courtesy of The Photographers’ Gallery. If you’re looking for some cultural respite from the retail cacophony on Oxford Street, it doesn’t get much better than a trip to the Photographers’ Gallery. If you’re a dab hand with the ‘gram, then a trip to the biggest gallery in the UK dedicated to photography is highly recommended with exhibitions showcasing contemporary developments and explorations of the medium’s past."

"The Photographers’ Gallery was founded in London by Sue Davies opening on 14 January 1971, as the first public gallery in the United Kingdom devoted solely to photography in a converted Tea Bar in London’s Covent Garden. In 1980 the gallery extended to a neighboring building."

"You’ll find this neighbourhood spot on the corner of Merton Hall Road, and if the ceiling to floor glass windows and sleek tables don’t pique your interest, then a glance at their crunchy salmon roll should do the trick. This spot has options for everyone, from gyoza and pumpkin teriyaki udon to sashimi and nigiri. The sushi rolls are great, especially the urumaki, and with things like crispy prawn tempura and spider rolls, their huge menu has lots to choose from."

"Normally we only feature restaurants on this list if they've opened - but Ave Mario (from the people behind Gloria and Circolo Poplare) has been quietly soft launching for a couple of weeks (Instagram is filled with pics of the neon lit loos) and we've also checked it out. It will be huge, much like the enormous ice cream cake that they wheel about the room. New additions to the menu include a caviar section, massive cocktails and a veal milanese that's twice as big as your head."