Museums of London History tends to stalk one in every corner of London. And museums abound all over the capital. And while not exactly a museum as such, the favourite ‘first’ on most tourists’ ‘museum sightseeing sites itinerary’is inevitably the world renowned Tower of London.



In fact, tourists tend to flock to the Tower of London. And perhaps there is something to be said for ‘safety in numbers’ for the Tower of London is definitely regarded as a somewhat sinister edifice – generally associated with torture and execution……. But it also holds a fatal fascination for all visitors to London. And few tourists would consider leaving the capital without viewing its remarkable precincts.

Furthermore, it’s claimed that the Tower of London has been a ‘tourist attraction’ since the reign of Charles II, when, in the late seventeenth century the Crown Jewels and a collection of armour were put on display for members of the public to view. The Tower of London itself has been in existence for more than 900 years, and its oldest building is the White Tower, which was completed in 1097, and, being 90 feet high, was regarded as London’s tallest building.

Four towers in all form part of the Tower of London – the other three being Beachamp Tower, Wakefield Tower, and the Bloody Tower – the latter being associated with ‘The Princes in the Tower’, the young sons of Edward IV who were put in the Tower following their father’s death by their uncle, and who were believed to have been murdered there. Their uncle was crowned Richard III – only to be overthrown by Henry VII. But it was not until 1674 that the skeletons of two children were discovered in the vicinity.

Death is widely associated with the Tower of London. Those who were brought to the Tower, rarely re-emerged alive. And many who were incarcerated there were tortured prior to being executed.

An area known as Tower Hill was the scene of hundreds of violent public executions, while Tower Green, set within the confines of the edifice was the place of execution for a select few, which included two of Henry VIII’s wives, namely Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. It’s claimed that only seven people in all were executed on Tower Green.

Other famous figures who have been executed at the Tower of London include Lady Jane Grey and Thomas Moore. Many of the prisoners who were doomed to die were brought to the Tower along the River Thames by boat, and entered the precincts by a side entrance known as Traitors’ Gate. But not all is ‘doom and gloom’ within the confines of the Tower of London. Particularly popular with tourists is The Jewel House, where the Crown Jewels and other stunning exhibits are still on display.

The Crown Jewels are said to comprise ‘the regalia of crowns, sceptres, orbs and swords used at coronations and other state occasions’. A total of 10 crowns are claimed to be on display in the Jewel House – the Imperial State Crown being of particular interest since it is in constant use, and is worn by the Queen at the Opening of Parliament. And it’s said to contain more than 2,800 diamonds, 273 pearls and several other gems.

Also a popular ‘must-see’ destination within the confines of The Tower is the ‘Chapel of St. John’, described as an ‘austerely beautiful Romanesque Chapel’, and created from stone brought from France The Tower is guarded by 36 Yeoman Warders, who live within its confines and who are referred to a ‘Beefeaters’.

The Tower does have some other ‘regular residents’ too – and they take the form of a ‘colony of seven black ravens’. And they are cared for by one of the Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters), who is referred to as ‘The Revenmaster’ And legend has it that if these ravens were to desert The Tower, the kingdom would fall…….. While Madame Tussaud’s does not exactly constitute a museum, the lifelike waxwork famous figures that are on display make fascinating viewing, be they historical heroes or modern day icons.

It’s said that Madame Tussaud began her wax-modelling career by taking ‘death masks’ of many of the victims of the French Revolution. And it was in 1835 that she staged an exhibition of her work in Baker Street – within close proximity of the present day site of the ‘Madame Tussaud’s Gallery’. And the same traditional wax-modelling techniques are apparently still being used to recreate the ‘present day’ famous people that are on display!

Madame Tussaud’s ‘Chamber of Horrors’ is one of the most ‘spine chilling’ exhibitions in the capital – with many gruesome episodes and evil murderers from the past seemingly having been re-incarnated to the present! My main recollection on entering the ‘Chamber of Horrors’ was finding myself ‘face to face’ with a very realistic – and manic looking – Adolf Hitler!

The British Museum, which is located in Bloomsbury, is said to be the oldest public museum in the world. It was initially established in 1753, and its architectural highlight is considered to be its modern ‘Great Court’, created at a cost of £100m. and officially opened to coincide with the Millennium. The British Museum is said to have ‘an immense hoard of treasures that span two million years of history and culture’. And it has 94 galleries that stretch over an expanse that is more than two miles in size.

Its main exhibits include the Elgin Marbles, the 5th century BC reliefs from the Parthenon in Athens, which are said to ‘have once comprised a marble frieze that decorated Athena’s temple at the Acropolis’. They were brought to Britain by the British diplomat Lord Elgin, and were bough by the British Government in 1816, and then installed in the British Museum.

Another of the museum’s main exhibits is an ‘Egyptian Mummified Cat’, which comes from Abydos on the Nile, and dates back to 30 BC. It’s said that the ancient Egyptians preserved their dead, with a view to their re-appearing in an afterlife, and animals whom they believed had ‘sacred powers’ were also accorded the same ‘mummified’ treatment.

The ‘Lindow Man’, likewise, is considered to be a rare exhibit, the skin on this 2,000 year old human body having been preserved by the acids of a peat bog in Cheshire. The body was not discovered until 1984, and he is believed to have been a 1st century AD sacrificial victim. And an Anglo Saxon helmet which forms part of a gold and jewelled 7th century burial board entitled ‘Sutton Hoo Treasure’ is an item that seems to attract considerable attention amongst the museum’s visitors. The Museum of London, situated near the Barbican, was opened just over thirty years ago, in 1976, and is therefore a virtually ‘new’ museum. The museum’s objective is to provide a sequence of London lifestyles ranging from prehistoric times to the present day. Some of the min exhibits on display include a 2nd century example of a brightly coloured Roman Wall-Painting, some authentic Victorian Shop Fronts – which evoke an atmosphere of London in the 19th century, and a ‘Late Stuart Interior’ – a room reconstructed by using features from a number of late 17th century grand houses.

It’s claimed that the Victoria and Albert Museum, located in the Kensington area, ‘contains one of the world’s widest collections of decorative arts’. Originally founded in 1852 as the Museum of Manufacturers, it was renamed as the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1899 by Queen Victoria in memory of Prince Albert.

And among the star exhibits are the Medieval Treasury - referred to as ‘one of the museum’s masterpieces of medieval craftsmanship’, the Nehru Gallery of Indian Art, which is described as ‘the greatest collection outside India’ and includes ‘Tippo’s Tiger – a pump organ in the form of a man being mauled by a tiger, and the Costume Court – a gallery where European clothing from the mid 1500s to the present day is displayed. The Natural History Museum, as its name implies, features ‘nature’ in all its various forms. Situated in Cromwell Road, South Kensington, it is divided into two sets of galleries, namely ‘The Life Galleries’ and ‘The Earth Galleries’. And its entrance hall is dominated by an 85 foot skeleton of a dinosaur! A life-size robotic model of the killer dinosaur Deinonychus also forms part of the museum’s Dinosaur Exhibition. A section of the building is also entitled ‘Creepy Crawlies’, and many of the species on display are arthropods, such as species of spiders that include a tarantula.

And a gallery entitled ‘Mammals’ features a wide variety of animals, including an Indian elephant, a white rhino, and a rare creature known as a dugong. ‘The Earth Galleries’ are said to ‘offer a journey of discovery of the Earth’, and one of its highlights is a gallery entitled ‘Visions of Earth’ which is intended ‘to put our world into perspective in space’. Particularly popular with tourists too is the gallery known as ‘The Power Within’, which features simulated earthquakes and eruptions.

The vast building that comprises The Natural History Museum is described as being ‘a masterpiece in itself’. Having been designed using revolutionary Victorian building techniques, it opened in the year 1881. The Science Museum, which is also located in South Kensington, is said to house a massive collection of exhibits. And these range from steam engines, aero-engines and spacecrafts to the first mechanical computers.

The museum is spread over seven floors, and includes many different galleries. And among them are medical sciences galleries, which offer glimpses into past medical history. Exhibits on display in this section include a remarkable 17th century Italian vase that was used for storing snake bite potion. Another gallery that is regarded as being one of the museum’s highlights is the one that’s entitled ‘Making the Modern World’, which features the ‘Apollo 10’ that took the American astronauts around the moon in May 1969.

‘Power’ – namely steam power is the main feature of one gallery, where a ‘still-operational Harle Syke Mill Engine’ dating from 1903 is located. The museum also has a ‘high-tech Welcome Wing’ which features many interactive displays. The Imperial War Museum, located in Lambeth Road on the South Bank, is described as a place that presents a fascinating display of the machinery of war through the ages. And its exhibits include massive tanks, artillery, bombs and aircraft. The museum is kept up to date, and some of its exhibits relate to recent military engagements involving the British forces, such as the 1991 Gulf War.

In addition, there are displays relating to food rationing and air raid precautions. And extracts from wartime films are shown, while wartime radio programmes can also be heard. Photographs and paintings relating to the War Years are also on display. And displayed drawings of life during the Blitz of 1940 depict Londoners sleeping in the underground stations in a bid to escape the falling bombs. In addition, the building lays claim to a library that features an archive of wartime letters.

The Design Museum, situated at Butlers Wharf, has the distinction of being the first museum in Britain to be solely devoted to 20th century and 21st century designs. These include product and graphic design, fashion, furniture, architecture and engineering, and also items of office equipment, cars, radios and television sets.

With new ‘designs’ constantly coming into being, the items on display are similarly updated on a regular basis. The National Maritime Museum, based at Greenwich, draws many tourists to its portals. It’s a museum that’s said to ‘celebrate the island nation’s seafaring heritage’. And the exhibits that are on display within its confines range from primitive canoes to early models of Elizabethan galleons, to modern cargo, passenger and naval ships.

The sea is considered to have always played an extremely important role in British history – both as a means of defence and of expansion. And some of the sections of the museum relate to trade and empire and to the exploratory expeditions of Captain Cook and other explorers. Considered to be one of the major exhibits at the museum is the uniform worn by Lord Nelson when he was shot at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. It’s claimed that clearly visible on the apparel are both the bullet hold and the bloodstains.

The building’s basement houses numerous royal barges, one of the most spectacular being the one that was built for the then Prince of Wales in 1732. Decorated with gilded mermaids, shells and garlands, it also features the Prince of Wales feathers on its stern.

Sir John Soane’s Museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, is described as ‘one of the most surprising museums in London’. The building was bequeathed to the nation in 1837 by Sir John Soane, who was considered to be one of Britain’s leading 19th century architects, and who had been responsible for designing the Bank of England. It’s said that the building abounds with architectural ‘surprises and illusions’ – and in making his bequest Sir John Soane stipulated that ‘nothing within the property was to be changed’. And in the course of the past 170 years Sir John Soane’s ‘electic’ collection of artefacts has indeed remained unchanged, and continues to fascinate all who visit the premises. Numerous tourists visit London solely to explore the capital’s many museums. And while the aforementioned premises might constitute some of London’s best known museums, there are many, many more museums within the confines of the capital

Roberta Crookes has worked as a newspaper journalist throughout most of her life, writing news stories, editorial features, advertisement supplements, and reviews. And in the course of her work she has interviewed many famous people from all walks of life. She has also managed to combine parallel careers in both journalism and acting, and, being Welsh speaking from North Wales, her main television featured parts have been Welsh language roles with BBC Wales.