The Holburne Museum, Bath
The elegant Holburne Museum sits like a jewel box between the bustling city of Bath and Sydney Gardens. Inside you come across a refined mix: Gainsborough portraits, glittering ceramics and a surprisingly playful programme of contemporary exhibitions. The real pleasure is in its scale. It is grand enough to feel significant and small enough to feel personal.
Dennis Severs’ House, London
This place is not so much a museum as a piece of theatre. Time is suspended in the narrow Georgian house, as visitors move silently through 10 candle-lit rooms, spotting the half-eaten meal here and discarded wig there of an imagined Huguenot family. It is immersive, eerie and utterly transporting. One of London’s most original experiences.
The Museum Of English Rural Life, Reading
The story of the countryside unfolds at this museum with wit and warmth. From farming tools to folk traditions, it is a lovely celebration of England’s rural past. Thoughtful and charming, there is just enough eccentricity here to delight adults and children.
https://www.thegoodwebguide.co.uk/article/life/the-magic-faraway-tree-movie-/25741
The Time And Tide Museum, Great Yarmouth
Set in a former herring curing works, this museum captures the grit and rhythm of coastal living. It vividly brings Norfolk’s maritime past to life, recreating a Victorian street, invoking the tang of salt and smoke and telling stories of fishing families through the ages. It is atmospheric, hands-on and unexpectedly moving.
The Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford
Tucked behind the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Pitt Rivers feels like stepping into a mad Victorian collector’s mind. Objects, like musical instruments, masks, tools, are arranged by type, rather than geography, creating uncanny connections across cultures. The dimly lit cases and dense displays are mesmerising; you will lose hours here.
https://www.thegoodwebguide.co.uk/article/travel/the-best-of-cultural-oxford/22265
The Burrell Collection, Glasgow
Reopened in 2022 after a major refurbishment, The Burrell is a masterclass in how to display a personal collection. The prominent businessman, Sir William Burrell, entrusted his collection – which includes treasures ranging from medieval tapestries to Chinese ceramics to Degas sculptures – to the City of Glasgow in 1944. Now, this generous, eclectic and quietly spectacular haul nestles in a purpose-built museum in Pollok Country Park.
Black Country Living Museum, Dudley
Less museum, more living, breathing town, this much-loved open-air site brings the Industrial Revolution vividly into focus. Costumed characters go about their business along cobbled streets, historic shops trade as they once did and narrowboats glide along the canal. There is a pleasing lack of polish to it all – the soot, the smoke, the clatter – which only adds to its charm. Come hungry: the traditional fish and chips, cooked in beef dripping, are part of the experience.
