Visit to Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK

Visit to Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK

Victoria & Albert Museum, London

            The Victoria & Albert Museum is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, and is home to over 4.5 million objects from around the world. With galleries from antiquity to the present day that hail from North America, Europe, East and South Asia, and North Africa, the V&A can truly be called a museum that represents all of humanity.  Laid out in mostly chronological fashion, the V&A is easy to navigate and is organized by geographic location. The ground floor, which houses the majority of the museum's galleries, is where you should spend the bulk of your time during your visit.

Medieval and Renaissance Permanent Exhibition, V&A, London

            When you first enter the museum, head to your right, you will see the museum's collection of medieval and Renaissance-era art from 1350-1600.  The first room houses marble statues, doorways, monuments, fountains, roundels, and other objects that highlight the explosion of artistic creativity that was burgeoning during that time and place. One of the highlights is the statue “Samson Slaying a Philistine” by Giovanni Bologna. Bologna, one of the most famous and influential sculptors of his day, made the piece for the powerful Francesco de' Medici. The following room features primarily religious art from the era, including some beautiful stain glass art, religious altar pieces, and a chancel taken from a church. The chancel was the most important area of the church, as Mass was celebrated there, and only members of the clergy or those directly involved in Mass could go near it. If you go a floor down, you can view the museum's collection of objects from Europe c. 300-1500.

Samson slaying a Philistine, Giovanni Bologna, V&A Museum, London

            Like most art from this time period, almost every object in these galleries is religious in some manner. However, that does not detract from the beauty of some of the items gathered here. Some items to see are early choir book pages, the intricately designed embroidered panels and tapestries, and the elaborate altar crosses which depict religious imagery and holy saints. One altar cross is very large in size and decorated with gold and it serves as a symbol of the church's power at the time. This gallery also houses some lavish embroidery used for high-ranking clergymen that were to be worn in church processions. One famous piece of embroidery is the Butler-Bowden Cape (c. 1330-1350) which is detailed with scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary, who is surrounded by apostles, saints, and pearl, glass, and metal details. For those who would like to try on some tunics from this era, there is a place where you can do just that. In the very same room is a photograph of a section of the famous Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events of the Norman invasion of England in 1066. Two other objects you need to see from this section are the reproduction of the World Map c. 1300 and the famous Boar and Bear Hunt Tapestry c. 1425-30. The map shows numerous events from the past, and although America and Australia are missing the map makers did know that the world was round, not flat. The tapestry, which hails from southern Netherlands, shows nobles hunting boars and bears, and the events of the hunt unfold from left to right. An interactive screen lets you learn all about the tapestry and the events within it, from hunting at the time to the unique fashion depicted in the tapestry to the way the tapestry itself was made.

Raphael Cartoons, V&A Museum, London

            Once you go back up to the ground floor, you should make your way to the Raphael Exhibit. The room houses the seven surviving prints of the original ten that comprised the Raphael Cartoons. Commissioned by Pope Leo X and painted by Raphael in 1515-1516, the cartoons were full-scale designs for tapestries that were meant to cover the lower walls of the Sistine Chapel. They are called cartoons as the word “cartoon” is derived from the Italian word “cartone,” meaning a large sheet of paper or a preparatory design. Aside from some minor color fade, the paintings remain in a remarkable state of preservation. The remainder of the floor is home to the museum's vast collections from East and South Asia. In the South Asian wing of the floor, I recommend that you see the large Bhairava Mask, which is an angry, vengeful manifestation of the god Shiva. Alcohol was poured into the mouth from the rear of the mask, as people from the time believed that drinking from the mask gave you blessings from the Gods. Other objects you should see in these galleries include the statues of the Hindu God Shiva Nataraja, Lord of the Dance and the large collection of carpets and hangings the museum has. The famous Ardabil Carpet, one of the largest and finest Islamic carpets in existence, adorns the floor of the museum. As you move from South Asia to East Asia, you will have the opportunity to check out many objects from the cultures of Thailand, China, Japan, and Korea. There are many beautiful objects to see here, including jars, furniture, fashion, sculptures, an imperial throne, and even some Samurai garb and weaponry.

Ardabil Carpet, V&A Museum, London

            Once you have adequately viewed the galleries on the ground floor, you should pay a visit to the first floor which focuses on objects from Britain and the rest of Europe. If you take the stairs up from the right side of the museum, you will be able to walk through a Roman/Renaissance style city walk that is contrasted by modern couches along the wall, allowing you a brief reprieve from all the walking you have been undoubtedly doing. In the first floor you will be able to see more art and designs from Renaissance-era Europe, including a collection of works from the famous sculptor Donatello. Also on the first floor is an exhibition dedicated solely to Britain from 1500-1700. The low lighting of this gallery immerses you in the art and high-class lifestyle from this time period. Some of the highlights here include a recreation of a regal, candle-lit room, and the recreation of a parlour room from 1727. Both of these rooms highlight how this gallery does such a good job of representing British culture and life from this time period, albeit with a sole focus on the upper class.

            Finally, you should make your way up to the second floor where you will see the museum's large collection of gold, silver, metalware, and ironworks. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, this giant choir screen is a supreme achievement of ironwork in the Gothic Revival style. When you see it, it really is overwhelming and it is the most notable object on the third floor. Initially dismantled in 1964, the screen was finally fully restored in 2001. You can learn all about this process thanks to the wealth of information the museum provides right next to the screen.

            Overall, the V&A is a massive museum with much to see that showcases art in all its forms throughout human history. Even if you don't wish to delve too deep into any one gallery here, there is so much eye-candy and aesthetically beautiful objects here that just strolling through this museum would never be boring. There is always something new to see here, something wonderful to take in and enjoy.

Sculpture Gallery, V&A, London

            -By Phillip Storm, Arts Correspondent, VisitMuseums.com

Hotels in London for your visit

Visit to the National History Museum, London, UK

Visit to the National History Museum, London, UK

Natural History Museum, London

            Once affiliated with the British Museum for much of its history, the National History Museum now stands on its own as the premier museum of science. With over 70 million objects hailing from the fields of botany, entomology, mineralogy, palaeontology, and zoology, the museum is also an illustrious center for research, where scientists seek to analyze these specimens in their quest to unlock the mysteries of the tree of life. The museum is organized into four different zones that make exploring the museum that much easier for you. The four zones are the blue zone, where you will find the museum's vast exhibits on dinosaurs, mammals, and human biology, among other things; the green zone which features primates, ecology, birds, and minerals; the red zone where you can learn all about the earth and the way in which its landscape is forever changing; and lastly the orange zone, which is home to the Darwin Center and the Cocoon exhibit, where you will learn all about taxonomy and the science behind this field of work.

Diplodocus, plant eating dinosaur

            The central hall of the museum houses the massive cast of the diplodocus. A plant-eating dinosaur that lived 150 million years ago, the diplodocus is one of the longest land animals to have ever lived: from the tip of its tail to its head it measures over 26 meters long! The giant diplodocus cast prepares you for the museum's impressiveness, especially its dinosaur exhibitions. However, before you make your way to the dinosaur exhibitions you should check out some of the specimens in the central hall. Most notably, the central hall houses the only complete Wooly Mammoth skull ever found in Britain, which was discovered in 1864 only 18 km from the museum's present site. If you head left from the central hall you will reach the dinosaur exhibitions. Here you can see many casts of different types of dinosaurs, including the Cammarasaurus, a plant-eater with pillar like legs and a huge backbone and small tail, and the Coelophysis, one of the earliest known dinosaurs and a small meat-eater whose last meal (a smaller coelophysis) is still preserved within its ribcage. As you walk along the catwalk above the exhibition, you will be treated to more casts of dinosaurs hanging from the ceiling and even robotic representations of the dinosaur. At the end of the catwalk is a section devoted to the Tyrannosaurus, one of the most fearsome dinosaurs in history. Here you will learn some interesting facts about the T-Rex, such as that it was one of the last dinosaurs to roam the earth 65-67 million years ago and that scientists are still confused as to whether it was a flesh-tearing killer or a bone crunching stomper. One fun fact is that the T-Rex was even longer and taller than a double-decker bus! As you enter the ground floor of the exhibit, you will learn all about the dinosaurs: the physiology of their bodies, their bone structure, the layout of the planet during the height of the dinosaurs, and much more. The museum does a very good job of relaying this information in the most enjoyable way possible. The exhibit is colorful and the illustrations are great to look at, there are numerous recreations (such as a dinosaur egg nest), and as with the rest of the museum there are lots of interactive machines that allow you to get involved with the exhibit itself.

Mammal Permanent Exhibit, NHM, London

            The remainder of the blue zone is where you will spend a lot of your time, as there is just so much to see and take in here. The mammal exhibit is incredibly informative and fascinating to walk through. In addition to the various specimens of mammals that you can see, you can also learn all about what makes a mammal a mammal and learn all about the different types and classifications of mammals. For example, did you know that 100 million years ago live-bearing mammals evolved into two distinct groups: pouched mammals and placental mammals? Some specimens that you should definitely pay a visit to are the cast of the extinct marsupial Diprotodon, a massive herbivore that died out some 30,000 years ago, and of course the life-size replica of the blue whale that sits right below a cast of its skeleton. Also worth checking out is the museum's exhibition on human biology. Here you will learn everything about what it means to be human, from conception to death and everything in-between, including genetics, memory, sensory perceptions and much more. This exhibit houses some of the museum's most prominent interactive machines which include levers to see how the human body moves and games to test your understanding of human memory.

Cocoon Permanent Exhibition, NHM, London

            Of the other three zones, the one that you should visit just for its uniqueness alone is the orange zone. The orange zone houses the Darwin Center and the famous Cocoon exhibition. You will take an elevator to the upper floors where the museum houses over 20 million objects from the natural world. These specimens are both for the museum's visitors and for researchers who study these objects to find the links between everything in life. The scientists, whom you can see working diligently across from you during the exhibit, seek evidence for why there are so many kinds of living things in the world and wish to know how the world's natural diversity is changing. Compared to the rest of the museum, the Cocoon is designed in a minimalist fashion, with white walls and small windowed exhibits that feature the various types of specimens the museum houses.

Darwin, Natural History Museum, London

            The right side of the museum is home to the green and red zones, which are also worth seeing if you have the time. In the green zone, I would recommend taking the time to check out certain galleries that really interest you. If you are interested in minerals you should focus on the mineral exhibit and if you are fascinated by “creepy crawlies” then you should spend your time in the arachnid galleries. There is such a variety of galleries to see that if you try to rush through them all you won’t be able to fully appreciate what you see, nor soak in all the information the museum provides to you. I chose to focus on the bird galleries, where you will see full-scale replicas of many different species of birds. In particular, the Archaeopteryx is worth seeing. One of the first birds and one of only seven known specimens, the bird is famous for possibly being a missing link between modern birds and dinosaurs. For those with an interest in geology, the red zone will be particularly interesting to you. Some exhibits of note here include the Earth: Today and Tomorrow Gallery which focuses on how human consumption alters the planet, and the Earth Lab, which features an amazing entrance surrounded by marble sculptures where you take an escalator up into the planet.

Entrance Earth Lab Permanent Exhibition, NHM, London

            With so much to see and learn, the National History Museum is one of the most famous museums in London and one that deserves its own identity separate from the British Museum. It is a supreme institution of science, where you can learn all about our world and the creatures that inhabit it. And of course there are dinosaurs as well.

            -By Phillip Storm, Arts Correspondent, VisitMuseums.com 

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Visiting The Museum of London, UK

          The Museum of London is an interesting museum for those fascinated by the city that has stood as the premier city of England for generations; a city that has been torn down repeatedly by fire, disease, and war that always manages to rise up and rebuild itself. The museum has a singular focus on the city of London, and it chronologically documents the history of the city from prehistoric times to the present day. The museum emphasizes the changing landscape of the city itself, its urban development, and the ever changing social and cultural life of London.

Museum of London, London, UK

            When you first enter the museum you will almost forget that this is a museum about London, as the opening galleries take you back to prehistoric times. There are many artifacts and archaeological discoveries in the museum that reveal how early man lived, including early weapons made from carved rocks. In addition, there is much information to read in the area. For example, did you know that the modern Thames is now “a shadow of its former self” that was once a wide braided stream? As you move through the museum, you will jump in history a bit to the Roman-era of London. Here, the museum offers you the chance to look at many statues and busts recovered from that period, Roman-era coins, and of course a wealth of information covering the history of that time period.

Roman Coins, Museum of London, London, UK

            The period of Medieval-era London to the Victorian-era is one of the longest and engrossing periods in London's history to learn about, and the museum does not skimp on the exhibits from this time period. Some of the objects you should definitely pay a visit to are the reconstruction of a medieval-era wooden home, some copies of the earliest texts and books printed in London, and a couple of plates from the famous Copperplate Map of London. The map, circa 1559, is the earliest view of the city known to exist. Printed on copper plates, the map shown in the museum features the eastern side of the city, from Shoreditch in the north to London Bridge in the south. From here, you can gather a wealth of information on the disasters that ravaged London in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, including the Great Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of London of 1666. The Great Plague alone killed nearly 100,000 people, a fifth of London's population at the time, while the Great Fire of London destroyed much of the city, including nearly 70,000 homes. What is remarkable though, is the way the city managed to rebuild itself following these disasters. The galleries here show how London rebuilt itself by redesigning the city in a more modern fashion, eliminating wood homes and widening the city streets. There are video rooms where you can learn more about just how much the fire affected the city.

Great Fire of London, 1666, Museum of London

            As you move into the Victorian-era of the city's history, the galleries begin to focus less on the city and more on its social and cultural aspects instead. There are models of old-fashioned cars and horse carriages to look at, including the Lord Mayor's State Coach which is a grand and opulent sight to see. A couple of the more fun exhibitions in this area of the museum attempt to take you back in time to Victorian-era London by recreating full-scale models of how the city may have looked at the time. The Victorian walk offers recreations of various shops and businesses while the Georgian Pleasure Garden lets you imagine yourself as an upper class socialite from the time period. Overall, both are definitely worth taking a stroll through.

Lord Mayor's State Coach, Museum of London

            The modern-era portion of the museum tells the story of London from post-WWII to present. These galleries include a large section on fashion, showing how both men's and women's styles have changed through the decades. While men's formal wear hasn't changed too drastically in the past fifty years, there is a definite progression in women's fashion that is interesting to notice. In addition, the change in younger fashion, from 60's chic to 80's punk fashion to the present day style of skinny clothes is featured in great detail. Lastly, there is also an exhibition on Sir Michael Caine, one of London's most famous actors, currently in the museum near the end. Here, you can learn all about his movies and the life of the man before and after he achieved stardom. Overall, for those fascinated by the city that always remains standing, the Museum of London is a wonderful place to check out and explore for a couple of hours. The museum is easy to navigate, and for a museum with such a singular focus there is a large variety of knowledge to be gained here.

Sir Michael Caine Exhibition, Museum of London

-By Phillip Storm, Arts Correspondent, VisitMuseums.com 

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Visiting the British Museum, London, UK

Visiting the British Museum, London, UK

            The first view of the British Museum prepares you for the sheer scope and audacity that you will find in the museum itself. The exterior of the museum, constructed in Greek Revival fashion with its looming columns and sculptures adorning the top of the building, is truly beautiful to view. When you enter the museum itself, the true nature of the museum is revealed. Although the museum is somewhat ironically titled the “British Museum,” it actually attempts to encompass much of human civilization. There is art and history from all over the world in this collection, from the periods of Ancient Egypt and Rome, to more modern artifacts from the 19^th and 20^th century that hail from Asia. There is so much to do and see in this museum that one could spend days in here and not soak in all the information there is to gather. However, if you only have a few hours to spend here on your visit, then the museum's fantastic exhibits from Ancient Egypt and the Classical World are what you have to check out.

British Museum, London, UK

            Enter the museum and turn left when you reach the center of the ground floor and you will probably see a mass of people huddled around a large stone. This is the Rosetta Stone, one of the museum's most famous artifacts. First discovered in 1799, the stone has been on display in the British Museum since 1802. To the left and right of the Stone you will see some of the museum's collection from Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. The ground floor mostly features large sculptures of famous Egyptian kings and Pharaohs, parts of Egyptian architecture, hallways of hieroglyphs from the Assyrian Empire, and large coffins and statues used in the burial process. Some of the highlights from this floor from the Ancient Middle East include the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, the human headed winged bulls sculptures from Khorsabad, the red granite sarcophagi with paneled exterior surfaces, and the full-scale reconstruction of the Balawat Gates of Shalmaneser III. The gates stand about 20 feet high and are made up of 13 bronze bands which depict scenes of war and sacrifice from the military campaigns of Shalmaneser III. I would almost call this section of the museum full of hidden gems because compared to the Egyptian gallery right on the other side, this gallery is less frequented and it is easier to get up close for pictures and a better look at the objects.

Rosetta Stone, British Museum, London, UK

            On the right side of the Rosetta Stone is the museum's stunning collection of sculptures and other objects from Ancient Egypt. Some of the busts and statues that must be seen are the colossal bust of Ramesses II in room 4 (hard to miss!), the statue of Amenhotep III, the three black granite statues of pharaoh Sesotris III (perfect for a photo-op with two other friends) and of course the famous Gayer-Anderson Cat. Although the cat is named after the man who donated it to the museum, the cat itself is actually a representation of the cat goddess Bastet, who was believed to have been worshiped since at least the Second Dynasty. It is easy to get lost in this exhibit, as there is so much to see and the scope of it all is so amazing, but make sure to take some time and actually read some of the information the museum provided as there is a lot to be learned here. This section of the museum also features many coffins from the era that are interesting to view to see the full size and scale in which the mummies were buried in. Although if you want to see some mummies you will have to venture up to the upper floors...

Gayer Anderson Cat, British Museum, London, UK

            The galleries on the second floor contain the museum's vast collection of mummies, coffins and other burial objects. For those interested in the preservation of bodies and mummification, there is a lot to be learned so I suggest reading all that you can. In addition, I recommend the video showing the discovery of the lost tomb-chapel of Nebamun in the Michael Cohen Gallery. Other objects that must be seen include the Sphinx of Taharqo (meant to represent the immense power of the Egyptian and Kushite pharoah Taharqo), the Royal Shabti-figures from Nuri (cute little mini-mummies!), and the gallery of Room 63, which is all about the Egyptian funeral process and archeology.

Sphinx of Taharqo, Brisith Museum, London, UK

            The other exhibit you have to spend some time exploring in the British Museum is the vast collection of history the museum houses from Ancient Rome and Greece. Some quick highlights are the famous Parthenon galleries, the reconstruction of the Nereid Monument, some ancient statues from the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), and of course the large collection of famous marble sculptures, some of which include the “Crouching Venus” and the “Spinario (Boy With Thorn). For those interested in architecture, the Parthenon Galleries feature a wealth of information that is even fascinating for someone with little knowledge on the subject. Also worth checking out is the museum's galleries on Roman life on the upper floors, where you can learn all about every aspect of Roman life and check out a large collection of artifacts from the era.

Dionysus Pediment Parthenon, British Museum, London, UK

            Overall, this is one of the best museums in London and definitely one worth paying multiple visits to. The incredible amount of history that spans the course of human civilization present in this museum is wonderful to take in, and this write-up truly doesn't do the museum justice. However, if you only have time for one visit, then the Museum's exhibits on Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Classical World will most likely be the best use of your time.

-By Phillip Storm, Arts Correspondent VisitMuseums.com 

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