Behind the polished veneer of every great city is a subculture of bizarre and eccentric charm. The Big Smoke is no exception. You’ve heard of the V&A, the National History Museum, the British Museum, and other legendary free museums in London. However, there are other institutions which house collections of the city’s historic jewels -some dark, some marvellous- that await your scrutiny. So if you have a thirst for the unconventional and peculiar, here are ten museums to satiate even the most deviant of palettes.
1.The Clink Prison Museum
2. Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret
Considered the oldest operating theatre in Europe, this surgical space treated its female patients before the practice of using anesthesia. The Old Operating Theatre hacked, sawed, and bled its poorly in front of an audience of medical students, and was in use from 1822 until 1862, when the current St. Thomas Hospital was built in Lambeth.
3. The Horniman Museum and Gardens
4. The Royal London Museum
Dedicated to the history of the hospital that came before it, the Royal London Museum was once home to Joseph Merrick (the Elephant Man), and now showcases a forensic science exhibit related to the ‘Jack the Ripper’ murders. Adding to the museum’s rich collection are artefacts that revolve around x-ray, pediatrics, nursing, and surgery.
5. The Hunterian Museum
6. Pollock’s Toy Museum
Both creepy and nostalgic, this six-room time capsule of Victorian toys might be better suited for anyone who’s never seen Dolls (1987). However, once you get over the penetrating stare of its specimens, the museum’s teddy bears, tin toys, dolls and dollhouses have an antiquated charm that speak to the joys of childhood innocence. Awww.
7. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archeology
For the keen eyed adventurer in all of us, the exhibits in this 19th century museum holds tidbits utilised by the ancient egyptians. Jewellery, pottery shards, primitive tools, and even a 4,000 year old skeleton found in an earthenware pot, make this world of everyday items brought once more to life. Some of the pieces come from a scandalous past, as they were once part of Tell al Amarna, the city created by the renegade and heretic, King Akhenaton.
8. The Freud Museum
9. The HMS Belfast
Avast yer wanderin’ ya landlubbers! It’s time to leave the safety of your concrete jungle, and see how you fare on water. But don’t be faint of heart; the HMS Belfast actually has nothing to do with pirates, and is safely moored on the River Thames. This historic warship provides insight into naval life from WW2 up until 1963, and is also a memorial to Allied and British soldiers.