Best London museums

[jetsrforkids]

I will be in London for a day, what are the best aviation museums to see? Can I get to Shuttleworth via public transportation? Is the RAF museum my best first stop? Any special Schneider Cup collections?

Thanks

[Kyleb]

I will be in London for a day, what are the best aviation museums to see? Can I get to Shuttleworth via public transportation? Is the RAF museum my best first stop? Any special Schneider Cup collections?

Thanks

You can get to Duxford in a day. It is a one hour train ride out, then a bus to Duxford. You can spend most of the day there, then reverse the route.

[Chunks]

Yes, you can make a day trip to Duxford. You can take the bus from Victoria coach station and back, take the train to Cambridge and catch a bus or take the train to Whittlesford Parkway and walk, around 3 miles or so. Not a bad walk really. Great place to visit, I was there a little over a week ago, the spitfire was flying trips with the Rapide for a good portion of the day.

RAF Hendon is a short ride from anywhere in London and also a great museum, admission is free. Great museum to visit and a great collection, including the only surviving Typhoon. Take the Northern line that terminates at Edgeware, get off at the Colindale tube station. It's about a 15 minute walk from there.

For the non aviation enthusiasts, or "losers" in the group, there are many museums that are also free, the V&A, the British Museum, Science Museum, etc.

Enjoy, there's a lot to see!

Chunks

[old iron]

In terms of truly historic arcraft, the Science Museum in South Kensington is one of the best in the world (just behind NASM and the Musee de l'Air, in that or reverse order). A small collection, but kg for kg perhaps the very best. Not much in the way of WWII planes, but the ONLY Fokker Eindecker, an Antoinette, other early birds (Cody, Roe), the Vickers Vimy (first across the Atlantic), Gloster (oldest surviving jet in the world), the Supermarine Schnieder trophy wnner, the WWII aircraft (Spitfire, Hurricane) generally have combat histories, and other things. And you can get far closer than you can to aircraft in most other major musuems - I have a photo of myself between the floats of the Schneider racer.

The Science Museum is the English Smithsonian. And if you can talk your way in - I did, so it is possible - the back rooms in Wroughton, about 100 km west of London, have not a lot of aircraft but everyhing else that you can imagine: hundreds and hundreds of very early cars, buses, trains, bikes, tractors etc. all stored in the original hangers of an old RAF base.

The Imperial War Museum has some things as well, but much of that can be seen elsewhere; what the Science Museum frequently has is what can be seen nowhere else.

Last edited by old iron on Mon Oct 14, 2013 8:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Kyleb]

In terms of truly historic arcraft, the Science Museum in South Kensington is one of the best in the world (just behind NASM and the Musee de l'Air, in that or reverse order). A small collection, but kg for kg perhaps the very best. Not much in the way of WWII planes, but the ONLY Fokker Eindecker, an Antoinette, other early birds (Cody, Roe), the Vickers Vimy (first to Australia), Gloster (oldest surviving jet in the world), the Supermarine Schnieder trophy wnner, the WWII aircraft (Spitfire, Hurricane) generally have combat histories, and other things. And you can get far closer than you can to aircraft in most other major musuems - I have a photo of myself between the floats of the Schneider racer.

The Science Museum is the English Smithsonian. And if you can talk your way in - I did, so it is possible - the back rooms in Wroughton, about 100 km west of London, have not a lot of aircraft but everyhing else that you can imagine: hundreds and hundreds of very early cars, buses, trains, bikes, tractors etc. all stored in the original hangers of an old RAF base.

The Imperial War Museum has some things as well, but much of that can be seen elsewhere; what the Science Museum frequently has is what can be seen nowhere else.

This is good advice.

I will add a plug for the British Museum. Possibly the best museum in the world (no airplane stuff, though). Imagine if you were the preeminent world power during the 16th-19th centuries when there weren't as many reservations about going to an archeological site and taking what you wanted. Well, the Brits were, they did, and eventually many of those items ended up in the British Museum.

Last edited by Kyleb on Mon Oct 14, 2013 9:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[hbtcoveralls]

I would vote for The science museum as well. I was floored the first time I was there and discovered just what they have on display. The also have a first rate collection of early aircraft engines on display. The museum is free as well and right in central London so it can maximize your day. The IWM is still closed for refurbishment so If you want the HMS Belfast is great as is the "cabinet war rooms" again all within Central London. One other fun but not really aircraft related museum in central London is the London Transport museum. Chock full of old busses trains cabs etc all laid out in a fun and intelligent museum right in Covent Garden.
Tom Bowers

[Speedy]

Duxford is a must, as is the RAF Museum at Hendon (in addition to the Typhoon, the Stuka in the BoB wing is stunning, and there is an impressive line-up of Allied and Axis bombers).

One of the posts talks about the IWM being closed for refurbishment...I'm not sure what umbrella it falls under, but the Winston Churchill Museum around the corner from Westminster Abbey I found to be fascinating. If you're in downtown London near Parliament and the attractions, that's worth a look-see.

[k5083]

If you're just there for one day and not going to be back for several years, I'd recommend trying to hit Hendon and the Science Museum the same day. I've done the train-to-Duxford thing and it works, but eats a whole day. Also, it depends what day of the week you're there. The trains to Duxford run less frequently on weekends, especially Sundays IIRC, which will cost you more time.

August

[mike furline]

Agree with the above, with only one day of viewing you could spend an entire day at Hendon(10:00 - 6:00) alone.
http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/

Duxford (10:00-6:00 or 4:00 in winter) is huge and one can spend two or three days looking at everything when not distracted with the warbirds flying out front.

The Churchill War Rooms are interesting and convienently located in Central London.
http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/churchill-war-rooms

[Grikka]

no doubt in my kind, Duxford if you can plan the travel there and back as previous posts then a whole day from museum opening to close will easily be consumed.

great value for money and easily one of the best museums in the world

the fighter collection hangar on its own can consume a couple of hours just taking in whats being worked on, whats labelled up in storage on the racks and crucially if you have a generous worker with a bit of time on their hands then they can be invaluable in updating you on whats happening there and then

the museum also has a few extra exhibits around at the moment as the iwm has moved some of the collection around as the london museum has workcdone on it in preparation for the anniversary of ww1

definitely on a things to do before you die list in my opinion.

regards

clive

[seabee1526]

Cabinet war rooms near parliament is nice. Tower of London was also nice