The 10 Best Museums in England

This iconic London museum has drawn huge crowds for more than 130 years. Inside the famous red-brick building, you’ll discover hundreds of fascinating exhibits, including dinosaur skeletons and fossils, a mind-blowing blue whale skeleton, and the Darwin Centre, where you can see hundreds of specimens and hear talks from scientists–and it’s free to get in.

As the only national museum in the world to tell the moving and intensely thought-provoking story of the transatlantic slave trade, as well as aspects of historical and contemporary slavery, the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool really is a must visit. The museum tackles the issue of modern-day slavery through a varied programme of temporary exhibitions and is regarded as an international hub for resources on human rights issues.

You’ll need a whole day to get around even half of the British Museum’s impressive collection. Breath-taking treasures from around the world that span more than two million years of human history are on show here, including priceless pieces like the Parthenon sculptures and Egyptian mummies. Prepare to walk around with your mouth wide open as you try and take it all in.

If traditional museums aren’t your thing, Beamish will be right up your street. This living, working museum is set in 300 acres of stunning Durham countryside and shows what life was like in North-east England in the 1820s, early 1900s and 1940s. The buildings are as authentic as you can get, with brick bought from the local area and rebuilt to give a true sense of history. Museum workers are dressed up in period costume, so you’ll really feel like you’ve stepped back in time. You can even buy bread from the 1900s bakery, have a drink in the traditional pub or treat yourself in the old-fashioned sweet shop.

You’ll find The Mary Rose Museum at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, where instead of simply learning the story of Henry VIII’s famous ship, which sank in 1545, you’ll stand just feet from it. The Mary Rose was raised from the depths of the Solent in 1982 and has been painstakingly conserved for future generations. The huge floor-to-ceiling windows and air-locked viewing balcony give you the chance to see a 16th century warship like never before.

Based at Nottingham’s centuries-old Shire Hall and County Gaol, the National Justice Museum covers the past and present of law and justice in the UK. During your visit, you’ll encounter various historical characters,—all with a tale to tell—watch a recreation of a famous court trial, learn about prison reform, and—if you’re brave enough—join one of the chilling ghost tours.

There’s more than 300 years of history packed into this award-winning, free-entry museum in York. Wander the giant halls full of stunning trains, including Mallard, the world’s fastest steam locomotive, and a Japanese high-speed bullet train. From the workshop balcony, you can even watch engineers at work as they restore and repair all kinds of trains. Heaven for train enthusiasts young and old!