London's alternative culture spots

Find hidden gems in the capital

Photo by: 29093311@N03
Sands Film and Rotherhithe Picture Research Library

London is all about one thing at the moment: the Olympic Games. There’s a good reason the capital was chosen as the host city; it’s vast array of cultural pursuits and attractions make it one of the most exciting places in the world.

We all know about Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge and Westminster Abbey. However, London has a few hidden gems you might not have heard of. Here are our top five alternative museums:

1. Horniman Museum

Tucked away in South London’s Forest Hill, the Horniman offers six free fascinating and surprising galleries, an amazing acquarium and award-winning gardens.

2. Museum of Childhood

Take a trip down nostalgia lane, with childhood artefacts from the 1600s to the present day.

3. Fashion and Textile Museum

Situated in the fashionable (obviously) Bermondsey Village, the FTM aims to inspire a new generation of creatives through a series of changing exhibtions.

4. Sands Film and Rotherhithe Picture Research Library

Ok, not technically a museum, but it contains a veritable cornucopia of treasure – from photographs to costumes – all cobbled together in a serendipitously haphazard way, within a Grade II listed former granary.

5. Freud Museum

The former home of the great philosopher Sigmund Freud after his family escaped Nazi persecution from Austria. Maybe don’t take your mother.

The best of the rest…

If that’s not enough to keep you occupied, there’s the Huntarian Museum, the London Wetlands Centre, UCL’s museum of zoology and quite literally hundreds more. Plenty to keep you occupied between events!