Famous literary museums and places in Britain. Museums of England - museums of Great Britain. Imperial War Museum

"The manor of Haddon Hall was built in the 12th century and, since 1567, has always belonged to the same family. It is often called the only classic example of a medieval fortified..."

“Hatfield House, an estate in the town of Hatfield in the county of Hertfordshire, has served as the family home of the Marquess of Salisbury from the Cecil family for the past four centuries...”

“The garden at Hinton Empner Manor House was created by Ralph Stowell-Dutton, 8th (and last) Baron Sherborne (1898 - 1985). The creation of the garden began in 1930. The mansion, next to which...”

“Deal Castle was built by order of Henry VIII in 1539 - 1540. This castle was an artillery fortress, which was designed to stop a possible invasion from the Catholics...”

“Somerset House in London is a beautiful 18th-century building built in the neoclassical style. In the mid-16th century, on the site of the modern building there was a city residence of Edward Seymour, 1st...”

“Windsor Castle, the largest and oldest castle in the world, is one of the Queen's official residences. The construction of the castle was started by order of William the Conquerer...”

“The Globe (or Globe) Theater in London is a replica of an open-air theater originally built in 1599. William Shakespeare wrote most of his plays to be performed by...

“The Sherlock Holmes Museum is the home museum of the famous private detective Sherlock Holmes, a literary character created by Arthur Conan Doyle. According to the stories of Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watso..."

“Gainsborough's family estate in Lincolnshire has existed for over five hundred years. This is an excellently preserved historical monument of England from the Middle Ages. The mansion was built by Sir Thomas Berg..."

“Westminster Abbey (full name St. Peter's Cathedral Church in Westminster) is located in London, west of the Palace of Westminster. The abbey is a functioning church, in which and in our...”

"The National Motor Museum, located in Bewley, Hampshire, has one of the world's most impressive collections of historical cars, as well as thematic books, journals..."

“The London Motor Museum is the only museum in Europe to have a unique collection of classic, original and modified cars from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. In addition to a huge collection...”

“Burton Agnes Hall is an Elizabethan manor house built by Sir Henry Griffith between 1598 and 1610 and designed by Robert Smythson. By suck...”

“Old Trafford is the home of the famous football club Manchester United. Visitors to the local museum can look at the huge amount of silver items that were collected by the club for...”

“The ancient history of the city of York comes to life in its dungeons, which are presented to an appreciative public in 10 different show chronicles, covering the darkest moments in the life of the region over the past 2 thousand years...."

25 chosen

If we talk about European culture, what do you associate with the word “Italian”? For me this is Renaissance. “French” will be impressionism, “German” – classical music. And “English” is probably literature (Shakespeare alone is worth it!).

I’ll say right away that I’m not a big fan of literary house-museums. Sometimes it seems to me that it is much more interesting to reread a novel by a favorite writer or enjoy the poems of a poet who is close to you than to look at the cradle in which the future genius lay, or portraits of his distant relatives. It’s another matter when the museum’s organizers manage to recreate the atmosphere in which the writer lived and worked, and ordinary things take on a different meaning (unfortunately, this does not always happen). And sometimes you can get inspired by the literary spirit by simply walking along those streets or meadows where your favorite author and/or his heroes walked... And today I want to offer you a literary route through Great Britain, rich in writers and poets.

An hour and a half drive from London (you can take either train or bus), in the county of Kent lies the place with which the very birth of English literature is associated. The small town of Canterbury boasts a two-thousand-year history, a picturesque location on the River Stour and equally picturesque attractions. Among them are the ruins of Roman walls and a Norman castle, St. Augustine's Abbey, ancient churches and, of course, Canterbury Cathedral.

Canterbury: Cathedral and Castle Ruins

This cathedral, which housed the relics of St. Thomas Becket (Thomas of Canterbury), who was villainously murdered right at the altar, attracted pilgrims from all over England. It was here - to venerate the holy relics - that the heroes of the famous "Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer - the first work of truly English literature - headed. A collection of poetic and prose short stories - funny, lively and sometimes obscene stories told by pilgrims of different classes - is often called the English "Decameron". I have always been amazed at how easy this book, written at the end of the 14th century, is to read...

And even if the author was born and lived in London, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, even if Chaucer did not have time to finish his work, and his heroes only got to the shrines of Canterbury, having only seen the cathedral from afar... All the same, on the ancient streets of Canterbury you can clearly feel how tangibly close our literary past is distant. By the way, the city has the Canterbury Tales Museum, whose colorful exhibition recreates the atmosphere of Chaucer’s times.

Now fast forward 200 years and we move from south Kent to central Warwickshire. Stratford-upon-Avon is the most famous place of literary pilgrimage in all of Great Britain. There are always a lot of tourists here, especially during Shakespeare festivals, when the city's theaters are crowded, and there is literally nowhere for an apple to fall on the streets where the performance spills out. Yes, it was here that the great William Shakespeare was born, and here he died (it is generally accepted that both events occurred on April 23, in 1564 and 1616, respectively). And the playwright was buried in the local Church of the Holy Trinity, which has survived to this day.

The house where Shakespeare was born, the cottage where his future wife lived, and many other places directly or indirectly connected with the life of the great poet and playwright have been preserved. Almost all of Stratford is a living monument to Shakespeare.

Adherents of historical accuracy argue until they are hoarse whether this or that stone belonged to Shakespeare's times (just as the debate is still raging whether Shakespeare is the author of famous plays and sonnets...) But is this really important? The main thing is that the spirit of that time has been preserved in Stratford, and a simple walk through the narrow streets and beautiful parks of a very English town will bring you closer to understanding the great Shakespeare... And if you are tired of other tourists, then on the banks of the Avon you can still find a secluded place to sit and remember favorite sonnet. And the roses are blooming, and the swans are swimming in the quiet river backwaters just like centuries ago...

The Shakespearean spirit has also been preserved in London - in the Globe Theater, which stands on the south bank of the Thames. Yes, this is a modern reconstruction of a theater from Elizabethan times, but the building was recreated according to authentic plans and based on excavations of ancient foundations. But the main thing is not even the accuracy of reproduction - the traditions of Shakespearean theater are carefully preserved here. Even if you didn’t manage to get to the Globe performance, you can just go on a tour. I am sure that the fascinating story about the life of the theater during the time of Shakespeare will not leave anyone indifferent.

In general, many writers' destinies are connected with London. Here those whose names are forever inscribed in the glorious book of English literature were born, lived and worked. Many found their last refuge here - the Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. In London, not only writers are honored, but also literary characters - just remember the Peter Pan monument in Kensington Gardens or the famous Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street. But if I had to choose the most “London” writer, I would say: “Charles Dickens”. I became acquainted with Dickens's London almost by accident, wandering into the writer's museum in Bloomsbury. The museum is located in the house where Dickens lived for only two years, from 1837 to 1839, but where he wrote “Oliver Twist” and “Nicholas Nickleby.” I can’t say that the museum shocked me, although its exhibition is quite interesting for lovers of Dickens’s work. I was amazed by the walking tour that I was invited to at the museum. It was called "Dickens' London".

Maybe our group was lucky with the guide, or maybe I was in a corresponding “Dickensian” mood, but the history of the city, intertwined with the plots of our favorite books, came to life before our eyes... At first it was necessary to strain the imagination, mentally replacing electric street lighting with gas lamps, and modern cars - cabs and cabs, and then I really felt like I was in a city of the 19th century. I was able to see Dickens’s London - not ceremonial and brilliant, but gloomy and poor, find out where the “Antiquities Shop” was located, where the heroes of “Dombey and Son” and “Little Dorrit” lived, and which of the City pubs the writer himself liked to go to.

After a walk through noisy London, which (I don’t argue!) has become much more beautiful and cleaner than it was in the time of Dickens, you want peace and quiet. The most suitable place for a holiday is Bath, on the River Avon in Somerset - a charming resort town founded by the Romans. The name of the city itself speaks of healing mineral waters, and the perfectly preserved Roman baths are one of the attractions of Bath. In addition, the city is famous for its beautiful 18th-century architecture, the picturesque Pulteney Bridge and the medieval abbey.

As for the history of English literature, you can find a lot of interesting things on this topic in Bath. Thackeray, Defoe, Fielding and many others rested and worked here, but the main literary celebrity of the city is Jane Austen. The amazing writer lived here herself and “settled” or “brought” her heroines. In Bath, there is the Jane Austen Center, which hosts interesting events during which you can see firsthand the fashions and everyday life of the writer's time. Highly recommend!

Literary attractions can be found even in the remote English provinces. Among the hills and moors of Yorkshire lies the so-called Bronte Country, named after three sister writers - Charlotte, Emily and Anne.

In the village of Haworth there is the Brontë Museum - perhaps sparse, but with an amazing sense of the era - each exhibit is either associated with the sisters or is very suitable for the spirit of their solitary life and unique creativity. Walking around the picturesque surroundings, you can find a lot of interesting things - the prototype of the estate described in "Jane Eyre", the farm from "Wuthering Heights", the parents' house and the parish church, which was visited by generations of the Brontë family. And finally, you can simply admire the surroundings, gloomy, but beautiful in their own way (and very suitable for those who want to understand the work of the sisters).

Literary Scotland deserves its own trip. This country, being part of Great Britain, has retained its independence, if not in politics, then in culture. The proud spirit of the Scottish Highlanders can still be felt as you walk through ancient Edinburgh and its small villages, admiring the steep cliffs jutting into the sea and the cool lochs among the mountains. And the work of Scottish patriots and romantics will immediately become closer and clearer to you.

A trip to the village of Alloway will introduce you to the life of the famous poet Robert Burns (his birthday is celebrated throughout Scotland on January 25th). Here you can see the poet’s museum, the cottage where he was actually born, and the picturesque surroundings. By the way, it was a pleasant surprise for me that the museum staff knew that Marshak translated Burns into Russian!

The Abbotsford estate, located on the Tweed River in the Scottish Borders, will open you up to the world of Sir Walter Scott - the famous author of Quentin Durward, Ivanhoe, The Beauty of Perth and other novels. The romantic appearance of the castle in the Old Scottish style surprisingly resonates with the writer’s work and attracts many of his fans.

The hometown of Robert Louis Stevenson (hardly anyone did not read “Treasure Island” as a child!) is Edinburgh, which played a huge role in the work of the famous writer. It seems to me that the romantic appearance of the ancient Scottish capital left its mark on Stevenson's gloomy romanticism. By the way, literary historians claim that it was in Edinburgh that a mysterious story took place, which formed the basis of the fantastic story “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”

You can get quite close to the history of Scottish literature without even leaving the city. To do this, just visit the Literary Museum, whose main characters are the already mentioned Robert Burns, Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson (but you can also find out about other Scottish celebrities here). The main thing is that the small Edinburgh museum captivates with the pride with which the Scots treat their writers and poets...

Modern young readers can also enjoy Edinburgh - this is where the Harry Potter novels were written. Fans of the writer's work have turned the cafe where JK Rowling wrote the first Potter book into a local landmark.

When I was writing this article and trying to formulate my chaotic impressions of traveling around literary Great Britain, one thought did not leave me. Yes, in the modern world they read much less, and the classics are sometimes known only by hearsay, but all is not lost as long as people want to visit Shakespeare’s grave or the Edinburgh Literary Museum. It seemed to me that in some ways the English and, especially, the Scots are similar to us - those who go to Yasnaya Polyana or Pushkin Mountains... And you know, traveling through Dickens' London vaguely reminded me of Dostoevsky's famous excursions around St. Petersburg...

Svetlana Vetka , especially for Etoya.ru

Great Britain is a country of enormous cultural heritage; the number of museums per capita here is higher than in the whole world. There are collections and exhibitions for every taste and interest. We'll tell you about the most famous ones, what you can see there and how to get there.

Art Museums

London is the recognized capital of the world art market. That's why there are many art galleries here. The most interesting museums in Great Britain:

• The Tate group of galleries in London, Liverpool, Cornwall, and the most famous of them, the Gallery of Modern Art, is among the top 10 most visited museums in the world.
• The Serpentine Gallery in London hosts the most interesting exhibitions of contemporary art.
• The National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh, which houses a superb collection of Western European art.
• London National Gallery, where you can see more than 2,300 works by European painters.
• Saatchi Gallery in London. The private collection of contemporary art by Charles Saatchi is on display here.

All art museums are open to free access and receive tens of millions of visitors each year.

Specialized museums

There are a huge number of thematic museums in England. These, of course, include the largest museum in Great Britain - the British Museum. But we will talk about it later.

The largest natural history museum in London. It houses collections on botany, zoology, geology, and mineralogy. In total, the institution's funds number several tens of millions of exhibits. The museum is famous for the dinosaur skeleton installed in the lobby of the main building, as well as a large number of interactive exhibitions. For example, you can visit a tropical forest, in space, feel an earthquake and much more. More than 5 million visitors come here every year.

Another interesting specialized museum is dedicated to maritime history. It is located in a listed building, the Royal Naval College in Greenwich.

One of the most frequently visited is the Beatles Museum. About 300 thousand fans of this group come here every year.

For modern children, the most interesting thing will be the Harry Potter Museum - this is a real immersion in the magical world of J. Rowling's novels and films based on them.

Literary museums

England has given the world many famous writers, in whose honor interesting museums have been opened. Thus, the most famous literary museum in Great Britain is the Charles Dickens House Museum. It recreates the atmosphere of a real Dickensian house, as well as the furnishings of a typical 19th century wealthy class home.

Another popular museum related to literature is the Sherlock Holmes Museum. Due to the popularity of the Sherlock series, the museum is experiencing a real boom in visitors.

Of course, it is difficult to imagine England without Shakespeare. In the town of Stratford-upon-Avon there is a house-museum of the great playwright. He was born and died here, and the museum recreates the environment in which Shakespeare's family lived.

Unusual museums

England would not be itself if it were not for the most amazing and eccentric museums. The first place among the most unusual museums in Great Britain is occupied by the Teapot Island Museum in Yolding. Here you can see almost 8 thousand teapots, as well as buy unusual teapots and souvenirs.

In the town of Maidstone there is a Dog Collar Museum, here you can see an exhibit from the 15th century and many more recent collars.

The unusual museum was created by architect John Soane. He collected a huge collection of various antiquities from Greece, Egypt, India and made incredible collages and installations from them.

The most famous of London's unusual museums is Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Here are the figures of the most famous people in the world. Visitors can take selfies with Trump or the Beatles and visit the cabinet of horrors.

If you wish, you can also visit museums of pencils, mustard, teddy bears or lawn mowers.

Top 9 UK Museums

Rating British museums is a thankless task, since choosing a museum is largely a matter of taste. However, there is a simple selection criterion - the number of visitors. According to this indicator, the top 9 includes the following institutions:

1. British museum.
2. Victoria and Albert Museum.
3. National Museum of Scotland.
4. Design Museum.
5. Museum-bunker "War Rooms".
6. Cruiser "Belfast".
7. Coal Museum.
8. Transport Museum.
9. Kelvingrove Art Gallery.

British museum

The British museum rightfully occupies first place among British museums. It began its work back in 1753, and during its existence it has collected a huge collection of antiquities, art and household items. This includes an unprecedented number of exhibits from the archaeological excavations of Ancient Egypt; there is no such collection even in Egypt itself. Also here you can see many interesting exhibits from India, Oceania, Africa, the Middle East, a good collection of works of art, and household items. Admission to the museum is free, and more than 6 million visitors come here every year.

Victoria and Albert Museum

Another famous museum in the UK is the Victoria and Albert Museum of Decorative Arts and Design. It is the world's largest collection of household items and decorative arts. The institution was opened in 1852 in the wake of the 1851 Universal Exhibition. Prince Albert wanted to display somewhere the items that were exhibited at this exhibition, as well as the DPI collection. The money raised from the World's Fair was used to construct the building. In 1899, on the initiative of Queen Victoria, the central building of the museum was built. In total, it occupies several buildings in South Kensington. The halls display a large collection of silver and tin items, works of art, and costumes. The museum has the largest collection of early British photography.

National Museum of Scotland

Another interesting UK museum is located in Edinburgh. It was originally conceived as a museum of antiquities. It contains a large collection of objects from archaeological sites in Scotland, as well as in Ancient Egypt and the East. But gradually the museum acquired other interesting exhibits. For example, an unusual exhibition dedicated to Elton John has been created here; in other rooms you can see a stuffed cloned sheep Dolly, as well as exhibitions related to scientific achievements and the natural history of Scotland.

Design Museum

This newest museum in London is a museum innovation. The best works of contemporary designers are exhibited here, and for them this is a form of professional recognition, a significant milestone in their career. And the inclusion of objects in the permanent exhibition is considered as a recognition of genius. Therefore, the museum not only allows you to see the most advanced design in the world, but also serves as a platform for professional communication between designers.

Museum-bunker "War Rooms"

Another interesting museum in London is dedicated to the Second World War and the activities of W. Churchill. This is his bunker. Here you can see the prime minister's personal chambers, his office, his wife's bedroom, and the operational headquarters from where Churchill controlled military operations. The museum is interesting for those who want to learn more about the history of Great Britain and the lives of famous people.

Cruiser "Belfast"

There is another interesting London museum on the Thames - the military cruiser Belfast, which is permanently laid up near Tower Bridge. This ship is a source of pride for the British. It played a key role in the famous and most important naval battles of World War II. During a tour of the ship, tourists can explore all the premises and get acquainted with its heroic history.

Coal Museum

There is an unusual institution in the town of Blainevon: it is a real coal mine turned into a museum. To go down into the mine, you need to put on real miner's uniform weighing about 5 kilograms. In the museum you can see how hard the work of miners is, get acquainted with their life and working conditions.

Transport Museum

There is another interesting museum in London, which contains about 1000 exhibits. These are different types of vehicles - from ancient to modern. There are many exhibits dedicated to the underground, of which London is rightly proud. The interesting thing is that you can touch some of the exhibits, climb into them, and you can also try yourself as a driver of a car or a locomotive, which children really like.

Kelvingrove Art Gallery

There is an interesting private museum, Kelvingrove, in Glasgow. This is a real Scottish palace, which houses a good collection of Western European art. There is also a wonderful collection of weapons and armor, antiquities and even an English fighter plane from the Second World War.

To learn the complex, intricate and surprisingly interesting history of the United Kingdom, to get in touch with the traditions and culture of its multinational population, it is not enough to visit only London. Of course, you need to start getting acquainted with Foggy Albion from its capital, because the museums in London contain unique exhibits, and by walking along its streets you can see the most famous sights of London, which have long become the hallmark of the UK. But Great Britain is famous not only for its fogs, but also for its many Mysteries and mysteries hidden from the eyes of ordinary tourists. In this article we will take you on a short journey throughout the UK and get acquainted with some museums in England, as well as Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

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American Museum in Bath

The city of Bath, built by the Romans, can itself be called a unique open-air museum in England. But in addition to the Roman baths, in honor of which the city received its name, there are many interesting museums in England. One of these interesting museums in Great Britain is the American Museum. Here you can see a unique collection of quilts (about 200) from various 18th-20th centuries: 50 quilts can be seen in the textile department, the rest in the historical departments of the Museum of England. Also in the textile gallery you can get acquainted with objects of decorative and applied art of the Navajo Indians. Around the museum in Great Britain there are gardens and parks, which are also connected with the history of America and its first inhabitants, the Indians.