Best West London Museums – Top Picks and Hidden Gems
West London is home to some of the capital’s most famous museums. Kensington alone contains a world-class cluster of institutions — the Natural History Museum, Science Museum and V&A each drawing millions of visitors each year.
But there’s far more to West London than the “big three”. Head west from South Kensington and you’ll find stately homes, fascinating transport collections, aviation museums, and small local gems.
On this page:
My top picks – the best museums in West London
Hidden gems and community museums
Themed guides: by interest or visitor type
An interactive tool to explore all museums in West London
Each of these three museums are world class institutions – the Natural History Museum and Science Museum are perfect for kids and families, while the V&A is probably London’s most varied. All three are worthy of several hours exploring.
Design Museum (Kensington and Chelsea) – One of my favourite museums in London, covering all aspects of design. Hosts excellent temporary exhibitions, too.
Kew Gardens (Richmond) – While technically a botanic garden, Kew’s many glasshouses, historic buildings and galleries make it a must-visit cultural site. So much to see and do – read my full guide here.
Saatchi Gallery (Kensington and Chelsea) – One of London’s main modern art exhibitions, known for major, cutting-edge exhibitions with huge installations
Hidden gem museums in West London
Leighton House (Kensington & Chelsea) – The opulent former home of Victorian artist Frederic Leighton. Its Arab Hall, covered in Islamic tiles and golden mosaics, is one of London’s most breathtaking interiors. You can read more about Leighton House here.
London Museum of Water and Steam (Hounslow) – An interactive museum all about London’s water supply.
Battle of Britain Bunker (Hillingdon) – The underground command centre from which RAF Fighter Command directed the Battle of Britain in 1940. It’s now an excellent museum with interactive displays and guided tours of the original bunker.
Musical Museum (Hounslow) – Probably the most unique museum in West London, all about self-playing musical instruments.
Gunnersbury Park Museum is another gem, a massive museum which acts as the local museum for the boroughs of Ealing and Hounslow.
🏛️ Best West London museums if you love history
West London is rich in royal history, and has also long been one of the most desirable places to live in the country. There are plenty of huge stately homes to explore here.
Most famous is Kensington Palace, where Queen Victoria grew up. But there’s also Fulham Palace (Hammersmith and Fulham), the former home of the Bishops of London.
Further afield are manor houses like Boston Manor House and Chiswick House and Gardens, worth visiting for their beauty but also shining a light on how people used to live (or at least how the very wealthy used to live!)
West London is home to two of London’s best science museums. The Science Museum (every aspect of science, pretty much) and the Natural History Museum (the natural world, including animals and dinosaurs, both in South Kensington. You could spend days exploring just these two.
The London Water and Steam Museum is also excellent for engineering enthusiasts, found in the former Kew Bridge Waterworks and telling the story of the city’s water supply.
🎨 Art galleries and museums in West London
There are a small handful of excellent art galleries in West London. The most obvious is the V&A, not strictly an art gallery but a huge museum exploring art, design, fashion and culture.
The Saatchi Gallery is one of London’s best modern art galleries (its temporary exhibitions are always blockbuster, but can be a bit expensive!). In Ealing you’ll find the Pitzhanger Manor House and Gallery, the former home of Sir John Soane which is also home to a contemporary art gallery.
There’s also the Leighton House Museum, the home of Victorian artist Lord Leighton which showcases some of his paintings and studio (though the highlight is its sumptuous Arab Hall).
For art and design lovers there are also a couple of manor houses worth visiting. The first is the utterly stunning Syon House, with its sumptuous interiors designed by Robert Adam. The second is Osterley Park and House, also designed by Robert Adam. While not strictly art galleries, their interiors are nothing short of masterpieces.
🏗️ If you like architecture or heritage homes
West London is home to some of the most beautiful buildings in the country. Leighton House is a must visit for the Arab Hall, made up of a collection of Middle Eastern tiles. Then there’s the pair of Robert Adam masterpieces of interior design (Osterley House and Syon House); the Georgian Chiswick House; Headstone Manor; and the royal Kensington Palace
And if all those historic homes don’t get you going, then there’s Neasden Temple in Brent. One of London’s most remarkable buildings, it’s one of the largest Hindu temples outside of India, built entirely using traditional methods.
These are just a small selection of the best museums in West London. Explore all museums in North London using the interactive tool below.
Interactive tool: explore Every museum in West London
How to use this guide: The cards below show an A-Z directory of all museums in West London. Use the filters to the right to show only museums you’re interested in.
‘Primary focus’ splits museums by their broad area of focus. You can click ‘additional themes’ to see more specific categories, such as museums covering World War Two, or modern art galleries.
A 17th-century Jacobean manor in Brentford, recently restored and open to the public. Set in a scenic park, it offer s beautifully preserved interiors, including original ornate plasterwork, and community exhibition galleries, often about Hounslow’s modern diverse communities.
A Chelsea townhouse which was home to essayist and philosopher Thomas Carlyle and his wife Jane in the mid-19th century. While living there they hosted literary greats such as Dickens, Tennyson, and Ruskin. Now a National Trust museum, it retains its original Victorian furniture, books and even Carlyle’s smoking pipe. A time-capsule into Victorian intellectual…
One of Europe’s oldest botanic gardens, founded in 1673 . It was originally created by The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London for its apprentices to study medicinal plants and their uses. It became one of the world’s most important centres of botany, and it continues to maintain over 5,000 plant species with medicinal, edible…
A Grade I listed Villa, famous as one of London’s gems of Georgian architecture gems. It features large gardens (the first ever English landscape gardens); while in the house, Neo-Palladian in style and extremely striking, you can explore its ornate details, period rooms and art collection.
A world-leading museum of design, covering everything from graphics to fashion, furniture to technology. Its permanent exhibition, Designer Maker User, explores the history of contemporary design — how things are conceived, made, and used, and how this has evolved over time. It’s wide-ranging and full of surprises, featuring everything from the London Tube map to…
A large museum, with over 50,000 items in its collection, focused on the history and culture of West London boroughs Ealing and Hounslow. Features archaeological artefacts from the area; exhibitions on the culture of Ealing and Hounslow and its famous residents; social history; fashion and industry. It’s housed in a former Rothschild mansion, and some…
The former country home of 18th-century artist William Hogarth, now a small museum about his life. It has a large collection of his work, as well as exhibits on the house, its residents and the local area, as well as a lovely garden.
A historic royal residence in Kensington Gardens, most famous as the childhood home of Queen Victoria. A visit explores opulent State Apartments, the beautiful Sunken Garden and the Jewel Room, home to Queen Victoria’s emerald tiara. There’s also an exhibition about Queen Victoria and the King’s Gallery, which showcases some of the finest paintings from…
The former home of Victorian artist Lord Leighton, showcasing paintings, sculptures and is studio. The highlight, though, is the Arab Hall – one of London’s most beautiful rooms, housing a collection of tiles from the Middle East, stunningly arranged. It cost more than the entire rest of the house. A real hidden gem.
A hands-on industrial museum at the former Kew Bridge Waterworks. Tells the story of London’s water supply, with interactive exhibits; live steam demonstration; the world’s largest collection of working Cornish steam engines, and a splash zone for kids.
A museum tracing 150 years of consumer culture. Its centrepiece is the Time Tunnel, with plenty of historic packages, consumer items and adverts, telling the story of how our lives – and what we’ve consumed – has changed over time, and placing this in its historic context. Full of nostalgia for people who grew up…
A unique museum of self-playing musical instrument, telling the story of how music has been recorded and reproduced throughout history. Engineering marvels and inventions, such as self-playing violin and The Mighty Wurlitzer, designed to accompany silent films. There are lots of opportunities to listen to the instruments. Also home to a gallery dedicated to music…
The British Army’s national museum, with a collection of over a million items going back 600 years. Explores how the British Army originated (from the Civil War to today); the lives of soldiers; the British Army’s global role (remember this is the official Army museum – don’t expect a fully rounded debate on the role…
One of the world’s top museums in an utterly stunning Victorian building envisaged as a ‘Cathedral to Nature’. Home to a vast collection of natural history. Highlights include the ever-popular dinosaurs, its central hall with the skeleton of a blue whale, the glittering gem gallery, and rooms with just about every animal you can imagine,…
A grand Georgian country house remodelled by the famous 18th century architect Robert Adam. It’s set in a vast park and now run by the National Trust, featuring opulent neo-classical rooms, like the famous and stunning Entrance Hall and its luxurious state apartments. Throughout are paintings, sculptures and tapestries.
A small museum within the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the Chelsea Pensioners (British Army veterans) established in the 17th century. The stable house, which houses the museum, has recently been refurbished, and is a modern, interactive museum telling the story of the Hospital’s founding by King Charles II and the lives of the…
A cutting-edge contemporary art gallery, known for large-scale, immersive art exhibitions that often push boundaries and showcase emerging artists, presented in sleek, minimalist spaces. For example, in the past it has housed the most comprehensive street art exhibition in the UK; a blockbuster showcase of JR; photography chronocling the impact of hiphop. It also shows…
The perfectly preserved Victorian family home of cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne, with beautiful interiors in the ‘aesthetic style’. Stunning stained glass windows and original WIlliam Morris prints. A time capsule of a museum, beautifully cluttered and over the top. You can also learn a little about Sambourne, who was most famous for his cartoons in…
A world-famous museum of science and innovation, spread across seven floors of interactive exhibits. Very hands-on and great for kids, with a reputation for making science fun and accessible. Begin in the huge ‘Making the Modern World’ hall, which takes you through 250 years of innovation, showcasing objects that have shaped our society, such as…
A quite simply stunning Grade I listed stately home, former residence of the Duke of Northumberland. It has many layers of history, but its most famous for its interior, a masterpiece by Robert Adam with exquisite classical-style rooms. Surrounded by 200 acres of parkland and home to a famous Great Conservatory. Overall a relatively uncrowded…
One of London’s greatest museums, and possibly its most eclectic. Amogng the world’s largest and best collections of art, design and culture, with more than 100 galleries showcasing everything from photography, to Raphael’s cartoons, ancient Buddhist sculpture and Islamic carpets, alongside modern design and fashion. Designed by the Victorians, its setting is just as jawdropping…
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