Now that museums and galleries can reopen to the public again, which ones will also be open on the coming Bank Holiday Monday (31st May 2021)?
Most museums that are closed on Mondays will open on Bank Holiday Monday, but you will need to book tickets in advance for most of them, so here’s a list so you can grab those tickets while they’re still available.
With fewer tourists in town, and museums limiting visitor numbers, this Bank Holiday is a great time to visit venues and enjoy them with rather less of the usual crowds. On my visit to the Natural History Museum the other day, the corridor to the dinosaurs is usually as packed as a rush-hour tube train, but this time, there was loads of space.
Natural History Museum
Battle of Britain Bunker
The underground WW2 bunker near Uxbridge from where the Battle of Britain was commanded.
A one-hour Bunker Tour takes you down 76 steps in a small distanced group to see the original 1940s bunker, followed by a visit to the exhibition.
Book tickets here
Bentley Priory Museum
A grand mansion on the edge of northwest London with a museum devoted to the building’s role as a command centre during WW2.
Book tickets here
British Museum
The famous big museum in central London packed full of ancient history
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
- Reflections on contemporary art of the Middle East and North Africa
- Thomas Becket – Murder and the making of a saint
- Nero – The man behind the myth
Book tickets here
Brooklands Museum
Big museum devoted to motoring and planes based near Weybridge.
Book tickets here
Churchill War Rooms
Underground bunker in central London where the government-controlled WW2.
Book tickets here
Clink Prison Museum
A much-derided tourist trap in Southwark that’s actually really quite good and very family-friendly.
Book tickets here
Cutty Sark
The world-famous sailing ship now a landlocked museum in Greenwich
Book tickets here
Design Museum
Large museum of design history in Kensington, mainly for temporary exhibitions.
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
Book tickets here
Down House
The home of Charles Darwin in southeast London, and now a museum managed by English Heritage.
Book tickets here
Doctor Who Museum
In the back of the Dr Who shop in East London is a decent-sized collection of Dr Who memorabilia.
You need to phone to book a ticket – details here.
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Classic and very large art gallery in south London, with exhibitions
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
Book tickets here
Eltham Palace
A combination of medieval hall and remarkable art-deco additions along with a large ornamental garden – now looked after by English Heritage
Book tickets here
Garden Museum
Modest sized museum in an old church next to the Thames with regular exhibitions.
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
Book tickets here
Hampton Court Palace
Famous palace in southwest London built in the Tudor style and now a huge estate to visit with the buildings, exhibitions and ornamental gardens.
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
Book tickets here
Hogarth’s House
A small museum based in Hogarth’s Chiswick house, but worth visiting to see an original building of the era that’s also filled with a lot of Hogarth’s prints.
Book tickets here
Horniman Museum
South London’s natural history museum, with a lot of stuffed animals, an aquarium, large gardens and a famously badly stuffed walrus.
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
Book tickets here
Imperial War Museum
A big museum in Lambeth with the history of military conflicts.
Book tickets here
Islington Museum
A museum of local history for the area
No need to book in advance – details here.
London Canal Museum
A museum of canal history in King’s Cross.
No need to book in advance – details here
London Transport Museum
Central London museum devoted to the history of the capital’s public transport services
Book tickets here
Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising
A museum filled with all the food and domestic packaging of the past, many of which you may remember.
Book tickets here
Museum of London
Big central London museum covering the city’s history from prehistory to the modern day.
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
Book tickets here
Museum of London Docklands
Canary Wharf based museum in an old warehouse that tells the story of the local area and the British trade overseas.
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
Book tickets here
National Gallery
One of the big museums packed full of galleries filled with great paintings.
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
- Sensing the Unseen – Step into Gossaert’s ‘Adoration’
- Conversations with God – Jan Matejko’s Copernicus
Book tickets here
National Maritime Museum
Large museum of seafaring history in Greenwich
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
Book tickets here
Natural History Museum
Huge central London museum filled with the history of the planet.
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
- Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature
- The Artistic Legacy of Joseph Banks
- Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Book tickets here
Old Royal Naval College
Home of the Painted Hall, one of the great artistic wonders of the UK.
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
Book tickets here
Queen’s Gallery
Large gallery next to Buckingham Palace that shows off artwork from the Royal Collection.
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
Book tickets here
RAF Museum
Large museum in Colindale with several hangers filled with aviation history.
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
Book tickets here
Red House
Iconic Arts and Crafts home of William and Jane Morris and the centre of the Pre-Raphaelite circle.
Book tickets here
Science Museum
One of the big museums, filled with the history of industry, science, medicine and invention.
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
Book tickets here
Sir John Soane’s Museum
Eclectic museum based in a house packed full of his collection.
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
Book tickets here
Tower Bridge
World famous bridge, with access to the high walkway, exhibition spaces and boiler rooms.
Book tickets here
V&A Museum
The huge museum of design and fashion history with regular exhibitions.
Exhibitions open on Bank Holiday Monday:
- Asante Goldweights
- Bags: Inside Out
- Laughing Matters: The State of a Nation
- Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser
- Epic Iran
Book tickets here
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Caveat Emptor – this list was compiled by a human of varying levels of accuracy, so please alert him to any errors in the comments below.
