London’s home of science and arts
Did you know that all clouds are named and classified using a system invented in 1803 by amateur meteorologist Luke Howard? In this film, Alex Lathbridge talks to curator Alex Rose and finds out why Howard named the clouds and what he called them. Take a closer look at Howard's cloud illustrations (as seen in the video) on the Science Museum Group Collection website Clouds.
Want to make your own videogame, craft your own plywood furniture, sew a Mary Quant dress or try out some 1940s knitwear? Get creative with these free making activities inspired by our collections.
If you are looking for inspiration for your next project, look no further than this free, downloadable sewing pattern. Create an original Mary Quant design from 1962: the bold and beautiful 'Georgie' dress. Get sewing!
Led by V&A staff as well as independent researchers, the Lunchtime Lecture programme explores varied aspects of the V&A’s collection and displays in more detail.
Discover the history and essence of Japanese design through this seminar by Japan House’s Chief Creative Director and President of Nippon Design Center, Hara Kenya.
Learn how royalty used fashion to entertain, control and impress. A History of Royal Fashion takes you into the wardrobes of British kings and queens across five royal dynasties from the Tudors, Stuarts and Georgians to the Victorians and Windsors.
Over 5,000 sakura cherry trees have been planted across the UK as part of the Japan-UK Season of Culture 2019-2020. More than 400 schools and public parks have joined the Sakura Cherry Tree Planting Project. Watch the video to prepare yourselves for hanami cherry tree viewing parties!
Keep up-to-date with all the key business support from central Government and the Council for the self-employed and businesses within the borough.
While the Gallery buildings are closed, the Serpentine’s work continues. Collected here are some of the ways you can interact with their programmes through online exhibitions, digital commissions, podcasts, special broadcasts and more.
For updates on the Coronavirus virus and useful links for residents and businesses, please see the Westminster City Council website. There is also a sign-up for anyone who would like to volunteer to help people in Westminster.
Welcome to the V&A, the world's leading museum of art and design. Collections are unrivalled in their diversity. Explore historical and contemporary art and design, including works of art from many of the world's richest cultures.
Imperial researchers and Coursera have partnered to offer a free Massively Open Online Course explaining the science behind coronavirus.
COVID-19 Response Fund: Alumni accelerate global race against coronavirus. This new fund will help accelerate the critical work at Imperial on COVID-19. All donations, large and small, will make a tremendous difference.
Academics and researchers from Imperial College Business School have offered reactions and analysis of the impact of coronavirus on business and the economy.
Our Royal Parks are open for essential daily exercise, be that a walk, run or cycle for those who live nearby. Visit the Royal Park's website for an update on the changes temporarily in place. Please do not drive or use public transport to get to the parks.
Their doors might be closed for now but the Royal Albert Hall is still here to bring you stories, performances, and activities to keep you entertained and inspired at home. Stay tuned!
The Natural History Museum has lots of fab ideas to occupy yourself and family at home, in your garden or local outdoor space. Make a nature journal, a volcano or explore the world's best nature photography
Enjoy a family Create and Make workshop at home. Colour, cut and build to create your own Design Museum exhibition. Colour, cut and build to create your own Design Museum exhibition. Bring the Design Museum to you by building your own furniture exhibition.
Ciné Lumière at the Institut français in London teams up with MUBI to give you great films from the safety of your home for free and for 3 months. From Cocteau to Godard, Varda to Dumont, fantastic French cinema comes to you!
A wealth of French resources is at your fingertips. Simply register online to keep up-to-date with daily news and current affairs, magazines galore, audio books, bestsellers - the selection is endless!
This history of the V&A is a story like no other. From its early beginnings as a Museum of Manufactures in 1852, to the foundation stone laid by Queen Victoria in 1899, to today's state-of-the-art galleries, the Museum has constantly evolved in its collecting and public interpretation of art and design. Its collections span 5,000 years of human creativity in virtually every medium, housed in one of the finest groups of Victorian and modern buildings in Britain.
From ancient Chinese ceramics to Alexander McQueen evening dresses, take an incredible journey through 5000 years of human creativity with their online collections.
School’s out for most children and The Royal Albert Hall understands how odd that must feel for the little ones (and the grown-ups!), which is why they asked comedian Tiernan Douieb to make a video for any kids at home who might be a bit worried about current things.
Make the most of your free time at home to #LearnFrench online with the Institut français. Regular lessons with dedicated native speakers will teach you in a fun, inclusive environment.You'll be conversing in French in no time!
Due to the current situation, the Goethe-Institut London is closed to the public until 19.4.2020. Language classes will change to online-teaching for the time being. There will be no language exams. All public events during this time are cancelled or postponed. The library will also remain closed.
While our five museums are closed, join us online to discover inspiring stories of scientific achievement on our websites, delve into our incredible collections or through videos and 3D models, hear from scientific pioneers. Explore fun activities to try at home or simply have fun playing our online games.
The Science Museum will be sharing updates on their temporary closure, upcoming exhibitions and collection via their newsletters, which you can sign up for.
Browse the Science Museum's fascinating on-line learning resources.
Explore over 325,000 objects and archives from the Science Museum, Science and Industry Museum, National Science and Media Museum, National Railway Museum and Locomotion.
Explore over 250,000 objects and archives in the museum's ever-expanding digital collection. Find out about the fascinating histories behind even the smallest objects.
Follow step-by-step instructions for science activities and experiments that are safe and easy to do in the classroom or at home.
For the Design Museum, design is a continually evolving subject which it explores through its exhibitions programme, publishing, permanent collection, learning and research activities. Find out more about the design of some of the most iconic objects from Concorde, to London Transport.
Find out more about Japanese art and culture through a series of videos and interviews from the Japan House London.
Find out more about Japanese art and culture through a series of videos and interviews from the Japan House London.
Japan House London invite you to explore the stories about Japanese cultures.including Japanese wine, a Bonsai guide, sake and more.
Take an intimate look behind the scenes at the V&A in a 6-part series with BBC Two.. Made with BBC Arts and Blast! Films, Secrets of the Museum explores some of the most fascinating objects and the curators, conservators, tech experts and teams who look after them.
Championing new ideas in contemporary art since it opened in 1970, the Serpentine has presented pioneering exhibitions of 2,263 artists over 45 years, showing a wide range of work from emerging practitioners to the most internationally recognised artists and architects of our time. Explore more online.
The Royal Society of Sculptors is pleased to provide free downloadable teachers’ resources to support classroom art activities. Have fun!
Learn German Online - anywhere, anytime and as part of a group! You will not be learning alone but in a small group of between six and 16 participants. The course will introduce you to the German language on the basis of everyday situations, and you will practice your German skills in various ways.
The Royal College of Music was the first music conservatoire to partner with the Google Cultural Institute, opening up collections to audiences around the world. The museum and library curate a range of interactive digital exhibitions, drawing on key social and historical themes to enrich our understanding of music history.
The Onleihe is Goethe-Institut’s digital library (eLibrary). More than 23,000 German language eBooks, audio books, movies, materials for German language learners, magazines and newspapers are available for downloading from the Onleihe.
A new podcast Talking Culture will regularly feature exciting talks and debates at the Goethe-Institut London. Ranging from topics such as Europe, feminism or post-colonialism the episodes reflect on worldwide perspectives on contemporary discourse in culture and society.
For all the latest on Coronavirus advice and also disruption to RBKC council services, or additional support from the council, please visit their website.
Striving to be the best place in the world for people to enjoy science, the Science Museum's world-class collection forms an enduring record of scientific, technological and medical achievements from across the globe. Explore the museum's exhibitions and online collections.
Explore online the world's leading museum of art and design - the V&A enriches people's lives by promoting the practice of design and increasing knowledge, understanding and enjoyment of the designed world.
With five vast and visually stunning galleries containing more than 3,000 medical artefacts, striking artworks, interactive games and immersive experiences, Medicine: The Wellcome Galleries brings the history of medicine to life. Take a closer look at what's on display in the Collection Online
Explore a story of natural history discovery in an interactive experience, Making Natural History, Dive into the museum's 80 million specimens, encounter a prehistoric marine reptile in virtual reality, discover pioneering Museum research, navigate the galleries in 360 degrees & take a tour of exhibits tackling natural history themes,
The role of the car in shaping the world we live in. Over its short 130-year history, the car has become one of the most loved, contested and influential innovations in the world. It has revolutionised manufacturing, transformed how we move, forever changing our cities, environment and economies.
A unique exhibition of Obata Taku's life-size, hand carved figures, created during his Artist's Residency at City & Guilds of London Art School. As an artist and breakdancer, Taku investigates the relationship between the human body and clothes, through the coloured wooden figures that express space and power.
Explore the finished projects of emerging designers in a collective showcase of diverse subjects such as fat as a valuable resource for the future, rethinking the use of salt as building material and the 'wonder material' graphene.
This immersive installation by contemporary artist Darren Waterston presents a detailed and decadent interpretation of James Abbott McNeill Whistler's famed Peacock Room, a sumptuous 19th-century interior.
Formafantasma are an Italian design duo based in Amsterdam. Their work looks at design's ecological and political responsibilities, while probing the global industries that consume natural resources.
Video, digital media, photography and objects all play a role in Cao Fei's engagement with an age of rapid technological development. The exhibition will bring together new and existing works in an immersive, site-specific installation, expanding the themes of automation, virtuality and technology .
Music is only part of the story. Evoking the experience of being in a club, the exhibition will transport you through the people, art, design, technology and photography that have been capturing and shaping the electronic music landscape.
Discover space firsts such as Sputnik, Yuri Gagarin and the work of Sergei Koralev. Delve into an amazing history, bringing to life objects from our Exploring Space gallery.
Utilising various media, including video, the internet, interactive technologies, photography, drawing, painting and watercolour, Suzanne Treister explores emerging technologies, alternative belief systems and potential human futures through a newly commissioned book and web-based augmented reality work.
Trace the remarkable story of steam and how it shaped the world we live in today. Steam has been the driving force behind British industry for 300 years. Without it, the Industrial Revolution could never have happened. Even now, steam provides 75% of the electricity we use every day.
Fly Kids is a pay-as-you-go flight simulator that lets your child experience the sights and sounds of flying with the Red Arrows during one of their aerobatic displays.
Seasoned storytellers Paul Rubinstein and Samantha Sutherland deliver a series of sessions for babies and toddlers, aiming to engage and encourage interaction between parents/carers and their little ones using musical instruments, singing, movement and stories.
Solve clues as you travel across the lands and sail the seas in this fun, interactive, storytelling. Help bring Penny the Parrot back to safety! Ages 6 and under.
The fifty-fifth Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition will immerse you in the breathtaking diversity of the natural world. Encounter the beauty and fragility of wildlife, see fascinating animal behaviour and get to know extraordinary species, exhibited on 100 stunning lightbox displays.
Discover how London grew from a lively capital city to a global hub for trade, commerce, and scientific enquiry between 1550 - 1800. This new free gallery spanning over 650 m² takes visitors on a journey through the metropolis during a time of momentous change.
Imperial College is offering a new and expanded range of evening and daytime adult education classes from October. There are classes in a range of modern languages, new courses in philosophy, psycho-therapy, African art, opera and classic music, and design history and more.
A free scavenger hunt game for your mobile phone that takes you on an adventure through one of London’s most popular parks. Move at your own pace between the park’s most interesting sights uncovering photo challenges, amazing facts and games for all ages to enjoy.
Discover the magic of Hyde Park in the palm of your hand! A free scavenger hunt game using mobile phones that takes you on an adventure through one of London's most popular parks.
This exhibition will present the kimono as a dynamic and constantly evolving icon of fashion, revealing the sartorial, aesthetic and social significance of the garment from the 1660s to the present day, both in Japan and the rest of the world.
Liberty Drives is a voluntary service, helped by sponsors and donations, for people who find walking difficult. A fleet of six electric buggies can accommodate five passengers plus one person in a wheelchair. The tours last up to one hour and show visitors around the main sights.
The Library at Japan House offers a new approach to appreciate and engage with books, by displaying books in a particular way, and through bookshelf exhibitions curated by HABA Yoshitaka of BACH, a book specialist in Japan.
Come face-to-face with a full-size engineering model of BepiColombo, the European Space Agency’s first ever spacecraft to explore Mercury. Standing over six metres tall, this Structural Thermal Model (STM) of the spacecraft was used to test BepiColombo’s resilience during its seven-year journey to Mercury.
Swim alongside some of the most exotic creatures on the planet, from the bizarre Rainbow Nudibranch to the Giant Pacific Octopus. Narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, Deep Sea 3D transports you below the ocean surface on a unique underwater adventure.
Discover the story of Princess Victoria, the young girl destined to be queen, in the rooms where she was born and raised at Kensington Palace. This new permanent exhibition will explore how an indulged young princess blossomed into the independent and iconic monarch we remember.
In this workshop, pupils work in small teams to design and build a LEGO Martian rover. They then code, test and evaluate their designs. After receiving missions from scientists, they will have to decide what their rover should investigate and build appropriate tools for the challenge. In a final challenge, pupils will see how their rovers perform on a large-scale realistic Martian surface.
For decades, autonomous vehicles have been heralded as a new technology that could change the way we live our lives. Driverless: Who is in control? opening on 12 June 2019 at the Science Museum will explore how close we are to living in a world driven by thinking machines.
The new Photography Centre opens at the V&A with over 600 spellbinding photos including some of the oldest known photographs to modern masters. The Museum began acquiring photographs in 1852, and its collection is now one of the largest and most important in the world.
IKEA and the Design Museum present the Last Straw, an installation featuring the last ever single-use plastic straw IKEA will serve or sell in any store in the UK and Ireland.
Land Rover and the Design Museum present Material Innovation, an installation commemorating 70 years of the Land Rover brand. The atrium seats have been re-upholstered with original materials used in Land Rover vehicles from 1948 to 2018.
From mankind's earliest dreams of flight to the wide-body aeroplanes of today, discover the absorbing story of flight.
Fuel your adrenaline and feel what it's like to fly a low level mission in the RAF's latest Typhoon jet. Our new simulator takes you on an action-packed flight, demonstrating the aircraft's manoeuvrability through the beautiful landscapes of North Wales and the Lake District.
From dinosaurs to mammals, explore the amazing diversity of life on Earth. Follow our planet's evolution and walk beneath a 25.2-metre blue whale skeleton. Take a journey through our spectacular Earth sculpture and find out about the tremendous forces that shape our planet. See scientists at work in the Darwin Centre and enjoy the tranquil habitats of our Wildlife Garden.
Imperial College run a range of daytime and evening classes in languages, the arts and humanities, and science subjects. Classes start in Jan & April, with Evening classes meeting from 18:00 to 20:00 and Lunchtime Learning courses meet during lunch hours.
As we approach another major turning point in automotive design, this exhibition looks at the role of the car in shaping the world we live in today.
The monumental porcelain sculpture '399 Days' by contemporary British artist Rachel Kneebone will be displayed amongst the V&A's Medieval and Renaissance collection, highlighting the sculptors' shared interest in capturing highly emotive states.
There is something for everyone at the Institut Français over the summer. From workshops for creative photography, science and design, to game labs, art clubs and animated film. And much, much!
A new app from the Museum which encourages kids and their favourite grown-ups to head outdoors and learn fun facts about UK wildlife. Grab your phone or tablet to explore the nature on your doorstep.
Help to explode some rocket-fuelled bubbles, melt some marshmallows, and learn all about the challenges of space in this free interactive family show. This show is suitable for children aged 5 and above.
Pick up a family trail activity from the trail stand in White Court for a fun way to spend the day at Kensington Palace with children aged 5-11 years.
Artist Lee Ufan brings new public sculpture to Kensington Gardens. Comprised of two, angled, mirrored, steel sheets and two different-sized stones, Relatum – Stage will merge the natural and industrial in an installation that reflects the surrounding environment of the Park.
How do today’s scientific discoveries shape tomorrow’s world? Get the scoop on the most surprising science stories and the biggest breakthroughs in the Tomorrow's World gallery.
Get out and about this summer with the Mayor’s new London Curriculum Family Explorer Trails which includes the 'Creative Quarter' in South Kensington. Taking you on a circular trail starting at the V&A, up Exhibition Road and through the Royal Parks.
Cool off at the ice-cream and milkshake bar. Indulge your sweet tooth with sundaes and milkshakes or design your own ice cream tubs. Find the Shake Bar right outside Wonderlab.
V&A Secret Seekers is a new mobile game for families, launched to coincide with the opening of the V&A's Exhibition Road Quarter. Let eight characters from the V&A's history guide you on an exciting treasure hunt to uncover some of the secrets of the Museum.
The beautiful Sunken Garden was planted in 1908, transforming part of the gardens previously occupied by potting sheds into a tranquil ornamental garden. Today, the garden continues the tradition of rotational flower displays in the spring and summer.
The Italian Gardens is a 150-year-old ornamental water garden located on the north side of Kensington Gardens near Lancaster Gate. It is believed to have been created as a gift from Prince Albert to his beloved Queen Victoria.
Hyde Park has a fleet of rowing and pedal boats on the Serpentine and the UK's first Solarshuttle, a magnificent vessel which glides across the lake powered only by the sun. The Solarshuttle carries up to 40 passengers and the pedal and row boats hold up to 6 persons each.
Download the free Time Explorers app and try the new Digital Mission at Kensington Palace for children and their families. Meet characters from history, learn about life at the palace, do challenges and win badges!
The trail will include creative looking, thinking and drawing activities as you explore the museum and exhibitions. The trail asks the user to consider what it's like to be a designer, maker and user of some of the wonderful objects in the collection. Takes 30 - 40 minutes.
Explore the different time periods dinosaurs lived, sort the facts from the myths about why they died out, and find out what our scientific research has taught us about these prehistoric giants.
Are you big on museums, but short on time? NHM's knowledgeable visitor assistants have designed just the dinosaurs tour for you. It will introduce you to some of the Museum's most famous and imposing specimens. One hour
As the European Space Agency's first British astronaut, Tim Peake spent six incredible months aboard the International Space Station. Using VR technology, get a 360° look inside a Soyuz capsule and retrace Tim's 400km journey back to Earth from the ISS.
An intimate Late Night Jazz series presents sensational music in the sultry setting of the Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room. Various nights
The Serpentine Sackler Gallery & adjoining Magazine Restaurant, opened in 2013, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. The Serpentine is now two contemporary art galleries in the heart of the Royal Park of Kensington Gardens in central London.
City of Towers is an installation presenting research into a new concept for the design and construction of high-rise buildings. City of Towers explores the concept of the tower through the lens of Parametricism – an architectural style created by the use of 3D software that renders shapes and forms using complex mathematical formulas. These 3D printed studies are sculptural in quality, precise in their creation, and sometimes appear to imitate natural forms.
Mathematics is too often perceived as dry and complex, but this new gallery will tell stories that place the subject at the heart of our lives, exploring how mathematicians, their tools and ideas have helped to shape the modern world.
Based on the Apollo lunar landings, this film's exceptional 3D computer animation will fly you to the moon, where you can experience the sights and sounds of an Apollo expedition.
Revealing the beauty of the science and maths that shape our everyday lives, this unmissable experience will ignite your curiosity, fuel your imagination and inspire you to see the world around you in new and exciting ways.
Spanning five centuries, the Fashion collection is the largest and most comprehensive collection of dresses in the world.
Take a self-guided tour and explore how London’s quarter for the arts and sciences was created. Discover more about it's great institutions and magnificent buildings.
The Garden is an exciting interactive space, created especially for children aged 3–6 and their parents and carers in the basement of the Museum.
A suggested route where you can enjoy a ride through some of London's hidden gardens and get a glimpse of some of the Parks including Hyde Park along your way.
Meander from Clerkenwell, through our Museum quarter and through historic Hyde Park. Here is a suggested route from TfL and Santander Cyles.
Why not hop on a Santander bike and explore South Kensington - take a ride through the Parks, pass Kensington Palace, around the Serpentine and arrive at the Museums.
Afternoon Tea includes finger sandwiches, musically-themed sweet treats, homemade scones and a pot of fine tea, provided by the East India Company.
One of the finest collections of jewelry in the world - over 3,500 jewels, including pendants given by Queen Elizabeth I.
Set design, costumes, make-up, posters - and the first folio of Shakespeare's play.
Showcasing over 1100 objects from the V&A’s collections of 17th- and 18th-century European art and design in a suite of seven galleries.
Get closer to the Museum and its incredible collections with our wide range of free or paid-for bespoke tours.
Pattern Pod is an amazing multi-sensory area for children under 8 years old. Fun, interactive exhibits encourage them to recognise and copy patterns.
With stunning high definition 3D vision and flight simulator motion technology, you can see and feel for yourself what it’s like in the cockpit of a Red Arrow.
The Information Age gallery celebrates more than 200 years of innovation in information and communication technologies. Relive some remarkable moments of history.
Find out if you’ve got the problem-solving, big-thinking, team-working skills to be a globe-trotting engineer of tomorrow.
Guided tours offer the inside story of the Royal Albert Hall, taking you on a fascinating journey through its unique history, incredible architecture and legendary performances.
Through dramatic film footage, exhibits, interactive games and our famous earthquake simulator, explore how the powers within shape the world in which we live.
Meet your ancient relatives, trace the origins and evolution of our species, and explore what makes us human.
Inside the Cocoon see hundreds of Museum specimens. Marvel at beetles and butterflies, metre-high plants, huge tarantulas and historic herbaria.
Join expert science educators for a behind the scenes look at the Museum's fascinating zoology spirit collection.
Get a feel for how scientists work by having a go yourself. Come and explore hundreds of real nature specimens that form the evidence museum scientists use in their daily work.
Explore the rich diversity of mammals, from polar bears to pygmy shrews in the Mammals gallery. -
Swim, stroll, play, eat, relax, row - some top tips of things to do in Hyde Park from Buzzfeed.
Home to the royal family for centuries and the birthplace of Queen Victoria, it is an exquisite palace with acres of manicured gardens.
There's lots for families to see and do especially in the holidays, as well as enjoying a family-friendly café and shop. Kids go free!
Explore Queen Caroline's Temple which is a classical style summer house overlooking the Long Water, east of Lancaster Walk, Hyde Park.
Explore and adventure in the playground with a huge wooden pirate ship which is the centrepiece of the Diana, Princess of Wales' Memorial Playground.
Tree-lined avenues and flower beds provide a stunning back drop to Kensington Palace.
Showcasing the best of foreign film - it screens a mix of French, European and Global films - with subtitles.
The children's library has reopened providing children with easy access to a wide range of interactive resources.
The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk takes visitors through four of the most beautiful parks in the world, including Hyde Park and Kensington Palace.
A unique fountain memorial to Princess Diana designed to reflect her spirit of life and love of children.
