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Real People. Real Reviews.®
Lambeth North (Bakerloo)
Elephant & Castle (Bakerloo, Northern)
Mon-Sun 10:00 - 18:00
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I have been to many museums over the years that depicts warfare and weaponry. First, I brushed it off as just another museum, similar to the many Army, Navy and Marine Corps Museums I've seen in Washington, DC. But when I arrived, I was in for a staggering surprise.
It may be old, but it is beautiful, formidable and exciting. It is fascinating, interactive and heartbreaking. The holocaust museum is very emotional and definitely not for the faint of heart
The Trench and Blitzkrieg experience was scarily realistic and truly shows the sacrifice and courage of Londoners during WW II. Besides the bombs and artillery, soldiers had to endure the smell of urine, lice, rats, corpses, etc.
I learned and could vividly feel the pain and sacrifices. On Sept 7, 1940, 348 German bombers blasted London for two hours. Then a second set of raiders came and attacked London all through the night. The Blitz continued for 57 consecutive days.
Londoners sought shelter underground, and as many as 177,000 people stayed in shelters during the night. Many were killed when shelters were attacked.
Their artifacts is truly extensive, covering every aspect of warfare.
In WW II, the main weapons of ground warfare for the Germans were machine guns, submachine guns, anti-tank weapons, flame throwers and grenades.
The war museum that other war museums aspire to be.
If I were a museum I'd be jealous of this exhibit.
I mean, seriously, WWII trenches that smell like hell? How do they do that? A three story home with all the details of life during war time built within the walls of this seemingly modest yet vastly comprehensive memorial to the tragedy of war. More tanks, cannons and military hardware than I thought possible within view as you enter the front doors.
The Holocaust exhibit was moving to say the least.
The Caen Memorial exhibit in France, though so much larger in size, fails to express as much of the experience as The Imperial war Museum in London.
I highly suggest this museum to any visitor or resident.
Definitely a "must see" on your list of places to go in London.
My first reaction when I head we were going to the Imperial War Museum: ugh.
I was so wrong.
This museum is fascinating, interactive, educational and heartbreaking. With extensive exhibits on multiple aspects of the First and Second World Wars, The Imperial War Museum should absolutely be on your list of cultural visits when you come to London.
Take note: the Holocaust exhibit is not for the faint of heart. It is very informative but it is also very emotional. They also have a full-scale replica of a safe house children would have been evacuated to built in the museum that visitors are allowed to go through. There is a real-life "trench experience" that I was too lame to try (I could however, smell it form down the hall) but my tour-mates said it was worth the trip.
Arguably one of the top 3 museums/exhibitions to attend in London. A family hit! So glad we went!!
I love this place! It is for history buffs mainly, but I would put it high on the list for everyone. One of my favorite museums in London.
Museums are normally very interesting and informative (as is the Imperial War Museum). However, what the Imperial War Museum, unlike most museums, is also a very emotional experience. Some of the exhibits are quite upsetting and others are quite inspiring. I can understand that people who are really into war memorabilia / weapons would love this place with its vast array of tanks, guns, etc but it is also interesting for people who would not normally be interested in such stuff because of the clever way it is all presented. As for all museums it is free so also offers super value for money.
The thing that blew me away about the Imperial War Museum were the interactive displays. Of course the main collection's subject matter and how it is presented throughout the whole museum is impressive as well. Before getting to the UK I had read an article in the States about the Ian Fleming exhibit and being a Bond dork I was excited to visit. They had a pretty cool interactive map that showed where the various books took place and an interactive roulette wheel that outlined Fleming's war history and inspiration for his novels. Very cool indeed! Also they had some very familiar props from the movies. The Imperial War Museum also runs the Cabinet War Rooms and have on exhibit a pretty cool set of interactive screens outlining Churchill's life. I have been to numerous museums throughout the States and have never seen such cool displays. Museums just do not shell out the investment for such things over here. The collection of unforgettable 20th century history and the top shelf special exhibits make the IWM a necessary stop while in London.
I've been here three times and have always enjoyed it. I was a bit leery at first, going to a 'War Museum' but it had been recommended and I was glad I did. The exhibits are poignant without being graphic and it makes you appreciate everything that our armed forces have done for us.
I then went back with my boyfriend and we stayed there until closing and could have stayed another few hours. It was his first time there and he decided he would be taking his parents because it was so nice. I also took my parents there and my father found all the old military history artifacts so interesting.
Definitely one of those places that you're not sure about going to but really should.
Listed in: Greater London, F-R-E-E, Free (London Edition)
The Holocaust section alone merits a visit. Haunting. A reminder to us all of the dangers of a totalitarian state sprung from a cult of personality.
The rest of the museum is a lot of fun because it is interactive. Even more interactive than a natural sciences museum. If I had to compare, this museum is a lot like the Ben Franklin Institute in Philly. Of course the subject matters differ sharply but both museums demand interaction and thought from their visitors. Definitely worth a visit.
A pacifist walks into a war museum...
and likes it?
I came here initially for the 007 James Bond/Ian Flemming exhibit (which was aaaaaamazing! I went to it twice! So much information for the Bond addict, though I'm kind of a helpless fool for media discourse history.) and wandered around the rest of the museum and actually thought I should have came here sooner. It's not the place that you would feel is a 'pick me up' museum stroll, but the material is interesting and admittingly important to learn about.
Doom & gloom aside, they do have a cool spy section with secret intelligence gear (I'm a geek, this is what appealed to me) and you can buy spy gadgets in the gift shop...which I always play with before frowning about the fact that my mommy isn't behind me to buy one for me.
Actually a good stop for those not particularly taken by wartime themes, they try to make it accessible mentally to everyone, or at least a broad-range.
Listed in: Feeling Touristy?
I spent the whole afternoon enjoying the history of WW1 and WW2, the trenches and the blitzkrieg experience, not to count the sadness at the Holocaust Memorial at the last floor.
A must see destination, lest we forget
This rates as the best War and History museum that I have ever visited. Good for the history buff and the novice, interested in the origin, the technology and the art of conflict.
Their collection of WW 1 and 2 artifacts and framed art is matchless. Every aspect of combat is covered in the most graphic manner. No visitor who explores their WW 1 " Trenches" will leave unaffected. As you walk through it, you feel, hear and smell the intensity of war : smoke, litter, shell explosions, rifle reports , debris and cordite ( I thought ). Very poignant and meaningful.
Their armour and uniform collection is formidable and beautifully presented. Little is ever said about the staggering and dramatic collection of military art that abounds here.
The IWM, also has the Churchill War room and the Duxford aircraft collection in its portfolio. No lover of history should miss these collections.
The location is easy to visit, via the Tube .
Sometimes I think that I pretend to like museums more than I really do. I mean, sure, I should like museums, but some of them are so dreadfully dull. They are almost always filled with irreconcilably irritating individuals who bump you, get in your way and make delightfully asinine comments designed no doubt to make themselves appear well informed or intellectual, but really do neither.
Museums are also kind of like visiting your Grandparents. You feel that you should go, but you don't really enjoy yourself.
It is surely a good thing, then, that even before you are inside the building of the Imperial War Museum, you are confronted by two humungous guns (15 inch?) from the HMS Ramillies that would happily launch those annoying museum patrons high into the sky and far beyond the horizon.
Not only that, but this museum brings not know-it-alls, but lovers of things that go boom. A lot. Tanks from every era, Spitfires, a V2, AA Guns, Zeros, Mustangs and Co are all here to be appreciated and in some instances look inside and marvel at the ingenuity and dedication that humanity employs to blow the living crap out of each other.
Moving beyond the main room takes you to the vast collections of conflicts gone by. Models of ships, uniforms, swords and pistols from all over the world are there for your quiet enjoyment, as for some baffling reason this museum is often relatively quiet compared to the British or natural history. Last, but not least, is the walk through the trenches of the Great War. It might not be disney levels of presentation, but if you suspend disbelief, it is utterly compelling.
Oh yes, it is free too.
However, if you are anything like me, you donate money on the way out. This place deserves it.
If you are planning a day trip to london and are planning to hit the museums, try and make room for this one, it really is one of the best.
Listed in: ROTD-a-rama
This is one of my favourite museums I have ever been to. It's many exhibits show the many aspects of war - none of them glorifying war.
I would happily move into the house from the successful TV series "1940s House" where a family from the 1990s lived as if they were on the Home Front in WW2, that they have exhibited here.
It's probably a place to take older kids, unless you have a plane / tank obsessed younger child, in which case you could easily take them into the main hall to see those and avoid some of the more graphic exhibits.
There is so much about this museum that is horrifying, humbling, touching and moving that it should be a must for everyone.
Listed in: Culture Vultures
Museums are fantastics places. I'm no genius but I appreciate the importance of understanding our history, recent, ancient or contemporary.
The Imperial War Museum reminds me, in part, of museums I visited as a child, showing off the power and glory of days gone by. But there is another part to this Museum that every one of us should visit to remind us all of the unimaginable depravity that humans can inflict upon one another. The Holocaust exhibition at the Imperial War Museum is a silent and emotional journey through one, but not the only, of the 20th centuries most appalling periods of history. There is an space at the end of this exhibiton to sit and gather yourself before exiting. You will need it, but it's small discomfort in the face of what this important exhibition reminds us of.
I thought I'd be bored going to a war museum; my cousin was excited (studies history... ew, lol). Though my dad has instilled an interest in WWII in me (all those flight simulators, stories, and what-not) I wasn't that thrilled to go. However, I really did enjoy all the cool stuff they had there. I particularly enjoyed the rail-gun bullet, the howitzer-cannon-thingies out front and the planes. Amusingly while I was there I was like "Where are the Focke-Wulf (sp?), Spitfire and P52 Mustang, they should have those at least!! Wtf...?!" When I went home and put my pictures on the computer I realized those planes above me WERE Spitfires, etc. Dumb-dumb moment there.
That one little "mood" exhibit about the bombing of London was really cool though it smelled like moldy water inside. Dunno what that was about...
Anyway, anyone with any interest in war-history, or at least in military engineering, should enjoy going here. Next time I'll bring a pack lunch to eat whilst next to that piece of the Berlin wall.
I've been been to this place on my last two visits to London. I've lived here for four months and just got the time to go today.
I spent several hours and just got through WWI & WWII. This place is a must. In fact, I think every school kid should be required to come here. There does always seem to be at least two or three groups of students visiting. Some of the kids are being loud and silly but most seem to have a reverence for what this place represents.
London and the rest of the UK went through a lot during the wars. That should never be forgotten. Nor should the sacrifices that the UK's soldiers and citizens made. You country was the only thing keeping the western world from falling prey to fascist tyranny and it barely succeeded.
This place is a solemn and honorable place. It is on par with the cemeteries at Normandy or Arlington.
Everyone should go there if just to say a quite thank you.
Loved this museum! Went on a date (wasn't sure about going to a war museum for a date) but completely enjoyed myself. The holocaust exhibit was very interesting and a bit depressing but as a whole I really liked it.
Incredible collection of artifacts, mainly WWI & II. Free admission is a huge plus, as you don't feel obligated to look at everything since you can always come back.
In 1917 when the world was still in the throes of the Great War and men were dying by the thousand, a cabinet meeting decided that collections should begin of World War One equipment in order that the world might remember more easily. In 1920 the Imperial War Museum was opened by King George V and moved to its current location in 1936.
Recently the world witnessed the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day and it is in this time, as the last surviving servicemen of WW1 reach the final years of their lives, that institutions like the Imperial War Museum truly take on the responsibility of maintaining the memory of those who have died for king, country and commonwealth.
What the Imperial War Museum does best is to remind you of hugely important moments in the history of the world without glorifying war and conflict. Exhibitions of various servicemen's equipment, details of daily routine and hardships, development of combat technology - all are dealt with tastefully and, if not in a peaceful spirit, at least in a balanced manner.
The IWM is a favourite amongst grown-ups and children alike and deals specifically with conflicts of UK and commonwealth troops. However, the wider subject of war is also dealt with - a current exhibition of writers reactions to the holocaust is an incredibly harrowing experience demonstrating how vast the consequences of war can be.
I'm a pacifist and detest the idea of war and violence but I would urge everyone to visit the IWM lest we forget where we came from and, more importantly, to provide hope for the future.
An odd institution, rich with majesty and buoyed by nostalgia and history but, all the same, terribly conflicted. After all, why on earth should we memorialize war? Is it not always a means to glorifying it? And by inflating the worthless deaths of countless millions to the status of divine sacrifice and a kind of ascension do we not risk dignifying the entire enterprise?
I love the Imperial War Museum but I do not love war. I suppose I owe this to a sometimes excessive regard for history and an overweening belief in the progressive potential of nostalgia. All the same, this place is brilliant and should not be missed, unless you're Quaker.
This is one of the best museums I've ever visited. Interactive and really informative. Worth a trip if you happen to be in town.
Listed in: Museums
I love missiles and tanks, and this place is a must to visit. Very educational, not too biased. I always learn something new every time I visit here. Getting there from central London is easy once I figured out the tube and bus system. Museum shop is extensive, thou I always go home with cockies. BOOM!!
The Imperial War Museum London, A great place to visit, rain or shine, take a look at a lot of war memorabilia From planes,Tanks and many other artifacts. The museum takes you through all conflicts that Britain has taken part in from WWI &2 the Falklands war, and up to the modern day warfare we encounter today, terrorism, electronic warfare, the gulf war , Afghanistan. Photography is permitted, Entry is FREE but there are Donation box's at the entrance/exit.
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This place would not be my first choice when it comes to galleries and museums but I was persuaded to go here as my boyfriend's parents really wanted to visit the museum.
When we went there was a really cool exhibition about James Bond bizarrely! There was also a really harrowing exhibition about the Holocaust too. The museum wasn't as morbid or depressing as I thought. It was quite insightful and I would definitely go back.
It's important to remember the war heroes of the past and the victims too, a great historical day out.
The Imperial War Museum as the title suggests is a museum that deals with the history and consequences of war. It is a little bit out of the way, near Elephant & Castle underground station, but well worth the trip. The museum's various exhibitions vary massively in tone depending upon what aspect of war they deal with.
The main foyer has various vehicles of war scattered around which usually fascinate all the young lads, but the headline exhibition is without question the Holocaust exhibition. It tells the tale of the darkest hour in human history without flinching and as a result leaves an indelible impression on the viewer. Definitely take a look but personally I wouldn't take the kids along.
The Imperial War museum pays tribute to battles and wars from WWI to this day. It is a true learning experience.
As you first enter into 'The Large Exhibits Gallery' , this vast, impressive space showcases tanks, aircrafts and vehicles as well as planes, which hang from the ceiling.
Despite all the war memorabilia and paintings which fill the museum, it is the Holocaust museum which, I find, most memorable. It covers the maltreatment of the Jews, as well as other groups, by the Nazi's from 1933 to 1945. What is most saddening is to see the belongings of those victims such as their shoes or random everyday items. It is a harrowing exhibition, but you do learn a great deal.
Wonderful exhibition on the effect on children of W.W. II. Great museum.
I think my brother enjoyed this museum when we visited here. Lots of war planes and "manly" items on display. I mean at the entrance, you're greeted with two powerful looking missile launchers (*shrug* I don't know what it's called). The only thing that interested me was what was on display in the large exhibits gallery which consisted of planes and tanks and outside, there's a piece of the graffitied Berlin Wall of a face with the mouth wide open and "change your life" spray painted in block letters.
Listed in: London's Calling
Lots of stuff to see - spent 5 hours there and did not even go to 2nd level so I did not see the Holocaust exhibit. Found it thoroughly engrossing and fascinating.
Neighborhood: Westminster
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Neighborhood: Westminster
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