The Horniman Museum

I’ve heard that the Horniman Museum is one of London’s best kept secrets and with the sun shining brightly this weekend, it seemed the perfect Sunday outing! My parents were over visiting and we love exploring a new suburb, exhibition or attraction, so the Horniman fit the bill perfectly!

This museum has been open since Victorian times and its founder, Philanthropist John Frederick Horniman, began collecting items in 1860 and his ambition was to bring the world to Forest Hill and to educate and enrich his community. He travelled an incredible amount and items from collections come from Japan, Sri Lanka, Africa, China, Canada and the United States to name a few countries. What a lovely idea for him to make his collection public and isn’t it brilliant to think that we’re still experiencing and benefiting from his vision right to this day?

There’s a fascinating mix of taxidermy dating back to 1901, a vast collection of musical instruments, curiosities, textiles and items collected at auctions and fairs in Britain, or from Horniman’s wide travels. There’s also an aquarium, dinosaur exhibition, a farmer’s market on a Sunday and lots of children’s events happening at any given time at the museum. It really is a mixed bag and that’s part of the charm!

The highlight of the visit for me were the stunning gardens adjoined to the museum and there’s a brilliant view of the London skyline. A herb garden is a real sun trap too and it felt so nice to finally soak up some vitamin D after all of the rain and clouds these last few months. Entry is free to the museum and gardens and I highly recommend a visit, the blossom trees alone are worth the trip.

Here are a few pictures to give you a flavour of the day.