Each year, Remembrance Sunday offers the chance to reflect on those who have lost their lives in battle, but all year round London has plenty of places to learn about wars past and present.
Several museums in London give an insight into how war affects the lives of people all around the world, from those involved in active conflict, to civilians who have had the consequences of war affect their home lives.
In the centenary week of what was meant to be the war to end all wars, these are the places in London you should go to to learn about both the First and Second World Wars, and more conflicts before and since.
Imperial War Museum
The Imperial War Museum was set up in a former military hospital following the end of the First World War as a means for promoting the world peace that was hoped to follow. In the century since, the museum has become an institution dedicated to chronicling how conflict has changed since that time. The atrium space hosts extraordinary artefacts, from a four-storey Nazi Germany V2 bomb to a burned out car from Baghdad. The Holocaust exhibition is harrowing to visit but sensitively conveys the gravity of what took place.
Lambeth Road, SE1 6HZ. Admission is free (with charged ticketed exhibitions); iwm.org.uk
National Army Museum
The National Army Museum puts the British Army at the centre of its research and displays, examining the changing roles of different armed regiments throughout history, as well as the impact of British conflicts around the world. The museum explores ideas around why we have an army at all, as well as focusing on the effect of war on British society and the changing nature of battle.
Royal Hospital Road, SW3 4HT. Admission is free (with charged ticketed events); nam.ac.uk
HMS Belfast
This museum has been as close to war as it gets. During the Second World War, HMS Belfast travelled the world, engaging in active conflict and supporting the Allied forces across the globe. Now it’s a museum and London landmark, moored on the River Thames not far from Tower Bridge. On board the ship’s nine decks, you’ll get an insight into the lives of those that lived on board throughout its service, learn about the guns that fired some of the first shots on D-Day, and head 15 metres below sea level to take a look at the engine room.
The Queen's Walk, SE1 2JH. Tickets start at £15.30, with concessions available; iwm.org.uk
Churchill War Rooms
This museum puts the spotlight on the wartime roles of one of the most famous Britons of the 20th century, Winston Churchill. Head below the government offices of Whitehall and you’ll find the Churchill War Rooms, the underground bunker where Churchill gathered his fellow ministers to strategise the military effort against Nazi Germany. The site, which is underneath the Treasury, is made up of a museum dedicated to Churchill’s life, and the perfectly preserved Cabinet War Rooms, which remain exactly the same as when they were left behind in 1945.
Clive Steps, King Charles Street, SW1A 2AQ.Tickets start at £18.90, with concessions available; iwm.org.uk
Royal Air Force Museum London
From Spitfires to Lancasters, Hawker Hurricanes to Typhoons, this museum will definitely give you wings. The Royal Air Force Museum in London is housed inside five huge hangars in Hendon, filled with dozens of aircraft from throughout the 100-year history of the RAF. As well as marvelling at these groundbreaking pieces of engineering, you can also get up close and personal with them, with opportunities to sit in the cockpit seat of the famous MK16 Spitfire and flight simulators to test your mettle when things get sky high.
Grahame Park Way, NW9 5LL. Admission is free (with charged ticketed experiences); rafmuseum.org.uk
National Maritime Museum
If you’d rather be all at sea than up in the air, the National Maritime Museum is the place to be. This Greenwich museum is dedicated to telling the tales of Britain’s maritime escapades in times of both war and peace. The explorations here start all the way back in the Tudor era, before setting sail with Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar and ending up amidst the Battle of Jutland in 1916, the largest sea battle of the First World War. The museum has recently opened four immersive new galleries which cover themes including journeys to the pacific and polar voyages.
Park Row, SE10 9NF. Admission is free (with charged ticketed exhibitions); rmg.co.uk
