5 Of The Best… Unknown Museums

The Tate, The V&A and The National Gallery may be some of the best known tourist attractions across England, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only ones worth visiting. 

From museums dedicated to 600 years of rural living to aviation exhibitions that will broaden the mind, there’s plenty more to experience within England’s best unknown museums. 

Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey

An obvious destination for motoring and aviation fanatics, there’s more at Brooklands Museum than exhibitions which will only satisfy petrol heads - in fact there’s something for everyone. Housed on part of the original Weybridge Racing Track, the Brooklands Museum is dedicated to advances in transport. 

Visitors can get up close and personal with Concord, learn about the men and women who pushed barriers and boundaries to drive innovation forward and experience the interactive exhibitions which feature a collection of cars and motorbikes, the stories of which are told by volunteers with first hand experience. 

Highlights include a mint condition 1933 Napier-Railton which was debuted at the Brooklands track where it went on to win several high-profile races, break numerous world endurance records and set the ultimate Brooklands lap record. Upon its retirement it lived an interesting life of personal ownership and use, including a star turn in Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, a film about a racing car driver starring James Mason. Now back where it belongs the car truly is a sight to behold. 

For more information, visit brooklandsmuseum.com

The Museum of Making, Derby, Derbyshire

It’s not every museum that’s housed in a UNESCO World Heritage site, and yet that fact is one of the least interesting about the fascinating Museum of Making. Yes it’s housed in Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site, but the museum itself is a testament to the history of the area and showcases over 300 years of making and heritage through a curated collection of exhibitions, installations and events. 

The Derby Silk Mill is regarded as the first modern factory in the world, and yet while its opening heralded the Industrial Revolution and brought great wealth to the area - not all its inhabitants enjoyed the benefits. The Museum of Making manages to examine all parts of industry and creation including wage slavery and poverty in an original and balanced way. 

From the world’s smallest engine run using a human hair, to a seven tonne Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine suspended in a new atrium above visitors’ heads, there are 30,000 objects for the public to enjoy throughout the museum - with special exhibitions free on the first Sunday of eac month. 

For more information visit derbymusuems.org

Gordon Russell Design Museum, Broadway, Worcestershire

The Gordon Russell Design Museum is dedicated to the life and work of a giant of British design. Gordon Russell and his work became one of the defining designers of the 20th century, shaping the view and work of generations of designers - including Sir Terence Conran. Russell was born in London and moved to Broadway when he was 12 with his family after his father bought a pub. Russell went on to serve in World War I but upon his return to the UK turned his love and passion for design into his life’s work. 

One of the few designers at the time who was as committed to the life that would surround his furniture as his furniture itself, Russell went on to become the first chairman of the British Design Council and was instrumental in the design and production of post-War furniture, earning a knighthood for his efforts in 1955. These days, original Gordon Russell pieces are highly sought after amongst vintage design collectors, while his eponymous company still creates and sells Gordon Russel designs, albeit now in the hands of William Hands, another great British institution. 

The Gordon Russell Design Museum showcases the designer’s early work as well as showing what life was like for him in Broadway. 

For more information visit gordonrusselldesignmusuem.org

Dennis Severs’ House, London 

In 1979, Dennis Severs arrived in London’s Spitalfields area and bought a derelict house which had been saved by the Spitalfields Trust. He decided to turn it into an experiential museum, dedicated to the life of an imaginary family who were part of the silk-weaving Hugenot community that lived in Spitalfields in the 18th century. 

Each room is filled with artifacts of the time and is done with such care and attention to detail that it gives the constant impression that the family, the Jervis family, have just left the room. A fire is burning, a half eaten loaf of bread sits on the kitchen table, and a bed remains unmade. 

The house itself is located at 18 Folgate Street and was originally built in 1724 - it was a passion project for Severs who viewed it as a living history of the Spitalfields area and the change in fortunes of those who lived there. Upon his death in 1999 the house was sold to the Spitalfields Trust who maintain it and some of those who knew Dennis remain involved as trustees.

For more information, visit dennisserveshouse.co.uk

Weald & Downland Living Museum, Singleton, West Sussex

The Weald & Downland Living Museum is made up of restored farmsteads housed with animals and interactive exhibitions which recreate rural life between 1300 and 1910 with each exhibition focusing on a different era. 

The Living Museum is fun visit for families as it’s filled with interactive exhibitions and activitie, including a working watermill where visitors can try their hand at milling with a hand turned quern! For children, Hambrook Barn is an opportunity to play traditional family games in a classic home from the 1770s. Afterwards real tudor food is served in the Winkhurst Kitchen over an open fire, in the same way families on the Bayleaf farmstead enjoyed their meals in 1540 - delicacies include beef and prune pottage with walnuts!

Ensure that you allow plenty of time for your visit, this is a full day excursion. 

For more information visit wealddown.co.uk