The Horniman Museum and Gardens in Forest Hill

Frederick John Horniman was a Victorian tea trader and philanthropist who passionately traveled and collected cultural and natural objects and artefacts from all over the world. Originally he started to exhibit his extensive collection of curiosities in his family residence on London Road. However when the collection started to take over the entire house, Mr. Horniman commissioned the construction of a museum building in Forest Hill (near Dulwich). The building was designed by the architect Charles Harrison Townsend in a beautiful arts and crafts style, and the Horniman Museum opened to the public in 1901, as a ‘free gift to the people’.

The Horniman Museum is a fabulous place to spend time. It is extremely family friendly, and has so much to do and discover. The beautifully landscaped gardens house different animals and a butterfly garden to scroll through and discover. Plus, offer a fantastic view over the city of London!

Then there’s the historic Natural History Gallery with its beautiful, originally antique displays showcasing all sorts of taxidermy and skeletons. Very intriguing! The musical gallery houses an extensive collection of musical instruments (over 1300 of them!). Plus, there’s an aquarium with all sorts of aquatic life to study and discover.

Most of the Horniman Museum is free for everyone, however for the the butterfly gardens and aquarium you need to buy tickets. There are also additional expositions and events — just check the calendar on the website! Best is to head over to the information desk as soon as you come in, to see what’s going on that day. (Please note that it also is recommended to pre-book the butterfly garden on the website if you’re interested in going.)

We visited the museum around Halloween, and it was so festive! There were fun Halloween crafts to do, a halloween arts and crafts market in the gorgeous greenhouse… And all sorts of other Halloween events. And the weekly farmers’ market in the garden was set up as on every Saturday.

This museum is definitely worth a visit, even if it means taking a day trip out of the centre of the city!

xxx Esther

The post The Horniman Museum and Gardens in Forest Hill appeared first on Babyccino Kids: Daily tips, Children’s products, Craft ideas, Recipes & More.

from kid games toys http://ift.tt/2F8xa9M via kid games toys
from Tumblr http://ift.tt/2n8LBmV