Small, quirky museums
Each week we run a section in the Guardian newspaper's travel section, asking readers to send in tips on a particular subject. The best tip wins a digital camera courtesy of Jessops. Find out more
Hunterian Museum, London
This small museum in the Royal College of Surgeons building in Lincoln’s Inn Fields has a high gross factor and will thrill all ages. There are pickled specimens in bottles, from an elephant to a honey bee, extraordinary portraits of diseases and injuries, sculptures, the brain of computer pioneer Charles Babbage – and Winston Churchill’s dentures. Years later my boys still love taking friends there.
• Open 10am-5pm Tues-Sat; entrance free. rcseng.ac.uk/museums
Bendyshe
Little Shop of Horrors, Hackney, London
Eccentricities and esoteric objects are the norm in this shop/museum, densely filled with taxidermy, animals in jars and shrunken skulls. The place can freak people out, but it is also full of humour: a book entitled Sex Instructions for Irish Farmers lies amid a collection of fake, bloodied fingers.
• Open noon-7pm Wed-Sun; entrance free; 11 Mare Street, London; thelasttuesdaysociety.org/
grashina
Dog Collar Museum, Leeds Castle, Kent
More than 100 canine, rather than ecclesiastical, collars are on display, with details of the mastiffs, gundogs, hounds and lapdogs who wore them. My favourite engraving runs: "I am Mr Pratt's dog ... who's dog are you?"
• Open daily 10.30am-5.30pm; admission included in entry to the castle - adults £17.50, children £10; leeds-castle.com
CornishJay
Booth Museum, Brighton
This small museum reflects the Victorian tendency to stuff animals brought back from Asia and Africa. Birds of prey, small mammals and larger are all displayed in lovely old glass cabinets.
• Open 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, Sun 2-5pm; admission free; 194 Dyke Road,
Brighton; brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/Museums/boothmuseum
krisfernandes
Museum of Witchcraft, Boscastle
This is one of the world’s largest collections of witchcraft paraphernalia and artefacts. Included are spells, dollies, cauldrons and broomsticks. Gives kids a great alternative view on religion and history. It’s not at all scary and spooky. Not much anyway!
• Open April-October, 11.30am-6pm; adults £3, children £2; The Harbour, Boscastle, Cornwall; museumofwitchcraft.com
alexfinch
The Gnome Reserve, Bradworthy
Pull on your gnome hat and leave your cool ironic detachment at the door. Bradworthy Gnome Museum and Reserve in Devon will give you and
your children many laughs . There is an indoor area and four acres of gardens, with gnomes round every corner and up quite a few trees.
• Open March-October, 10am-6pm daily; West Putford, near Bradworthy, north Devon; adults £2.95, children £2.50; gnomereserve.co.uk
TheRedQueen
Greater Manchester Police Museum
Housed in a Victorian police station, this museum has a fi ne collection of police paraphernalia. Few visitors can resist trying something on. The
Victorian cells have wooden pillows.
• Tuesdays 10.30am-3.30pm; admission free; 57a Newton Street, Manchester; gmp.police.uk/mainsite/pages/history.htm
Rwoodward1
Museum of Amusements, Cheshire
Enjoy an enchanting afternoon in the company of dozens of restored vintage penny arcade amusements. You can play them all, clutching a margarine
tub of old pennies. Roll up, roll up!
• Open 11am-5pm weekends and school holidays; admission free; Burwardsley, Cheshire; museumofamusements.co.uk
LadyOfMann
Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre, Glasgow
Kinetic sculptures by Eduard Bersudsky, made of grotesque carved fi gures and pieces of scrap, move to music in a 35-minute show. Up to two
children go free with an adult.
• Performances Wed-Sun 3pm or Sat-Sun 1pm; adults £5; Trongate 103, Glasgow; sharmanka.com
alisonm10
Hamilton Toy Collection, Callander
This family-run museum seems tiny, but room after room is stuffed with toys, dolls houses, puppets and Beatles memorabilia. When you emerge you
feel you’ve been on a Mr Benn-type adventure.
• Open daily April-October 10am-4.30pm; 111 Main Street, Callander, Perthshire; thehamiltontoycollection.co.uk
mannishbob
Winning tip
Hunterian Museum, London
This small museum in the Royal College of Surgeons building in Lincoln’s Inn Fields has a high gross factor and will thrill all ages. There are pickled specimens in bottles, from an elephant to a honey bee, extraordinary portraits of diseases and injuries, sculptures, the brain of computer pioneer Charles Babbage – and Winston Churchill’s dentures. Years later my boys still love taking friends there.
• Open 10am-5pm Tues-Sat; entrance free. rcseng.ac.uk/museums
Bendyshe
South East
Little Shop of Horrors, Hackney, London
Eccentricities and esoteric objects are the norm in this shop/museum, densely filled with taxidermy, animals in jars and shrunken skulls. The place can freak people out, but it is also full of humour: a book entitled Sex Instructions for Irish Farmers lies amid a collection of fake, bloodied fingers.
• Open noon-7pm Wed-Sun; entrance free; 11 Mare Street, London; thelasttuesdaysociety.org/
grashina
Dog Collar Museum, Leeds Castle, Kent
More than 100 canine, rather than ecclesiastical, collars are on display, with details of the mastiffs, gundogs, hounds and lapdogs who wore them. My favourite engraving runs: "I am Mr Pratt's dog ... who's dog are you?"
• Open daily 10.30am-5.30pm; admission included in entry to the castle - adults £17.50, children £10; leeds-castle.com
CornishJay
Booth Museum, Brighton
This small museum reflects the Victorian tendency to stuff animals brought back from Asia and Africa. Birds of prey, small mammals and larger are all displayed in lovely old glass cabinets.
• Open 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, Sun 2-5pm; admission free; 194 Dyke Road,
Brighton; brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/Museums/boothmuseum
krisfernandes
West Country
Museum of Witchcraft, Boscastle
This is one of the world’s largest collections of witchcraft paraphernalia and artefacts. Included are spells, dollies, cauldrons and broomsticks. Gives kids a great alternative view on religion and history. It’s not at all scary and spooky. Not much anyway!
• Open April-October, 11.30am-6pm; adults £3, children £2; The Harbour, Boscastle, Cornwall; museumofwitchcraft.com
alexfinch
The Gnome Reserve, Bradworthy
Pull on your gnome hat and leave your cool ironic detachment at the door. Bradworthy Gnome Museum and Reserve in Devon will give you and
your children many laughs . There is an indoor area and four acres of gardens, with gnomes round every corner and up quite a few trees.
• Open March-October, 10am-6pm daily; West Putford, near Bradworthy, north Devon; adults £2.95, children £2.50; gnomereserve.co.uk
TheRedQueen
North-west
Greater Manchester Police Museum
Housed in a Victorian police station, this museum has a fi ne collection of police paraphernalia. Few visitors can resist trying something on. The
Victorian cells have wooden pillows.
• Tuesdays 10.30am-3.30pm; admission free; 57a Newton Street, Manchester; gmp.police.uk/mainsite/pages/history.htm
Rwoodward1
Museum of Amusements, Cheshire
Enjoy an enchanting afternoon in the company of dozens of restored vintage penny arcade amusements. You can play them all, clutching a margarine
tub of old pennies. Roll up, roll up!
• Open 11am-5pm weekends and school holidays; admission free; Burwardsley, Cheshire; museumofamusements.co.uk
LadyOfMann
Scotland
Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre, Glasgow
Kinetic sculptures by Eduard Bersudsky, made of grotesque carved fi gures and pieces of scrap, move to music in a 35-minute show. Up to two
children go free with an adult.
• Performances Wed-Sun 3pm or Sat-Sun 1pm; adults £5; Trongate 103, Glasgow; sharmanka.com
alisonm10
Hamilton Toy Collection, Callander
This family-run museum seems tiny, but room after room is stuffed with toys, dolls houses, puppets and Beatles memorabilia. When you emerge you
feel you’ve been on a Mr Benn-type adventure.
• Open daily April-October 10am-4.30pm; 111 Main Street, Callander, Perthshire; thehamiltontoycollection.co.uk
mannishbob