Click here for information about the Night before the Somme late night event.
In 1917, whilst the First World War still raged, the Cabinet decided to set up a museum to collect and display material from the Great War, which was thought to be ‘the war to end all wars’. This theory was disproven with the event of WWII, during which time a German bomb landed on the museum’s Naval Gallery, destroying some of its naval models.
Luckily, the rest of the Imperial War Museum survived and now tells the tale of both the First and Second World Wars.
March your way through the museum and look at preserved artefacts, photographs, and hear stories from survivors, gaining a true sense of what it was like to be involved in and live through wartime captured at its best at the Imperial War Museum. Displayed across six floors, the museum’s vast collections encompass a wealth of objects – from uniforms to photographs, vehicles to films, weapons to works of art – each with a story to tell.
The museum suggests that the Holocaust gallery might be too harrowing for children under the age of fourteen. However, parents can take younger kids at their own discretion.
I honestly really loved this museum. It was so inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time. Being to read about survivors stories and those who didn’t make it was extremely interesting. I loved seeing the real artefacts from the wars and the photographs that depicted such a different time. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to learn a bit more about the wars and gain new insights. Really great museum.
Always always fantastic here
My 8 & 11 year old boys both enjoyed our trip. I wasn’t sure they would, but the exhibits were far more interactive than I was expecting and really held their attention. Plus the vehicles were a hit. We walked there from Waterloo station, proving it’s easy to get to.