Flora Watkins
Blissfully crowd-free: now’s the time to visit London’s museums
What are the unexpected benefits to have come out of Covid? Letterbox cocktails? An irrefutable excuse for you to bail on a social occasion? An end to gouty Great-Uncle Matthew lunging for a slobbery kiss at Christmas?
Like a booster shot, most of these will wear off over time, so we should make the most of them. Similarly, a recent trip to the National Gallery prompted a flurry of bookings as soon as we got home. For the first time, it was possible to appreciate favourite paintings unencumbered by a sea of iPads held aloft by un-seeing tourists. 'Just buy a postcard in the shop!' snapped no-one at all. It was bliss. Peaceful. Civilised.
Of course, this isn’t sustainable. It’s a tragedy that — according to The Art Newspaper — visitor numbers to the National Gallery are down 13 per cent on pre-pandemic levels. Yet the ongoing social distancing measures afford an opportunity usually only available to people prepared to arrive at opening time on a Monday morning during term-time.
Yes, having to book does kill spontaneity. In I Capture the Castle, Topaz, the Bohemian step-mother, meets her lovers in the Egyptian room of the British Museum. Looking at their website, the first booking slot is next Wednesday. But on the upside, they’d probably have it all to themselves…
Here’s the pick of where to go, while social distancing lasts.
Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser at the V&A
Previous blockbuster shows — Bowie, Dior, Alexander McQueen — have not been the most pleasant 'visitor experiences'; packed-to-the-gills and swept along in the crowd. But limited numbers mean you can tumble down the rabbit hole at your leisure at the V&A’s immersive exhibition.
www.vam.ac.uk £20; tickets are released every Tuesday at 12 noon
The Wallace Collection
Tucked away between Bond Street and Marylebone High Street, the Wallace Collection is housed in the beautiful Hertford House. The elaborately decor is as much of an exhibit as the paintings themselves. Right now, you can treat yourself to the excellent Rubens exhibition where two of the painter's celebrated landscapes can be seen side by side for the first time.
https://www.wallacecollection.... ; tickets available online. Admission to the Rubens exhibition is free of charge, although a donation is suggested.
Natural History Museum
PJ O’Rourke once described Britain as having the population density of Hamley’s on Christmas Eve. He might just as well have been talking about the South Kensington museums during half-term. Hitherto strictly off-limits (unless on an inset day) due to hideous overcrowding, the ticketing system means you can enjoy the robotic T-Rex and lament the absence of Dippy (he’s currently in Norwich Cathedral) in comfort.
www.nhm.ac.uk First available date 25 August; some walk-up tickets available on the day
Imperial War Museum
Usually ringing with the shrieks of schoolchildren, the space and quiet made for a particularly poignant visit to our local museum in south London for my two young sons last week. For the first time they seemed to start to grasp the enormity of some of the things they were seeing, rather than dashing excitably from one weapon of mass destruction to the next. (This a great improvement from our last trip, which saw me remonstrating with the Dr Strangelove-esque line, 'Boys! No fighting in the Imperial War Museum!')
Tate Modern
The Turbine Hall is often overrun by marauding toddlers, particularly in the school holidays. Now that booking is essential (even for members), the number of tiny tearaways is just-about tolerable. Visitors are encouraged to draw on the floor or on a banner to to be part of a major collective artwork for UNIQLO Tate Play: Mega Please Draw Freely by Japanese American artist, Ei Arakawa. It’s basically free childcare.
www.tate.org.uk until 29 August
St Paul’s Cathedral
Although the Whispering Gallery sadly remains closed (for non-specific Covid-related reasons), limited numbers and the one-way system in place make for a tranquil visit. The Stone Gallery and Golden Gallery will only be open on Saturdays outside the school summer holidays and have the best vantage point of the eerily quiet City.
www.stpauls.co.uk Adults £17, children (age 6-17) £7.20
British Museum
Pre-pandemic, the aforementioned Egyptian rooms were invariably as crowded as Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus and about as pleasant for the 'visitor experience'. With a one-way system to aid social distancing remaining in place, you can now glide round with an expression as serene as that on the bust of Nefertiti. Given the success of the film The Dig during lockdown, Room 41 (the Sutton Hoo treasures) is likely to be popular.
Bath
The ultimate Georgian theme park has just been awarded its second UNESCO World Heritage listing, as one of the great spa towns of Europe, and there’s never been a better time to go for a mini break. Before Covid (B.C.) a wander around the centre was an unseemly crush of Jane Austen afficionados, hen parties and Bath rugby fans. But it’s currently quiet enough for Willoughby to come flying down Great Pulteney Street in his barouche box and to keep a safe distance of one Mr Darcy (6ft) from other visitors. Catch the delightful Canaletto exhibition at the Holburne Museum for some Italian escapism before September 5th or enjoy an unusually serene tour of the Roman Baths without the usual throng of tourists.
