15 Unusual Museums in Kent, Sussex & London
Looking for a fun day out over the holidays? Our corner of the country offers a whole host of unique venues to both educate and entertain.
Image Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash
The Wonderworks, Margate, Kent
Discover Kent’s ultimate hobby experience with a trip to The Wonderworks in Margate. Inspired by the UK’s best known hobby brands, this immersive experience allows you to get hands on with models and kits as well as enjoy the fascinating displays covering Hornby, Scalextric, Airfix, Corgi and Pocher. Whether you love cars, trains, planes or more there something for everyone and there are also free workshops to enjoy. On your visit you can also “discover the history behind Britain’s best loved toys and hobbies”. If you need a pit stop for refreshment then head to the café – and don’t forget to make a trip to Britain's largest one-stop shop before you leave to pick up something from the Hornby Hobbies brands.
Anna’s Museum, Brighton, Sussex
It may just be one small window display, but Anna’s Museum draws visitors seeking something a little different. Found in a former shop window in Upper North Street in Brighton, is a private collection of taxidermy-related items on display for you to view for free as you wander the delightful streets of the city. The items can change over time so if you happen to be passing take a look!
Hunterian Museum, London
The Hunterian Museum is home to the extraordinary specimen collection of 18th Century surgeon and anatomist John Hunter and includes England’s largest public display of human anatomy. Located at the Royal College of Surgeons of England in London, it displays more than 2,000 anatomical preparations from Hunter’s original collection as well as offering a history of surgery through the times from the 17th Century to present day with instruments, models, paintings and more. Collections cover themes such as odontology, pathology, microscopes and anatomy, among others.
Crab Museum, Margate, Kent
“Europe’s first and only museum dedicated to the world of the decapod”, the Crab Museum celebrates these incredibly diverse creatures. Located in Margate in Kent, the museum was created in order to “roll science, humour and philosophy into a unique and satisfyingly baffling day out”. You may not realise crabs vital role in our world, including maintaining the oceans and helping with new medicines. A fun, and educational, day out for all the family – on a visit to this award-winning venue you will discover the secrets of these animals, from the forgotten story of the giant Margate crab to what the Sooty Crayfish has in common with fidget spinners. Intrigued? The it’s time to book your visit.
Old Police Cells Museum, Brighton, Sussex
Located in the basement of Brighton Town Hall, in the old holding cells, there is the opportunity to gain an educational and entertaining insight into the history of Sussex policing. Set to reopen later this year, the Old Police Cells Museum offers a taste of Brighton’s criminal past from 1830 to 1967, where you can “peek into the bleak cells, relive the events leading to the death of the Chief Constable who was murdered in 1844, and learn about some of the mods and rockers who were briefly incarcerated here after violence on the beaches”. It also houses one of the largest collections in the county of truncheons and tipstaffs, offering a unique experience.
The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & Unnatural History, London
Presented by The Last Tuesday Society, The Viktor Wynd Museum is the country’s only curiosity museum, home to a variety of events and exhibitions. View the Cabinet of Monsters – the largest public display of animal monsters in the UK – which includes a lamb with eight legs and a two-headed kitten, or see some of Viktor Wynd’s old pets in the Dead Pets department. The museum is also home to the largest public display of the great occultist Austin Osman Spare’s work anywhere in the world. From fine art to mummified fairies, a human hair collection to items used in ritual and traditional magic, there is much to see on a visit to this unique museum.
The Dog Collar Museum, Maidstone, Kent
Located within Leeds Castle in Maidstone, The Dog Collar Museum houses a fascinating collection of canine neckwear, that spans five centuries. A fun day out for all the family, you will discover rare and valuable collars including some found in storage that have never been on public display before. You will see collars dating back to the late 15th century with the oldest being a Spanish iron herd mastiff’s collar, which offered protection against wolves and bears roaming Europe at the time. From fearsome spikes to ornate gilt collars of the Baroque period, there’s all kinds of styles to uncover.
Wings Museum, Balcombe, Sussex
Gain a fascinating insight into life during the Second World War and bring history to life at this aviation museum located in a hangar style building close to Gatwick Airport in Balcombe, Sussex. Covering a variety of subjects, Wings Museum is dedicated to all nationalities that fought and died in the war. Take in this unique nostalgic experience as you learn the stories of the artefacts and memorabilia on display, including aero engines, aircraft gun turrets, uniforms, medals and personal stories, while listening to the music of the era. A unique feature is Ghosts of the Tundra, where recovered airframes are displayed representing actual crash sites. Open six days a week, this voluntary organisation also holds a variety of events throughout the year.
Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret, London
Gain a unique insight into the history of medicine and surgery on a visit to the Old Operating Theatre Museum & Herb Garret in London. Head to the early 18th-century church of the Old St Thomas’ Hospital and in the attic you will find this atmospheric museum. Home to the oldest surviving surgical theatre in Europe for female patients, the venue was previously used to store herbs for medicines as well. The museum also offers a selection of activities for all the family, including puppet making while learning about the human skeleton, colouring pages from the history of medicine and puzzles. There are also a range of special trails to take part in.
The Toy Museum, Penshurst Place & Gardens, Kent
The Toy Museum at Penshurst Place & Gardens has officially reopened following a major reimagination and conservation project to celebrate its 55th anniversary. The transformation, which includes four immersive new zones, has refreshed the beloved museum’s interiors, improved interpretation, and enabled the restoration of many of its most fragile and rare toys, ensuring they can be enjoyed by future generations. It is home to over 2,000 toys dating from the Georgian period through to the 1990s, including items from recent generations of the Sidney family, who have lived at Penshurst Place since 1552, as well as donations and loans. The collection offers a vivid insight into the history of childhood, featuring dolls’ houses, teddy bears, mechanical toys, rocking horses, board games, construction kits, books and more. The Games & Pastimes zone also explores Penshurst Place’s long association with cricket.
Shipwreck Museum, Hastings, Sussex
Take a “journey through maritime history and sunken treasures” on a visit to the Shipwreck Museum in Hastings. View artefacts from many ships wrecked in the English Channel, from the Goodwin Sands in Kent to Pevensey Bay in East Sussex. These include the Amsterdam and the Anne of 1690. There is something for all your senses with sound, touch and smell and there are also exhibits of fossils found in the local area, including dinosaurs such as Baryonyx, Polacanthus and Iguanodon.
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The Fan Museum, Greenwich, London
This award-winning museum in Greenwich “is the only organisation of its kind devoted entirely to the history, culture and craft of the fan”. Opened in 1991, the aim of The Fan Museum was to create a museum unlike any other and the independent organisation sits in the perfect setting of a pair of beautifully restored listed Georgian townhouses. Its purpose is to promote awareness and appreciation of the history of fans and fan making by collecting, conserving, documenting, studying, exhibiting and making fans. In the past 30 years it has staged over 80 fan-themed exhibitions and welcomed more than 300,000 visitors.
The Micro Museum, Ramsgate, Kent
Opened in 2014, The Micro Museum was the first museum in Kent to be dedicated to vintage home computers, games consoles and related technology. At this venue in Ramsgate, their mission was to save as many devices that were being forgotten and scrapped as older equipment was being replaced. Having been collecting since the 1970s there are hundreds of vintage personal computers, calculators, games and micro electronics to see, covering more than four decades. The museum has now welcomed thousands of visitors from across the world and has a big selection of computers and consoles to enjoy playing.
The True Crime Museum, Sussex
On the seafront in Hastings, you will find The True Crime Museum which offers a “chilling, yet fascinating insight into the world of serial killers, forensics, gangsters, prisoners, poisoners and more”. Not only does it have a real lethal injection deathbed, on a trip to this unusual museum you will have the chance to view the actual acid containers that John George Haigh used to dissolve his victims. If you are fascinated by true crime, this is definitely a trip to put on your to-do list.
The Crypt (Ossuary), St Leonard's Church, Kent
Located in Hythe in Kent, St Leonard’s Church is home to the “largest and best preserved collection of ancient human skulls and bones in Britain”. Open until 30th September 2025, it was previously thought the collection in The Crypt represents the remains of more than 4,000 people, but the most recent estimate is up to 1,200 skulls and 2,000 individuals represented.
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