Imperial war Museum vs Cabinet War Rooms
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Imperial war Museum vs Cabinet War Rooms
My wife and I will be in London next week and I definitely want to visit either the Imperial War museum or the Cabinet War Rooms/Churchill Museum. I suspect I will only be able to convince my wife to visit one or the other, and, so I need to choose only one. Admittedly, WWII is my main interest here. Would one museum be obviously more interesting than the other? Any thoughts/experiences would be appreciated.
#2
Both are fabulous - I would definitely <b>not</b> skip either one, especially if I were a WWII buff.
If she isn't interested, your wife can do something else while you visit them. Or are you the 24/7, attached at the hip type travelers?
If she isn't interested, your wife can do something else while you visit them. Or are you the 24/7, attached at the hip type travelers?
#4
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 37,416
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
See both of them. My brother wanted to see them and we did both. I was kind of 'ho hum' about it all..my SIL and I were like, so OK, we'll humor him. I have to tell you that both of them are so interesting. I really enjoyed my time in each one. I was more than pleasantly surprised.
#5
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 877
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I would also recommend both, but would think that she might enjoy the IWM more. Without getting into how old you two are let's just say if you're older than maybe 40 years you will both find the exhibit "The Children's War" to be extremely interesting. It accurately depicts a bygone era. Even though I wasn't around during WW2, the restored living rooms and kitchens displayed from that period seemed very familiar to us. There's lots of nostalgic paraphernalia that will stir distant memories. And the tragedies that some of the English families had to endure will really cause you to think.
#6
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 12,492
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
i found being IN the Cabinet War Rooms an unforgettable experience. I have not been to the other.
ther are 2 for 1 coupons out there somewhere or with a travel card AND voucher to fill out on the back of a pamphlet you need to pick up at main train stations.
ther are 2 for 1 coupons out there somewhere or with a travel card AND voucher to fill out on the back of a pamphlet you need to pick up at main train stations.
#7
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 2,699
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As a 30-something female, I would try to see both. I'm not a big military buff, but seeing the Cabinet War Rooms gives an appreciation of the conditions that the British government dealt with throughout the war. Period furnishing are outstanding and the free audio guide gives a human touch to the exhibit, especially the letters from the staff who imagined a German invasion happening at anytime. The new Churchill Museum is a must see.
The IWM showcases not only WW2, but all wars up to the present. The interactive exhibits(1940s home, Anderson shelter, WW1 trench) were my favoites. Don't miss the Holocaust exhibit on the top floor. I enjoyed it more than the US Holocaust museum in DC, since their is more emphasis on individual stories.
The IWM showcases not only WW2, but all wars up to the present. The interactive exhibits(1940s home, Anderson shelter, WW1 trench) were my favoites. Don't miss the Holocaust exhibit on the top floor. I enjoyed it more than the US Holocaust museum in DC, since their is more emphasis on individual stories.
#9
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 5,521
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If time is a factor, I'd go for the Cabinet War Rooms. Its location within walking distance of Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, 10 Downing Street, and Horse Guards among other attractions is a big plus and the exhibit is fascinating even if WWII is not a passion. The Imperial War Museum is also extremely interesting, but it is in an out-of-the-way location for other sightseeing.
#10
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 19,000
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The IWM is a few minutes south of Westminster by bus #159. From elsewhere in London, proceed to the Lambeth North tube stop and get the same bus outside the door - or walk for 10 minutes and you're there.
"Out of the way" is in the beholder's eye.
"Out of the way" is in the beholder's eye.
#11
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If I had to pick one or the other, I would vote for Imperial War Museum. As a world war two buff, the museum was the highlight of my first visit to London in 2001. And if you really have time (My wife is rolling her eye's right now!) the Imperial war museum Duxford is just as good or better. It's an old R.A.F. airfield with a great display of vintage aircraft and land weapons - great displays of German, Russian, and British tanks! Also the American exhibit hall is a beautiful building and excellent exhibit. Have a great trip and enjoy whatever you see!
#13
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The cabinet war rooms are of much more general interest - esp to only a mild history buff. The Imperial War Museum is really more for those who have a true love of military history (I had trouble after about 45 minutes - and I love history).
I would do the former together and then the latter by yourself while your wife does somethig she would prefer.
I would do the former together and then the latter by yourself while your wife does somethig she would prefer.
#14
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 309
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Although I haven't been to the other, The Churchill Museum was a real treat for me, mainly because you are there, right in the underground place walking through the hallways and past the rooms where Churchill and his cabinet members bunked during the air raids. They even have the sounds of sirens from loudspeakers, so you really get a sense of how it must have felt. The rooms have been carefully decorated from old pictures to appear the same as they did during the war. It was an unique experience and I was very unhappy that my husband didn't accompany me on this trip because he would have really appreciated this experience.
#15
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,472
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Count me among those who have done the Cabinet War Rooms/Churchill Museum and loved it (but who have not been to the IWM.) I don't consider myself a big WWII buff but I agree with lincasanova and Dottee that it is incredible to be in the actual rooms where the British government operated during the Battle of Britain - some rooms were untouched after the war.
My husband is a huge fan of the Imperial War Museum, and I intend to visit it on a future London trip.
My husband is a huge fan of the Imperial War Museum, and I intend to visit it on a future London trip.
#16
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 19,000
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
An absolutely thrilling WWII underground site is RAF Uxbridge, where a principal Battle of Britain Operations Room has been restored to its appearance on 15th September, 1940 - the day the tide of battle turned.
Here's a page describing the Room
http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/u/uxbridge/
And here's a map to the site:tinyurl.com/3anhep
Here's a page describing the Room
http://www.subbrit.org.uk/rsg/sites/u/uxbridge/
And here's a map to the site:tinyurl.com/3anhep
#17
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 910
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
With WWII being your main interest, visit the Cabinet War Rooms. It really is fascinating, even for those who may be less enthusiastic about military history. I took a few high school girls who didn't seem much interested initially, and they loved it. It does have a real general appeal.
Please post back after your trip and let us know your decision. Have a great time in London!
Please post back after your trip and let us know your decision. Have a great time in London!
#19
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 747
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
An interesting thread. I've never bothered to visit the Cabinet War Rooms in my various London visits; while I have an interest in military history (including owning and reading all six volumes of Churchill's WWII history), my military museum interests tend more towards hardware and battlefields. Maybe I'll have to break down and do it next time (I think the commercialism of the brochures tended to turn me off).
IWM I can definitely recommend highly. It's a bit out of the main tourist circuit, but not out in the suburbs or anything. It's one that I will visit again.
IWM I can definitely recommend highly. It's a bit out of the main tourist circuit, but not out in the suburbs or anything. It's one that I will visit again.
#20
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,057
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Plus, on the way to the IWM you will pass a nondescript house bearing a blue plaque, identifying it as the former home of one Capt. William Bligh, of some notoriety.~>>>>>
You will also pass the old offices of the London Necropolis Railway.
You will also pass the old offices of the London Necropolis Railway.