The Horniman Museum in Forest Hill is one of three London museums in the running for a national award recognising it as one of the best museums in the country for families.
The Family Friendly Museums Award, run by Kids in Museums, highlights the UK’s museums, galleries and heritage attractions that “go the extra mile” to welcome and support families visiting.
The award launched in 2004 recognises venues for various factors, from their facilities to their accessibility, with awards across five categories.
Among the shortlist announced this year, two museums in south London – The Horniman Museum in Forest Hill and the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton – are in the lineup to win awards, with the winners to be announced at a ceremony in October.
Forest Hill’s Horniman Museum is in the running, alongside the London Transport Museum and The Burrell Transport Museum in Glasgow, for the category of ‘Best Large Museum”.
First opened in 1901 and designed by Frederick Horniman, the museum showcases a massive 350,000-piece collection which specialises in anthropology, natural history and music.
The museum spans across three floors and also features other popular family attractions including a butterfly house, aquarium and their recently added Robot Zoo attraction.
There’s also an 16-acre garden and outdoor space, with a petting zoo, landscaped gardens and play areas to explore for the children.
It’s free to enter, with tickets to the additional attractions from £6.50 a person, making it a cheap day out in south east London.
Brixton’s Black Cultural Archives is in the running for the category of “Best Museum Youth Project: Social Justice”, along with Glasgow Life Museums and Wiltshire Museum.
Founded in 1981, the Black Cultural Archives (BCA) in Brixton is the UK’s first national heritage centre devoted entirely to the history and culture of people of African and Caribbean descent in Britain.
The museum was created from the former Grade-II listed Raleigh Hall after a major expansion and today features exhibition galleries, a family-friendly café, a community space and dedicated learning area.
For families the museum houses interactive exhibitions such as “Brilliant Black British Writers”, which presents information in an engaging and accessible way for children and is free to enter.
