Imperial War Museum

The story

Founded while the First World War was still being fought, the museum stands on ground once occupied by Bethlehem Royal Hospital, known as Bedlam. Its Central Hall gathers guns, tanks and aircraft alongside the wreckage of a Reuters Land Rover from the Gaza Strip, while the rest of the ground floor holds First World War galleries of more than 1,300 weapons, uniforms, diaries, keepsakes, films and artworks. New Second World War and Holocaust galleries opened in 2021 after six years of renovation. The Holocaust galleries on the second floor tell individual stories through some 2,000 photos, letters and personal objects. Temporary exhibitions fill the third floor, the Blavatnik galleries cover art, film and photography, and the fifth-floor Lord Ashcroft galleries display the world's largest collection of Victoria Crosses. Talks and festivals range from Britain's Black airmen to the ethics of drone warfare.