Days Out: The Horniman Museum

A hidden gem tucked away in southeast London, the Horniman Museum is a wonderful place for families. It has a dedicated Butterfly House, aquarium and galleries focusing on natural history, world cultures, and musical instruments. 

We have been spending a lot of time at the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill lately. A hidden gem tucked away in the hills of southeast London, the Horniman Museum is a wonderful place for families. Admittedly, I have never been to this museum until we were house hunting in the local area some years ago. As such, our friends graciously offered to show us around her new neighbourhood. We instantly fell in love with the views of London from Horniman’s famous bandstand.

Forest Hill Neighborhood

Forest Hill, a neighbourhood often overshadowed by its upmarket and genteel neighbours, such as East Dulwich and Dulwich Village, has a lot going on these days. The neighbourhood is popular with young families thanks to excellent primary schools and local parks including One Tree Hill, Blythe Hill and Mayow Park. With no shortage of green spaces, there’s no reason not to get outdoors if you live in Forest Hill. A bit shabby chic, the main commercial hub around Forest Hill station is a quirky mix of cafes, pubs, independent books and gifts shop.

Exploring Horniman Museum

As parents with a young toddler, the Horniman Museum is our default place to go for a family-friendly outing in the local area. The museum is not huge, but the perfect size for young children and their short attention span. The main galleries include:

• Natural History Gallery comprises of taxidermied animals from dodo birds to monkeys; from orangutans and kangaroos.
• The dedicated World Gallery celebrates cultures from around the globe with interesting mix artefacts and clothes.
• The Music Gallery showcases musical instruments from all corners of the world including a guitar on loan from Ed Sheeran. 

As part of the museum, there is also a beautiful Butterfly House, a small aquarium, and Animal Walk with alpacas, goats, rabbits and chicken all to keep the little ones entertained.

Furthermore, the gardens of Horniman is a magical place, especially on a beautiful sunny day. Families can enjoy numerous outdoor activities across Horniman’s 16 acres of landscaped and wild green space. There is a short half-mile Nature Trail running parallel to the museum; Sunken Garden where plants change seasonally; Sound Garden featuring several hands-on giant-sized instruments; a bandstand with a view; and a gorgeous Meadow Field where furry family members can run off lead.

Sunday Farmer’s Market 

We love coming to the Horniman Museum on a Sunday morning during the weekly Farmer’s Market. We would arrive for a morning coffee at the Horniman Cafe, then leisurely peruse through the collections, and finally a stroll through the farmer’s market for artisan bread, cheeses, and seasonal fruits and vegetable. To cap off our day, we would stroll down to Forest Hill station for a brunch at our favourite cafe, Canvas & Cream, or one of the quirky pubs such as the Sylvan Post for a Sunday roast. It’s the perfect Sunday with the family if you ask me!