Photo: londondrum.comUseful things to know before your visit
Address: Design Museum, 224-238 Kensington High Street, Kensington W8 6AG. Telephone: 0203 862 5900. Website: designmuseum.org
How much do the tickets cost?
The Design Museum is free, but temporary exhibitions might cost extra.
What are the opening hours?
Opening times are 10am to 5pm (Mon-Thu); 10am to 6pm (Fri-Sun).
How much time do you need?
A typical visit to the Design Museum takes 45 to 60 minutes.
Which buses go to the Design Museum?
Bus routes 9, 10, 27, 28, 49 and C1 all stop close by.
Which is the closest train station?
The nearest station is High Street Kensington, which connects with the Circle and District lines. You can walk the ⅓ mile to the Design Museum in about 6 minutes.
Which other attractions are nearby?
Here are two attractions within 15 minutes walk of the Design Museum: Sambourne House and Leighton House.
Twitter 
Facebook 
WhatsApp 
Email My review of the Design Museum
The Design Museum is like a cross between the Victoria & Albert Museum, Science Museum and a big branch of IKEA, covering everything from furniture and fashion to art, architecture and graphic design.
Photo: londondrum.comThe outside looks a bit drab but the inside is all pine wood balconies and walkways wrapped around a downstairs atrium where you’ll find the temporary exhibitions (the ones you have to pay for). If you’re just here for the free stuff then head upstairs to their permanent collection.
Photo: londondrum.comThe exhibits are all 20th-21st century so they’re not particularly old, and you’ll find yourself looking at a display case of teacups and teapots, then a podium of seats, stools, lamps and lights, and a cabinet filled with spoons (teaspoons, dessert spoons, plastic spoons) – not amazingly great spoons, I hasten to add – but totally normal spoons. Like the ones you have in your kitchen drawer at home. That’s what this museum is like. You’re not supposed to be wowed by the individual objects – you’re just looking at the evolution of their design.
Photo: londondrum.comThings get a lot more interesting when you reach the electronics section because it turns into a trip down memory lane with all the gadgets you had as a kid…Casio calculators, Sony Walkmans, the very first PlayStation, the very first iPod, those day-glo Mac computers, flip phones, rotary phones, cameras and camcorders… right back to typewriters and transistor radios.
They’ve got an old BBC Micro (I remember that from school), a ZX Spectrum (played on that), Game Boys (always wanted one of those), those 3.5-inch floppy disks that you’ve probably still got stuffed down the back of your cupboard at home.
Photo: londondrum.comImagine if you stumbled across a boarded-up branch of Rumbelows from 1982 – that’s what the Design Museum is like.
It’s all very interesting if you remember these objects from your youth, but the problem is there’s not a lot of it. If you’re only here for the free stuff then you don’t need much more than 45 minutes. If you have a cup of tea in the nice restaurant afterwards then you can probably drag it out to an hour.
London Squire guidebook – Check out my guidebook available to buy at Amazon, Apple and Kobo. I’ve personally visited 210 London landmarks, attractions and hotels and collected all of my reviews, example itineraries, handy practical info, and advice about using the buses and trains into an eBook, along with 675 original photos
Need some more ideas? Browse events in London today, the best things to do in London this weekend, events in London this week, what’s on in London this month and things to do in Kensington
What do you think? (4)
Ask a question, or share your experience of the Design Museum
Ong How far to walk from train station? (reply)
Craig Hi Ong. It’s just a straight walk from High Street Kensington station down Kensington High Street. From memory it takes about 5 minutes, maybe a tiny bit more. (reply)
Bev Is it free? (reply)
Craig Hi Bev. The main gallery is free but you have to pay to see their special exhibitions. (reply)
Leave a comment (no need to register)
Forum - Landmarks, Attractions & Events