Fronted by an intimidating pair of 15in naval guns and a piece of the Berlin Wall, this riveting, state-of-the-art museum is housed in what was the Bethlem Royal Hospital, a psychiatric facility also known as Bedlam. The museum’s focus is on WWI and WWII, which each have a dedicated gallery. The museum puts great emphasis on storytelling through individual testimonies, which are often as enlightening as they are poignant.
In Witnesses to War, you'll find huge remnants of war, from a Battle of Britain Spitfire and a towering German V-2 rocket to a Reuters Land Rover damaged by a rocket attack in Gaza in 2006.
The 1st-floor exhibition Turning Points: 1934–1945 takes a look at WWII through a series of poignant objects, including the casing made for the "Little Boy" atomic bomb and a trunk sent by Jewish parents to their children who had already escaped from Nazi persecution to the UK. Peace and Security: 1945–2015 on the 2nd floor dives into more recent events.
One of the most challenging sections is the extensive and harrowing Holocaust Galleries (not recommended for children under 14).
