For a great family day out – completely for free – head to east London. Only a small stroll separates a couple of great museums, a park and city farm.
There’s stacks of toy nostalgia by the pram-load at Bethnal Green, at the Young V&A (Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9PA; 020 8983 5200; open daily 10am-5.45 pm; vam.ac.uk/young). Formally the V&A Museum of Childhood, a branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the UK’s national museum of applied arts, a major revamp in 2023 has transformed it from what was always a great museum into a treasure trove of exhibits, events and activities to stimulate creativity, curiosity and ingenuity for visitors. Some exhibitions have an admission charge.
It is just a short walk to another excellent free museum, The Museum of the Home (136 Kingsland Road, E2 8EA; 020 7739 9893; open Tues-Sun and bank holiday Mons 10am-5pm; museumofthehome.org.uk). it contains fascinating reconstructed room displays showing homes from before 1600 to the present. Formally known as the Geffrye Museum, it had a major refurbishment and reopened in 2021 with considerably more exhibition space. It also has temporary exhibitions, art installations, guided tours, and events including workshops, family fun days, film screenings and performances.
Between these museums you can stroll around Haggerston Park (Yorkton Street, E2 8NH; hackney.gov.uk/haggerston-park). Facilities include a children’s play area, football pitch and a BMX track.
Adjoining the park is Hackney City Farm (la Goldsmith’s Row, E2;
020 7729 6381; open Tues-Sun 10am-4.30pm; hackneycityfarm.co.uk). Residents include pigs, calves, goats, sheep, a donkey, ducks, chickens, rabbits and other small animals and birds.
If you go on a Sunday, wander around nearby Columbia Road Flower Market (columbiaroad.info). As well as its famous flower market from 8am to 3pm, where the road is packed with endless plants and punters, and stallholders all shouting out their wares and competing ferociously with each other, it has around 60 independent shops selling anything from antiques to vintage clothes and artworks, jewellery and gardening goods – a window shopper’s delight.
