February 23 is 'Work Your Proper Hours Day' organised by the TUC. It's all about getting Britain's army of office workers away from computer screens and out into fresh air. 24 Hour Museum is pleased to present a lunchtime trail around the city.
February 23 is 'Work Your Proper Hours Day' organised by the TUC. It's all about getting Britain's army of office workers away from computer screens and out into fresh air. To give you somewhere cultural to eat your sandwiches, 24 Hour Museum is pleased to present ten lunchtime trails in cities around England.
Before you get out into the fresh air, just to remind your colleagues where you are off to, and why you are going, why not use this desk reminder, specially designed by the Work Your Proper Hours Team at the TUC?
Download the sign, print it out, fold it in half and plonk it on your desk one way round whilst you're away at lunch. Simply switch it round at the end of the day to show you're off on time.
The British Museum
It may seem an obvious choice, but when was the last time you visited the British Museum? Worth a visit alone for its spectacular Sir Norman Foster designed geodesic dome in the Great Court, the museum's collection is one of the world's finest - enough to keep you going for weeks.
The magnificent Great Court at The British Museum. © David Prudames/24 Hour Museum.
National Portrait Gallery
Of course, the National Gallery is another world class collection, but just around the corner the National Portrait Gallery has less crowds and is also well worth a visit. With portraits of everyone from Horatio Nelson to Ian Botham, it also boasts a wonderful view from its top floor cafe.
Museum of London
Over in the heart of the City, the Museum of London explores the history of the metropolis. Its new medieval gallery traces its fortunes from the departure of the Romans to the reign of Henry VIII.
Guildhall Art Gallery
Also in the financial quarter, the Guildhall Art Gallery boasts many famous Victorian paintings among its collection and, in its basement, houses an extraordinary legacy of the city's Roman past - the remains of an ampitheatre.
Tate Modern
It may be over the river, but Tate Modern is still accessible to many City workers, and even if you're pressed for time it's worth popping in to see what the latest installation is in its gargantuan Turbine Hall.
Sir John Soane's Museum
In the heart of London's legal quarter, Sir John Soane's Museum is a real treasure, packed full of rare paintings, antiquities, prints and drawing and artworks of every kind, created at the start of the 19th century. The building's rich interior and the magical layout of the works is an attraction in itself.
Hunterian Museum
Also at Lincoln's Inn Fields is the Hunterian Museum, based at the Royal College of Surgeons and charting the development of medicine and the medical profession from the Guild of Barber Surgeons to the present day.
Wallace Collection
The Wallace Collection is located on Manchester Square, just a few streets from Bond Street tube in the West End. It features one of the best collections of 18th century French paintings, porcelain and furniture in the world, a fine selection of 17th century artworks and a large armoury.
Tate Britain
Just a short walk from Victoria station and the heart of Westminster, Tate Britain is a perennial favourite. Whether you are searching for classic landscape artists, the romanticism of the pre-Raphaelites or provocative contemporary art, it showcases the best of British art.
