A cheap and action packed day for the kids is on hand at The Design Museum and Holland Park. The nearest tube stations are Earl’s Court and Kensington High Street.
The Design Museum
I hadn’t been to The Design Museum since it moved from the South Bank to its new location in Holland Park in West London.
It’s an impressive modern building – with sculptures and fountains outside (great for those hot summer days we were promised) – and two shop areas where thoughtfully selected design items – including ranges for children - are available. There are cafes too if you need a refreshment break.
The interior is tall, wooden and airy. I particularly liked the seating benches on the stairs. I managed to catch one of the last days of the free Cartier in Motion exhibition and there were two other exhibitions where you must pay an entrance fee.
But the top floor – containing lots of interesting spaces and themes and colourful items attached to the walls – is free access and the kids there seemed to love it. There were displays on classic designs (explain a typewriter to a small person!) as well as more contemporary ideas such as the Internet of Things and the use of words.
The wonderful Leighton House Museum – with its amazing Islamic tile designs – is only a few minutes away. But it’s unlikely that many kids will be too excited about an Alma Tadema exhibition although I really enjoyed it.
https://designmuseum.org/
Holland Park
The Design Museum is located on the edge of the park which offers lots of wide open green spaces for running around as well as an adventure playground, sports facilities, a giant chess set and a café.
I was particularly impressed with the Kyoto (Fukushima) Garden – a delightful ornamental pond complete with ducks, peacocks, large koi and a stone bridge just in front of a waterfall. It certainly evoked memories of my time at Happo-en Gardens in Tokyo.
There’s also an ecology centre in the park. I didn’t have time to visit but it seems that they offer a number of activities (most of them are free but need to be booked) and the small mammals and bat walk looked interesting.
https://www.rbkc.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/parks/holland-park
