Imperial War Museum

Located in the stately 1815 building that once housed the Bethlem Royal Hospital for the insane (aka Bedlam), the Imperial War Museum holds an important collection of twentieth-century art, much of it officially commissioned during WWI and WWII. In addition to examples of the machinery of war, official communications, manuscripts of war literature and other, more personal artefacts from the conflicts of the twentieth century, there are two exhibits - the Blitz and the Trench - which attempt to bring the experience of war to life for visitors fortunate enough not to have experienced it. The Holocaust Exhibition is a permanent exhibition that bears witness to the Nazi persecution of the Jews and other groups before and during WWII (not recommended for under-14s). The Children's War examines WWII through the eyes of British children, and family events are a regular part of the Imperial War Museum programme.