Wallace Collection

This handsome house, built in 1776, contains an exceptional collection of eighteenth-century French furniture, paintings and objets d'art, as well as an amazing array of medieval armour and weaponry. It all belonged to the Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace and has been open to the public since 1900, with room after grand room containing Louis XIV and XV furnishings and Sèvres porcelain, while the galleries are hung with paintings by Titian, Velázquez, Fragonard, Gainsborough and Reynolds; Franz Hals's Laughing Cavalier (neither laughing, nor a Cavalier) is one of the best know, along with Fragonard's The Swing. The Wallace Collection has a permanent area where children can try on armour and also holds frequent temporary exhibitions. Regular events include the chance for children to explore the Wallace Collection and take part in artist-led workshops.