10 Alternative Museums in London that Only Locals Know

The Sherlock Holmes Museum is the first of its kind dedicated to the fictional detective and is home to a plethora of artefacts and recreations. You'll find numerous exhibits from famous Sherlock Holmes adaptations and entire recreations of scenes from the 1984 television series. Within the museum, you'll find designated rooms that existed in the fictional world of Sherlock Holmes, including the titular character's sitting room and laboratory and Dr Watson's room. You'll find it all on Baker Street, just a few steps away from the tube station and The Regent's Park.

The London Canal Museum details the history of the numerous canals throughout the city along with the people who made their living upon them. Numerous displays showcase the important role of the canals in the Industrial Revolution, as they essentially made the entire ordeal possible. When you visit the canal museum, you can take a ride in a boat on some days, but you can always see the preserved display boat up close to learn what they were like. You can see the living quarters among these boats, as traders truly made these waterways their home. Learn all about it right along Regent's Canal in Islington.

The Cartoon Museum is home to more than 5,000 books and 4,000 comics all related to the history of cartoons in Britain, including caricatures, comics and animation. The display within the museum is constantly changing, as only 250 exhibits are on display at a time, but they always manage to capture the heart of British cartoons. When you visit the museum, you'll be surrounded by the biting wit that showcases the spirit of British humour and social commentary. You can see it for yourself by heading either northeast from Oxford Circus Underground or southwest from Goodge Street, as the museum is virtually in the middle of those 2 stations.

The Cinema Museum explores the history of film and showcases all aspects of the art, including the necessary equipment, the history and iconic contributors, like directors and actors. Among the collection, you'll find all sorts of items relevant to film production, including film projectors and early films, with 1 dating back to 1899. The building itself is connected to film history, as it includes what was once the home of the famous silent film-era actor Charlie Chaplin. You'll also find period-appropriate items for old cinemas, like chairs and ushers' uniforms. See it all for yourself just west of St Mary's Churchyard in Lambeth.

Dennis Severs' House is a unique museum that works to capture what life would be like for a family of Huguenot silk weavers from the 18th century. Denis Severs was the owner of the house, and during his tenure in the late 20th century, he meticulously crafted each room to act as a time capsule. Thanks to the work of Severs, you can take a trip to the past with a visit to this house. Be sure to give it a try in Spitalfields, just a short distance northwest from the Elder Gardens.

The Fan Museum is the first of its kind in the world, offering an extensive collection of hand fans and featuring murals, a pond and a fan-shaped parterre. Inside the museum, you'll find more than 4,000 fans from all over the world, with the oldest dating back more than 1,000 years. Most of the collection comes from the 18th and 19th centuries when fans were especially popular in Europe. Some of the fans are particularly interesting, such as the one with a built-in repair kit and one with an ear trumpet. You can see it all for yourself by the northwestern corner of Greenwich Park.

The Freud Museum is located in the former home of the Sigmund Freud and boasts a massive collection of artefacts that once belonged to the famous psychologist. Among the collection, you'll find extensive pieces of furniture from the 18th and 19th centuries along with a few Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities. One of the most iconic pieces in this museum is Freud's legendary psychoanalytic couch. You'll also find a portrait that was painted by Salvador Dali. See it all for yourself in South Hampstead, a short distance northeast from Finchley Road station.

The Kirkaldy Testing Museum showcases the history of quality testing for materials and engineering designs, which was done mostly by seeing how much force could be applied before items broke. The star of the museum is the Kirkaldy testing machine itself, which has a range of functions, including compressing, bending, crushing, shearing and additional functions designed to create stress. When you visit the museum, you can learn all about the history of this machine and the wide variety of tests it has conducted. Visit around 2 pm, and you may even be able to see the machine in action. You'll find it a short walk from the Southwark station.