One of the many odd things about London is the lack of tube stations/ trains on the south side of the Thames. Instead, we have to take trains and buses. In the tube you maybe have to wait 5 minutes for a train to arrive whereas the trains in South London come much less often (more like 15-20 minutes): Similar, but not the same as the tube.  The Oyster card luckily works for all of them.

 

So for this weeks adventure- I went south of the river! A bit dangerous and unheard of for someone who’s living in the North.

 

Dulwich Picture Gallery

 

The building was designed specifically to hold an art collection.  The collection was actually offered to Parliament for ‘the Nation.’ They declined to take it- although they would later take the collections that founded the British Museum and the National Gallery.

 

 

The building was designed by the eminent architect of the day- Sir John Soane (his home is actually a museum as well!).  The museum is pretty small and manageable to visit.

 

 

Its collection is of European paintings and decor from the 16th century onwards.  They’ve got a selection of Dutch, English, Italian, French and Spanish Masters. So you can see works by Rembrandt, Velasquez, Poussin, and Reynolds among many other big names.

 

 

It’s lovely to visit for a nice relaxing hour or two.  The museum features rotating special exhibitions (I didn’t go to see the current one).  The surrounding grounds are nice to stroll through.

 

---

Rating: 3/5

Pros: This is a unique version of an aristocrats painting collection, it’s a nice small size, lovely cafe, nice shop, friendly staff, lots of seating area

Cons: The labelling is for each piece but doesn’t put the collection in context, it’s a bit far out (although that could be a pro!), not the best for kids