Does anyone know any good gallerys in bristol uk?

THE ARCHITECTURE CENTRE
Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA, open Tue-Fri 11am-5pm, Sat-Sun 12noon-5pm, admission free. Ffi: 0117 922 1540, www.architecturecentre.co.uk
鈥?Set up to promote architecture and 鈥渆xcellence in all aspects of the built environment鈥? there鈥檚 always something interesting going on here, with regularly changing exhibitions, workshops and talks, and plenty of food for thought about the way we live in the spaces we live in. The centre鈥檚 small shop is brilliant - full of design/innovation-led gifts, jewellery and toys that you鈥檙e not going to find anywhere else round these parts, plus loads of big books with lots of pictures in (of buildings, mostly). Worth a look if you鈥檙e stuck for birthday-present ideas for smart kids (and grown-ups).



ARNOLFINI
Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA, galleries & bookshop open daily 10am-8pm (galleries close 6pm Thurs), admission to galleries free; phone or see website for performance and other events. Ffi: 0117 917 2300, www.arnolfini.org.uk
鈥?A much-loved (and sometimes much-derided by the call-that-art-my-rottweiler-could-paint-... brigade) local institution which was in the forefront of the revival of the harbourside from civic disgrace to very desirable real estate. The 鈥楩ini is one of Britain鈥檚 leading centres for contemporary arts, with galleries and performance spaces and a cinema which tends to show art/independent movies. Also very trendy cafe/bar. Well worth a visit as it鈥檚 always got something provocative going on.



AT-BRISTOL
Anchor Square, Harbourside, Bristol BS1 5DB, open 10am-5pm Mon-Fri in term-time, 10am-6pm Sat, Sun, BHMs and during school holidays, 2007 admission 拢9 adult/拢6.50 age 3-15, concessions/拢26 family. Ffi: 0845 345 1235, www.at-bristol.org.uk
鈥?Built a few years ago, mostly with Lottery money, this place is now firmly established as one of the leading family attractions in the South West. The problem, however, is that you can鈥檛 keep up something as worthy as this without some kind of subsidy, and the place has lived a hand-to-mouth existence ever since. Earlier this year the IMAX cinema and the Wildwalk nature education centre sadly closed. BUT鈥?We can be sure that the main attraction, Explore-At-Bristol, is still very much in business. This is a hands-on science centre that encourages visitors to play with stuff, push buttons, pull levers and generally mess around, in order to learn about scientific and technical principles. There are more than 170 exhibits to get round - and possibly more if the place ends up incorporating things from Wildwalk - and it鈥檚 all great fun for visitors of all ages. Don鈥檛 miss the walk-in womb. (Actually, it鈥檚 hard to miss the walk-in womb.) There鈥檚 also a very full programme of extra events and workshops, mostly aimed at kids, and usually with something interesting going on every day during the school hols, so it鈥檚 often best to phone or check the website to get the most out of your visit. There鈥檚 also a rather nifty Planetarium (it鈥檚 that big silver ball you can see in Millennium Square) offering a seasonal guide to the night sky several times a day, admission free with
a ticket to Explore.


BATH POSTAL MUSEUM
27 Northgate St, Bath BA1 1AJ, open Mon-Sat 11am-5pm, admission 拢3.50 adult/拢3 senior & B&NES residents/拢1.50 child/拢10 family (also gives unlimited admission for rest of year). Ffi: 01225 460333, www.bathpostalmuseum.org
鈥?Recently relocated from its previous site to underneath Bath鈥檚 main post office, this small but perfectly formed place should not be missed out when you鈥檙e busily taking in all the big attractions in Bath. For Bath, you see, played a leading role in the development of the British postal system, and this place uses a range of museum pieces (you鈥檝e got to love those lacy Victorian Valentine cards!), as well as state-of-the-art interactive electronics to trace the history of 4,000 years鈥?worth of communications.



BLAISE CASTLE HOUSE MUSEUM
Henbury Rd, Henbury, Bristol BS10 7QS, open Sat-Wed 10am-5pm, admission free. Ffi: 0117 903 9818, www.bristol.gov.uk/museums
鈥?A wonderful, and frankly rather undervalued, museum of domestic life in bygone Bristol. Displays include children鈥檚 toys and board games, cooking ranges, baths, toilets, wash-tubs, fireplaces, etc. If you鈥檙e visiting in a family group, make sure you bring the grandparents along to explain the full horror of life as it was lived before the days of microwave ovens, ensuite bathrooms, washing machines and central heating. This place offers what鈥檚 probably Bristol鈥檚 best free-of-charge family day out, as it鈥檚 surrounded by the massive expanses of Blaise Castle Estate (400 acres), and there鈥檚 a very good playground next to it, too.



BRISTOL BLUE GLASS
Unit 7, Whitby Rd, Brislington, Bristol BS4 3QF, open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm, Sun 10am-4pm, shop admission free, tours of glass factory 拢3 adult/拢2 concs. Ffi: 0117 972 0818, www.bristol-glass.co.uk
鈥?The world-famous Bristol Blue Glass has been made in the city since the 17th century, but in recent years the brand has undergone a major revival. Now you can visit the factory and its visitor centre for free, and browse around the shop, which offers what it reckons is the largest selection of glass (blue and otherwise) in the South West. Of course, the beautiful blue stuff is the star of the show, and it鈥檚 a hot favourite with Bristolians looking for gifts for special occasions or wanting to send presents to Bristolians-in-exile. You can watch the work going on on the factory floor from a viewing platform
and look around the small but excellent set of museum and
glass technology displays. Hint: best to visit on a very cold day,
not a hot one.



BRISTOL CITY MUSEUM & ART GALLERY
Queens Rd, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1RL, open daily 10am-5pm, admission free. Ffi: 0117 922 3571, www.bristol.gov.uk/museums
鈥?Bristol鈥檚 main museum, with good collections on local geology, local prehistory, local and world wildlife, a bit of local history and a very good cross-section of paintings for a bit of a crash course in art history, with a side-order of lots of work by Bristol School artists. Oh, and a nice arrangement of rocks by local boy Richard Long as well. There鈥檚 also a large collection of stuffed animals, some of which are looking a bit frayed nowadays. Everyone鈥檚 favourite bit, the fascinating Egyptology collection, with mummies and everything, should be re-opening again this year in a nice new state-of-the-art display and interpretation space. Bristolians tend to take this place for granted, but it鈥檚 extremely well run and has lots of regularly changing temporary exhibitions, plus plenty of talks and holiday-time children鈥檚 activities. Look out also for the Sunday Fundays - the first Sunday of each month is given over to children鈥檚 activities, usually based around one of the museum鈥檚 current exhibitions. There鈥檚 also a restaurant/caf茅 and the souvenir shop has a good collection of local historical material, including books and posters.


BRITISH EMPIRE & COMMONWEALTH MUSEUM
Station Approach, Temple Meads, Bristol BS1 6QH, open daily 10am-5pm, admission prices from 23 Apr 拢7.95 adult/拢6.95 senior, student/拢3.95 age 5-15/拢19.95 family, under 5s free. Ffi: 0117 925 4980, www.empiremuseum.co.uk
鈥?Housed in Brunel鈥檚 original railway station, this is the first dedicated museum of Britain鈥檚 imperial past and subsequent de-colonisation. When it first opened, this was kind of a taboo subject, which the education system fought shy of tackling, but it鈥檚 now starting to come into its own. This place tackles it in a way that鈥檚 accessible and very kid-friendly without ever lurching into blimpish nostalgia or whining political correctness. The main exhibition is a walk-through, with lots of interactive fun, telling the complicated story of Britain鈥檚 overseas empire and the independent nations that succeeded it. There鈥檚 an exciting programme of events, ranging from school holiday fun stuff for kids through to serious historical, political and intellectual discussion. Last year it hosted a packed debate about whether or not Bristol should apologise for the slave trade which made national headlines. This year being the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade, it hosts a major exhibition about the trade called 鈥楤reaking the Chains鈥?which runs from 23 April to the end of the year. Admission to this is free with admission to the museum. At the back of the museum is a very serious academic resource, with vast amounts of historical documents and tapes in the vaults. It鈥檚 not the most accessible of places to visit by car (though a limited number of spaces are available in the car park behind the station at weekends), so go by bus. Better still, go by train - if you live in Bristol, there鈥檚 the wonderful, cheap (and generally very reliable) Severn Beach suburban line to use.



BRUNEL鈥橲 SS GREAT BRITAIN
Great Western Dockyard, Gas Ferry Rd, Bristol BS1 6TY, open daily 10am-6pm Apr-Oct, 10am-4.30pm Nov-Mar, admission 拢10.50 adult/拢8 concessions/拢5.50 child/拢29 family. Tickets entitle holder to unlimited return visits for one year. Ffi: 0117 929 1843, www.ssgreatbritain.org
鈥?Well, here she is. Probably Bristol鈥檚 leading tourist attraction, festooned with awards and quite right, too. The world鈥檚 first great ocean liner, and the forerunner of all modern ships, the ss Great Britain, was designed and built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in Bristol. Not only was she the first iron-hulled ship, she was also the first big steamship to be driven by a screw propeller (rather than paddles). The most successful of Brunel鈥檚 ships, she led a long and thoroughly useful career, ending up as a storage hulk on the Falkland Islands before being brought home in 1970 to end up once more in the very dock in which she was built. Since then, she鈥檚 undergone a long, slow process of preservation and restoration and last year鈥檚 Brunel 200 celebrations saw the completion of some pretty dramatic improvements. If you鈥檙e a visitor, see her now. If you鈥檙e a long-term Bristol resident and haven鈥檛 been to see her lately, do it now. You will be amazed and delighted at the way she鈥檚 been brought back to life. There鈥檚 now a dehumidification chamber around her hull to stop it rusting away; the roof of this is made of glass and has a couple of inches of water on it, giving the impression that she鈥檚 afloat once more. You can actually walk under it and get up close to the hull. On board, there are mannequins, sights , smells and sounds to tell the stories of some of the people who travelled on her as you walk around with your personal audio-guide, and last year also saw the unveiling of the replicas of her vast Victorian engines. You can look all over her, from the massive engine room to cramped cabins, the Promenade Deck and the sumptuous First Class dining saloon. There鈥檚 also a new Dockside Museum alongside the ship itself, which invites visitors to step back in time through the ship鈥檚 history and test their skills on giant interactives. From May there will be the new 鈥楻iggers鈥?Yard鈥? showing the history of the ship鈥檚 masts.
If all this isn鈥檛 enough, you鈥檒l find the Matthew will also be in residence on most (but not all) days, moored in the docks next to the ship. This is the replica of the tiny ship in which John Cabot and his crew of stout-hearted Bristolians ventured forth in 1497 to discover Newfoundland, and thus discover America (there are other claimants to this honour, but they鈥檙e all wrong). The replica was built to mark the 500th anniversary of Cabot鈥檚 voyage, and is well worth a look. Matthew also takes people on cruises of the docks (see Trains, Boats & Planes section)... Now try to picture yourself crossing the storm-tossed Atlantic, not knowing where (or even if) you鈥檇 see land again, in this tiny little thing. And then wonder at the amazing courage of Cabot and his crew. Think I鈥檒l stick with the docks cruise, thanks.


THE BUILDING OF BATH MUSEUM
Countess of Huntingdon鈥檚 Chapel, The Vineyards, The Paragon, Bath BA1 5NA, open Tue-Sun & BHMs 10.30am-5pm, admission 拢4 adult/拢3.50 senior, student, unwaged/拢2 age 6-16. Ffi: 01225 333895, www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk
鈥?Honest, this museum is a lot more fun and interesting than it sounds, and if you鈥檙e serious about trying to understand Bath and how it got here, then this place, alongside the Roman Baths, is the only real must-see in the city. Using models, maps, paintings, reconstructions and interactive electronics, it looks in detail at why Bath was built, and how it was done. That鈥檚 everything from types of stone and brick, down to how rooms were decorated and furnished. Perhaps most interesting are the bits where it tells you about the interaction of social standing, morality and manners with architecture and design. If you live in a period house yourself, you鈥檙e also going to find it fascinating. Most of the stuff is there to be touched and picked up.



CHELTENHAM ART GALLERY & MUSEUM
Clarence St, Cheltenham GL50 3JT, open Mon-Sat all year 10am-5.20pm (opens 11am first Thur of each month), closed Sun & BHMs, admission free (but donations welcome). Ffi: 01242 237431, www.cheltenhammuseum.org.uk
鈥?There are plenty of good reasons to visit Cheltenham, but this is one of the best. Features an impressive collection of 17th- and 18th-century British and Dutch paintings. Also an excellent British 20th-century paintings collection with work by the likes of Vanessa Bell, Paul Nash and that troubled individual who seems to fascinate more with each passing year, Stanley Spencer. It鈥檚 pretty unusual to see such a good selection of British art going into the 1950s and 60s in a provincial museum. Star attraction is the superb and well thought-out and displayed collection of Arts & Crafts movement furniture and design, whose only rival is that at London鈥檚 V&A. An essential reference for anyone interested in English taste. This year the museum marks its centenary with a number of special events and exhibitions.



COLERIDGE COTTAGE
35 Lime St, Nether Stowey, nr Bridgwater, Somerset TA5 1NQ, open Thur-Sun 2-5pm from 1 Apr-30 Sept, admission 拢3.90 adult/拢1.90 child. Ffi: 01278 732662, www.nationaltrust.org.uk
鈥?This small, austere place is where STC moved with wife Sara and son Hartley in 1797 when the poet鈥檚 fortunes were approaching destitution. It鈥檚 also where he got some of his best work done, including 鈥楾he Rime of the Ancient Mariner鈥? 鈥楩rost at Midnight鈥?and, of course, 鈥楰ubla Khan鈥? blaming the visitor from Porlock for disturbing his muse. The small museum includes a fair bit of Coleridge memorabilia, pictures, manuscripts, a lock of the man鈥檚 hair, his sword and inkstand, and very enthusiastic National Trust attendants of course. Of course, it鈥檚 a tribute to the enduring fan-base Coleridge has that this place can stay in business at all. It鈥檚 not worth the pilgrimage from Bristol/Bath unless you鈥檙e an STC fan. Or if you decide to explore this beautiful, remote and very undervalued part of west Somerset.



CORINIUM MUSEUM
Park St, Cirencester, Glos GL7 2BX, open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun & BHMs 2-5pm, admission 拢3.90 adult/拢2.90 senior/拢2 child, student/拢9 family. Ffi: 01285 655611 www.cotswold.gov.uk/go/museum
鈥?Corinium being, of course, the Roman name for Cirencester which, back in the day, was one of the most important towns in Roman England (one reason for its prosperity was that the local tribe, the Dobunni, were a bunch of collaborationist stooges who surrendered to the Roman invaders before they even arrived and appear to have reaped a lot of rewards for doing so) and which even now lies at the centre of a web of Roman remains. This is a very fine museum reopened a couple of years back after a major refurb. For the most part, it showcases the history of the area from Roman to medieval times, accompanied by some of the vast wealth of archaeological finds from the area. It鈥檚 also very good with children, with lots of interactive fun stuff. Everyone鈥檚 favourite bit seems to be 鈥淢rs Getty鈥? an Anglo-Saxon woman who was buried nearby along with an opulent collection of grave goods; a model of her reconstructed head is now one of the museum鈥檚 star attractions.



FRANKIE HOWERD MUSEUM
Wavering Down House, Webbington Road, Cross, nr Axbridge, Somerset BS26 2EL, 2007 opening days: 17, 18, 31 Mar; 1, 8 Apr; 6, 7, 26, 27, 28 May; 9, 10, 16, 17, 30 June; 1, 15 July; 4, 5, 25, 26, 27 Aug; 22, 23 Sept, 10.30am-4.30pm, 拢5 adult/拢2.50 child. Ffi: 01934 732013 www.gardengourmets.co.uk (click on 鈥榃avering Down Garden鈥?
鈥?The detached house and gardens of the late comedian and actor Frankie Howerd OBE have been preserved as he left them. In the gardens you can see the fig tree presented by Sir Winston Churchill or pay your last respects at the burial place of - titter ye not! - Frankie鈥檚 wig. The house contains thousands of Frankie鈥檚 possessions, including pictures of him with all his showbiz pals and some real curiosities, such as a fossilised egg from Pompeii presented to him by the Italian government after he made the movie 鈥楿p Pompeii鈥? With any luck, this year will also see showings of some little-seen film footage of Frankie that was recently discovered in an old suitcase in the attic. Proceeds of the open days go to local charities and you can also have cream teas on the lawn. It also hosts a father鈥檚 day gig with the Wurzels (17 June) and an Opera in the Garden event on 4 August, again with proceeds to local charities.



THE GEORGIAN HOUSE MUSEUM
7 Great George St, Clifton, Bristol BS1 5RR, open Sat-Wed 10am-5pm, admission free. Ffi: 0117 921 1362, www.bristol.gov.uk/museums
鈥?鈥楧eceptively large鈥? as estate agents would say. It looks like no big deal on the outside, but inside it鈥檚 vast. In the 1790s, this was the home of West India merchant John Pinney, a man who made his pile in sugar, from plantations in the West Indies worked by slave labour. He retired here to become one of the local great and good, once he鈥檇 made his fortune, and among his retinue was a young black man named Pero (now memorialised in the form of the distinctive horned bridge in the harbour, which has been named after him). So the house has two functions - to show what a wealthy Bristol home of the 1790s would look like (including an amazing plunge-bath in the basement and the servants鈥?quarters), and to house exhibitions on sugar and slavery. It鈥檚 a huge space and hardly ever gets swamped with visitors, and one can鈥檛 help wishing that the city鈥檚 museums service had the money to make something more of it.



HAYNES INTERNATIONAL MOTOR MUSEUM
Sparkford, nr Yeovil, Somerset BA22 7LH, open daily 9.30am-5.30pm, admission 拢7.50 adult/拢6.50 concs/拢4 age 4-15/拢9.50 (1 adult + 3 children)/拢22 (2 adults + 3 children). Ffi: 01963 440804, www.haynesmotormuseum.com
鈥?You know all those manuals that show you how to tinker with the engine of just about any car? Well, some of the Haynes Manual fortune got put to very good use in building up one of the best collections of old cars (over 300 of them, plus about 50 motorbikes) in Europe. Now obviously, this place is petrolhead heaven, what with all those Daimlers, Bentleys, Jags, Rollers, Aston Martins, etc, but if cars leave you cold and Jeremy Clarkson is one of your major hate-figures, think again for a minute... Love 鈥榚m or loathe 鈥榚m, cars have been an intimate part of everyone鈥檚 lives for a long time, and this place is as much about nostalgia as it is about drooling over chrome. Most visitors find the workaday old cars that we, our parents and grandparents used to drive round in, much more interesting. New attractions this year include lots of fun stuff for kids: a play area, driving arcade games through the ages, a go-kart track and 鈥淪uper Diggers鈥?- miniature JCBs with which you can dig holes and shift sand. The museum also hosts a busy calendar of events through the year, including stunt shows. Well worth the visit.



HOLBURNE MUSEUM OF ART
Great Pulteney St, Bath BA2 4DB, open Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-5pm, closed Mon except BHMs, admission charges vary according to exhibitions, but typical adult admission is 拢4.50, admission free for children, students and Bath University staff. Ffi: 01225 466669, www.bath.ac.uk/holburne
鈥?One of the best museums in the area, and certainly one of the finest collections of 18th-century art (from Bath鈥檚 apogee as a resort of the rich) in the country. It鈥檚 also got an excellent education and outreach programme, with loads of fun/improving events for kids and adults all year round. The building itself is impressive and dignified, and does a good job of making the links between art and society in Bath鈥檚 golden age. Collection includes paintings by the likes of Turner, Stubbs, Zoffany and, of course, Gainsborough. Charming and tiny tearoom in the grounds. Phone or see website for details of temporary exhibitions.



JANE AUSTEN CENTRE
40 Gay St, Bath BA1 2NT, open daily 10am-5.30pm (shorter hours in winter), admission 拢6.50 adult/拢4.95 senior & student/拢3.50 ages 6-15/拢18 family. Ffi: 01225 443000, www.janeausten.co.uk
鈥?One of the oddest local phenomena in recent years has been the rise and rise of Bath鈥檚 Jane Austen industry, which now, in a statistic we鈥檝e just made up, accounts for 98% of the city鈥檚 gross domestic product. It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen detested Bath, thinking its upper-crust inhabitants shallow, silly and/or snobbish. And her whole family was traumatised when her aunt was falsely accused of shoplifting. Nonetheless, she lived here for a couple of years, and two of her novels - 鈥楴orthanger Abbey鈥?and 鈥楶ersuasion鈥?- are partly set in Bath. So if you鈥檙e getting all these tourists passing through, then a Jane Austen museum is probably a good idea. The building has no direct connection with her (though she did briefly live in the same street for a few months in 1805). The centre also runs walking tours of Austen鈥檚 Bath and helps to organise the annual Jane Austen Festival (this year, 21-30 Sept - see www.janeaustenfestival.co.uk). You can also get yourself photographed in period costume, so if you fancy yourself as Elizabeth Bennett or Mr Darcy, they鈥檒l sort you. You can also visit the Regency Tea Rooms for Austen-themed refreshments. This summer they鈥檒l also be featuring a big exhibition based on the ITV production of 鈥楶ersuasion鈥?



THE EDWARD JENNER MUSEUM
Berkeley, Glos GL13 9BN, open Tue-Sat & BHMs 12.30-5.30pm, Sun 1-5.30pm from 1 Apr-30 Sept, admission 拢4.25 adult/拢3.50 senior & student/拢2.50 age 5-18/拢10.85 family. Ffi: 01453 810631, www.jennermuseum.com
鈥?Edward Jenner, the man who pioneered smallpox vaccination, always shunned the limelight. He preferred to spend most of his career as a simple country doctor, living at this house in the shadow of Berkeley Castle. It鈥檚 well worth a look if you鈥檙e in the vicinity, as it鈥檚 not just about Jenner鈥檚 life and times, but also aims to promote a greater understanding of the science of immunology.



KINGSWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM
Tower Lane, Warmley, Bristol BS30 8XT, open Tue, Sun & BHMs 2-5pm from May-Sept, with shorter hours in winter, admission 拢1.50, or 拢2 for museum & grounds tour which takes place on the second Sunday of each month, BHM admission is 拢2.50. Under-12s get into all events free. Ffi: 0117 960 5664, www.kingswoodmuseum.org.uk
鈥?It looks a bit rough around the edges, but this is one of the most interesting and undervalued museums in the region, done by the people and for the people. Nothing in the area comes nearly as close to bringing you into contact with the start of the Industrial Revolution in Bristol, and nothing comes as close to showing you the lives of ordinary working people. It鈥檚 a huge, ramshackle building tracing Kingswood鈥檚 astonishingly rich industrial history from 18th-century zinc smelting to pin making, motorcycles, copper, shoes and more. Where else can you see a 1930s newsreel of the Kleeneze brush factory and then look at a typical working class living room of the 1950s? The derelict building was taken on by local community activists a few years back, who have turned it into living proof of what a few determined souls can achieve with precious little in the way of funding. If that鈥檚 not enough, go on a day when they鈥檙e offering guided tour of the amazing grotto - built with the by-products of the zinc industry - and the acres of grounds out the back, originally the estates of the 18th-century Quaker industrialist who started it all. Since Kingswood is also the home of the Douglas motorcycle (the first made 100 years ago this year), it hosts a rally of Douglas enthusiasts from around the world every Spring Bank holiday at the end of May. A marvellous place that deserves Lottery millions lots more than some we could mention, and one of the Days Out Guide鈥檚 favouritest museums in the world.



KINGS WESTON ROMAN VILLA
Long Cross, Lawrence Weston, Bristol BS11 0LP. Ffi: 0117 922 3571
鈥?One for serious students of ancient history - the remains of a prosperous Roman Villa discovered when the Kings Weston housing estate was being built in the late 1940s. You can inspect the remains of the baths, the underfloor heating system and what鈥檚 left of what were once pretty impressive mosaics. To visit, collect a key from the Blaise Castle House Museum, which is open Sat-Wed from 10am-5pm, or phone the above number.



MUSEUM OF BATH AT WORK
Julian Rd, Bath BA1 2RH, open daily 10am-5pm from 1 Apr-1 Nov, weekends only in winter, admission 拢4 adult/拢3 child, senior, student/拢10 family. Ffi: 01225 318348, www.bath-at-work.org.uk
鈥?This charming, slightly eccentric place is the perfect antidote to the surfeit of twee age-of-elegance heritage stuff that Bath exudes in order to relieve the tourists of their cash. The fact is, for every big shot who鈥檚 ever lived in the city, there was an army of regular working stiffs like thee and me. This museum traces the surprisingly large range of local industries, from gas to stone, construction, cabinet making, dockside-crane manufacture, cars, fullers earth and - oh yes! - Plasticine. As it鈥檚 based in the premises of Victorian engineer J.B. Bowler, who made a small fortune selling what back then was called 鈥榓erated water鈥? it also prides itself on being able to tell you the history of fizzy drinks. New for this year (from May) is a gallery entitled 鈥楲andscapes and Livelihoods鈥?which looks at the relationship between working life and the landscape in and around the city and which will be tied in to a programme of guided walks and events through the summer.



MUSEUM OF COSTUME (FASHION MUSEUM) & ASSEMBLY ROOMS
Bennett St, Bath BA1 2QH, open daily 11am-5pm to Oct 31, shorter hours in winter, admission 拢6.75 adult/拢5.75 concs/拢4.75 age
6-16/拢19 family, Joint Saver ticket also gives admission to Roman Baths 拢13.50 adult/拢11.50 concs/拢8 child/拢38 family (2 adults + up to four children). Ffi: 01225 477785, www.museumofcostume.co.uk
鈥?Right, can鈥檛 tell you too much about what it鈥檚 going to be like this year since over the spring and early summer it鈥檚 undergoing a massive refurb and a change of name to The Fashion Museum. Its predecessor, the Museum of Costume was/is pretty good though, with a permanent collection showing the history of fashionable dress from the last few hundred years. Plus regular special exhibitions. Even hairy-chested chaps who profess no interest whatever in clothes find the place more interesting than they anticipate. Your visit has the added bonus that, as long as there aren鈥檛 any functions going on, your ticket gets you into the splendid Assembly Rooms, where the creme de la creme got together in days of yore for such racy pursuits as dancing, card-playing and tea-drinking.



MUSEUM OF EAST ASIAN ART
12 Bennett St, Bath BA1 2QJ, open Tue-Sat & BHMs 10am-5pm, Sun 12noon-5pm, closed Mon, admission 拢4 adult/拢3.50 senior/拢3 student and children aged 12+/拢1.50 ages 6-12/拢9 family. Ffi: 01225 464640, www.meaa.org.uk
鈥?A rather unusual place, this, with a fabulous collection of art treasures from China, Japan, Korea and south-east Asia, dating from around 5000BC to the present day. Four permanent galleries, plus a fifth for temporary exhibitions. Also boasts a lively programme of talks, workshops and activities ranging from martial arts classes to academic lectures about art and history, plus an excellent range of fun activities for kids. Like all self-respecting museums, it has a gift shop, but, unlike a few we could mention, this one is really worth looking through, with some gorgeous pottery, textiles and jewellery from all over east Asia, as well as the usual cards and books. Regular temporary exhibitions; the big one over this summer will be 鈥楤atik Transitions 鈥?From Classic to Contemporary鈥? courtesy of the British Batik Guild.



NATURE IN ART MUSEUM
Wallsworth Hall, Glos GL2 9PA, two miles N of Gloucester on A38, open Tue-Sun & BHMs 10am-5pm, admission 拢4.50 adult/拢4 over-60s & ages 8-16/under-8s free. Ffi: 01452 731422, www.nature-in-art.org.uk
鈥?A museum with a difference - a whole load of artworks (paintings, sculptures, ceramics, etc), gathered from different eras and different parts of the world, but all on the theme of animals/nature. There are some pretty famous names here, too, including Picasso, Dali, Scott, Combes, Shepherd and Audubon. It also has a big programme of art courses and school holiday events. Lots of regularly changing exhibitions and artists-in-residence. Big events this summer include a major exhibition focusing on nature in the Polar regions, and a big outdoor display of forged metal sculpture by around 15 different artists.


NO 1 ROYAL CRESCENT
1 Royal Crescent, Bath BA1 2LR, open Tue-Sun 10.30am-5pm to end of Oct, shorter hours in winter, admission 拢5 adult/拢4 senior, student/拢2.50 age 5-16/拢12 family. Ffi: 01225 428126, www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk
鈥?The Royal Crescent, designed by John Wood the Younger in the 1760s, is now reckoned to be one of the finest examples of 18th-century urban architecture, and No 1, which doubles up as the HQ of the Bath Preservation Trust, has been lovingly and meticulously restored to the sort of grandeur it would have boasted when it was built. Only materials available in the 18th century have been used in the restoration, and it鈥檚 also furnished in period style. The Duke of York (as in son of George III, as in 鈥極h the Grand Old...鈥? lived here for a while, you know.



NORTH SOMERSET MUSEUM
Burlington St, Weston-super-Mare BS23 1PR, open Mon-Sat 10am-4.30pm, admission 拢3.90 adult/拢2.85 senior, accompanied children free. Ffi: 01934 621028 www.n-somerset.gov.uk/museum
鈥?Quite a neat little place, this, with displays on the history of North Somerset/Weston from prehistoric times to the present. Includes a mock-up of a Victorian dentist鈥檚 surgery, a typical Weston house from 1900, and lots and lots of stuff about seaside holidays down the ages. We also like the look of a big temporary exhibition they鈥檙e running for most of this year: 鈥楾eens Through The Time Warp鈥?- a look at the lives of teenagers down the ages.


THE RED LODGE
Park Row, Bristol BS1 5LJ, open Sat-Wed 10am-5pm, admission free. Ffi: 0117 921 1360, www.bristol.gov.uk/museums
鈥?Fascinating place, smack-bang in the middle of the city. It started out as a house in Elizabethan times but was used for all sorts of purposes ever since. Most notably, it was turned into a reform school for bad girls by social reformer Mary Carpenter, one of the most humane, decent, sensible and good-humoured of a large number of Victorian do-gooders. One of the rooms is dedicated to her work, though the real stars of the place are the Great Oak Room (with lavish oak panelling, plastered ceiling and ornate fireplace, all of them dating back to the late 16th/early 17th century) and the Elizabethan knot garden outside. If you live/work in central Bristol, you really, really ought to just drop in sometime.



ROMAN BATHS & PUMP ROOM
Entrance via Pump Room, Stall St, Bath, open daily 9am-6pm (until 9pm in July & Aug), shorter opening hours in winter, admission 拢10.25 adult (拢11.25 in July & Aug) /拢8.75 concs/拢6.50 child/拢29 family. Ffi: 01225 477785, www.romanbaths.co.uk
鈥?That鈥檚 a seriously hefty admission price you got there, Julius. But, whether you鈥檙e a resident or a visitor, you鈥檝e got to do the Roman Baths sooner or later and, to be fair, this place does a superb job of explaining what it鈥檚 all about. The baths are the whole reason Bath is here in the first place, and this is among the best-preserved Roman sites in Europe. The hot springs that bubbled up from the ground were sacred to the locals long before the Roman invasion, but it was the Romans who seriously developed Bath as a trading and religious/healing centre and, as recent archaeological research is starting to reveal, a resort for the idle rich. With the aid of those talking guide thingies that look like elongated TV remote controls, you get taken through the remains and a selection of extraordinarily vivid finds (such as the votive offerings from people calling curses down on their enemies), and out into the open air and the magnificent Great Bath. There are all the usual panels of artists鈥?impressions of Bath at the time, and it鈥檚 one of the few historic sites you come out of feeling as though you really do know more than when you went in. It boasts a dead-good gift shop, too. If you can stand the crowds, it鈥檚 especially nice to visit on one of the evenings in July or August when it stays open late and the baths are all lit up by torchlight, just as they would鈥檝e been nearly 2,000 years ago. Woo! You can also visit the Pump Rooms, built in the 1790s, to imbibe a medicinal glass of your actual Bath water should you so wish. It tastes bloody awful, mind.



ROYAL WEST OF ENGLAND ACADEMY
Queens Rd, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1PX, open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 2-5pm, admission free to New Gallery & Milner Gallery, 拢3 adult/拢2 concs/free for children to main upstairs gallery. Ffi: 0117 973 5129, www.rwa.org.uk
鈥?The West Country鈥檚 leading 鈥渆stablishment鈥?art gallery, housed in a fabulous listed building and home to one of only five Royal Academies of Art in the UK, with a very distinguished 150-year history. There are two galleries - the newer one downstairs and the main one upstairs, which houses exhibitions that change every six weeks or so, but which is closed when it鈥檚 not exhibiting. Work on show usually tends to be very accessible - phone or check the website for details of current exhibitions, or read all about it in the Art pages of Venue magazine.



SCIENCE MUSEUM WROUGHTON
Wroughton, nr Swindon, off A4361 Swindon-Devizes Rd, admission usually free when open. Ffi: 01793 846200, www.nationalcollectionscentre.org.uk
鈥?Here, in a series of massive hangars at an old WW2 airfield, is the storage facility for the National Collections of the Science Museum. And everything here is big - a whole range of things of scientific and technological interest, from the immense Lockheed Constellation airliner to early computers the size of houses, agricultural machinery, printing presses, cars and buses, and more. It鈥檚 not usually open to the public, but will be open for special one-off events over the summer, including (probably) most weekends during the school holidays, although the programme hadn鈥檛 been confirmed as we went to press. Admission is generally (but not always) free. So if you fancy a look, phone or check the website for what鈥檚 on offer. (If you鈥檙e using the website, be very careful not to stray onto the pages of the Science Museum proper in London, or you鈥檒l get rather confused). Visitor facilities are limited, so if you鈥檙e making a day out of it, bring a picnic.



SEVERN BRIDGES VISITOR CENTRE
Shaft Road, Severn Beach, Bristol BS35 4HW, open Sat, Sun & BHMs 11am-4pm to Sept, admission TBC. Ffi: 01454 633511, www.onbridges.com
鈥?A charmless grey Portakabin-style edifice topped with razor wire which includes a caf茅 and which charges admission (拢1.50 for adults last year) to see a two-room exhibition all about how the two Severn Bridges were built. The only real fun or education to be had here is the voyeuristic thrill of using a joystick to operate a CCTV camera overlooking the area. You鈥檇 think that with the gazillions they take in bridge tolls the operators could punt the charitable trust which operates this place a few quid, either for a decent centre maybe incorporating some fun stuff about bridges and engineering or free admission or preferably both.



SOMERSET RURAL LIFE MUSEUM
Abbey Farm, Chilkwell St, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 8DB, open Tue-Fri & BHMs 10am-5pm, Sat & Sun 2-5pm from 1 Apr-2 Nov, shorter hours in winter, admission free. Ffi: 01458 831197, www.somerset.gov.uk/museums
鈥?Run by Somerset County Council and with a remit to try and educate the local youth (in particular) about a whole world that鈥檚 still within living memory, but which will soon be completely forgotten. Housed in a medieval barn that once belonged to Glastonbury Abbey, this place shows what life was like on the Somerset Levels in the 19th and early 20th centuries (bloody hard, basically), much of it through displays on the life of 19th-century farm labourer John Hodges and his family. As well as displays on farming, there鈥檚 also info on peat cutting, withy growing (willow sticks for baskets), and cheese and cider making. Outside, there鈥檚 an orchard with beehives and rare breeds of sheep and poultry. It has a very busy schedule of events, particularly demonstrations of traditional crafts from the Levels, so if you鈥檙e planning to visit, phone ahead to see what鈥檚 on. Or just visit Glastonbury anyhow and make it part of the itinerary.



STEAM: MUSEUM OF THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY
Kemble Drive, Great Western Way, Swindon SN2 2TA, open daily 10am-5pm, admission 拢6 adult/拢4 senior, student, ages 5-16/拢16 (2 adults + 2 children)/拢19 (2 adults + 3 children). Ffi: 01793 466646, www.swindon.gov.uk/steam
鈥?See Trains, Boats & Planes section.



VICTORIA ART GALLERY
Bridge St, Bath BA2 4AT, open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 1.30-5pm, admission free. Ffi: 01225 477233, www.victoriagal.org.uk
鈥?Bath & North East Somerset鈥檚 biggest gallery has a very impressive collection of British and European paintings, from the 15th century to the present day, including works by Turner, Gainsborough and Sickert. A better range of stuff than you鈥檒l see in the municipal galleries of some much bigger towns, and since it鈥檚 free, what鈥檚 stopping you? Also runs regular children鈥檚 and family activities, especially during school holidays. Big temporary exhibitions for 2007 include shows of work by Maggie Hambling, Howard Hodgkin as well as the Royal Photographic Society鈥檚 150th annual print exhibition in the autumn.



WILLIAM HERSCHEL MUSEUM
19 New King St, Bath BA1 2BL, open Mon-Fri (NB: closed Wed) 1-5pm, Sat, Sun & BHMs 11am-5pm, admission 拢3.50 adult/拢3 senior/拢2.50 student/拢2 child/拢8 family. Ffi: 01225 446865, www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk
鈥?William Herschel was the 18th-century equivalent of a session musician who moved to Bath because that鈥檚 where the gigs were. He was assisted by his sister, Caroline, who worked as his housekeeper, and was herself also an accomplished musician. In their spare time, they looked at the stars... And discovered Uranus, whose name has delighted schoolboys (and many adults) ever since. It鈥檚 called the William Herschel Museum because sis insisted that he get all the credit. Caroline was a woman of formidable talents as well, becoming the first-ever female scientist to be elected to membership of the Royal Society. This small and charming museum, set in the house where this remarkable duo lived, is done out in appropriate period style, though the wonderful Bath Preservation Trust, which runs it, admits that they have no idea exactly what its interiors would have looked like at the time. It tells you all about the Herschels鈥?lives and works, and features an auditorium (the Star Vault) where you can take a virtual-reality trip through the solar system. Friendly staff, with very infectious enthusiasm. If you can鈥檛 make it to the museum, you can still visit its online gift shop, with specialist books, prints, postcards and fun astronomy stuff for kids at http://herschel.appee.com

Only one I know is at the City Museum, top of Park Street.

Try this site though as it may list some more: http://www.venue.co.uk/