Troves of historical
treasures—yours for free!

Britain’s Heritage Cities are filled with free museums and cultural experiences. In Bath, the Victoria Art Gallery hosts numerous exhibitions throughout the year from Gainsborough, Turner, Sickert and others, to more contemporary work in the ground-floor gallery. The Royal Museum and Art Gallery in Canterbury is housed in a magnificent Victorian building and has strong fine porcelain and art collections, including a Van Dyck painting. The Bowes Museum in Durham houses a fascinating collection of paintings assembled by industrialist John Bowes and his French actress wife, Josephine. Part of the world-famous University of Oxford, the Ashmolean Museum is the oldest public museum in the world, established in 1683. And though it’s not a museum, behind-the-scenes tours of the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford are free, and offer you a unique insight into the history of the famous theater company.