Address: 399 High St, Brentford, TW8 0DU, United Kingdom
Phone: +442085608108
Rating: 4.8
based on 125 reviews.
Interactive Experience
Pros:
"Love that you can play some of the instruments."
"Unlike conventional museums, in this one, you can play them yourself!"
"You can see the instruments, you can listen to the music they make and can even play on them!"
"We were even able to play a piano/pianola."
"The best thing is that you are shown around for an hour and a half or more and the volunteers play the instruments for you."
"This place is not just some exhibition. It’s alive! Go with the guide and all the amazing instruments will come alive!"
"We were allowed to try some of the instruments too."
Cons:
"So being rushed really ruined it for me."
"Yet we were being rushed around the tour because they had another function that night."
"We had barely been going for long and had seen approximately 30% of all the instruments."
"Excellent tour guide, very interesting artefacts, however it was cut short by an old bloke who came in and tapped his watch at the tour guide."
"Tea room however was very small for the amount of visitors for the special event."
"I only wanted to sit at the back because of an annoying screaming toddler (not in our party) ruining it for me."
"Asked on the day by tour guides to give positive reviews."
Guides and Staff
Pros:
"The staff are all friendly and welcoming and the museum holds a plethora of different instruments to enjoy."
"Roy the guide, very knowledgeable and demonstrated many of the exhibits."
"This fellow was quite humorous and so knowledgeable!"
"The tour guide was amazing, made everything super interesting."
"Our guide Edward was very passionate and enthusiastic about the tour."
"Guide Clive told us how the museum evolved and about its current purpose-built building, then demonstrated several of the instruments and machines."
"The lady in the admissions desk was lively, the cafe had really nice fresh sandwiches at good prices, and the small gift shop was interesting too."
Cons:
"The Tour Guide called two boys in the group a 'young lady' - perhaps he should watch out not to generalize gender due to looks."
"It can't be denied that guitars are seriously under-represented (they had one electric bass in a room dedicated to rock and blues)."
"Felt could do with a few more exhibits."
"A very modest museum, showing a second floor which holds one hundred and seventy people and a second floor half of that."
"Parking is limited to around 11 spaces, plus two spaces for disabled visitors."
"Lunch pleasant but had to pay for hot drinks separately."
"Having lived locally for many years, my previous impression of the Musical Museum was that it was never busy and a bit dull."
Collection and Exhibits
Pros:
"A fascinating collection of self-playing musical instruments including musical boxes, Street barrel piano, player pianos, reproducing pianos, orchestrelles, self-playing violins, domestic organs and the pièce de résistance, the Mighty Wurlitzer cinema organ in its own auditorium."
"All the mechanical musical instruments displayed made me wondered how people from 19th century came up with those fanciful ideas to create such innovative pieces."
"This museum houses a fascinating collection of mechanical musical instruments from music boxes to a Wurlitzer Theatre Organ that can be played from music rolls."
"Fascinating museum of quaint and ingenious old mechanical music makers."
"The museum is a collection of automated musical machines from about the 1700s to modern day."
"An amazing collection of mechanical music boxes and musical instruments including two violins that play in harmony."
"Amazing collection of self-playing mechanical musical machines including pianolas, gramophones etc."
Cons:
"A suggestion, to make it more interactive is to involve current times AI music generators/ devices - risking to loose the charm and function of museum, but opening / emphasising what is being done in the current age ..."
"The whole building is very modern, fully accessible and step free."
"Building is wheelchair accessible and we saw special toilets on ground floor, by entrance, and 2nd floor, where event and auditorium were."
"The lifts need to be large enough to move bulky equipment so very easily accommodate wheel chairs, walking frames etc."
"It's easy to reach with a dedicated bus stop which drops you 2 mins from it."
"A real hidden gem of London, which deserves many more visitors."
"So, whilst the entrance fee of £11 maybe surprising in a City with so many FREE ENTRY museums, you need to think of this as a paid exhibition in one of those establishments, where you'll easily pay £18.00 plus and it won't be anywhere near as exciting."