Horniman Museum and Gardens Reviews Summary

General Experience

Pros:

• "Such a beautiful place and so much to see, there is something to see and do for all ages."
• "The Horniman Museum is one of our favourite places in London, and it is fantastic for children of all ages."
• "A very comfortable place to spend time with your kids."
• "Fabulous museum and gardens."
• "A great place to visit."
• "Great place for any age!"
• "This place is fun and cozy for families, couples, individuals, everybody."

Cons:

• "The school parties were a bit overwhelming but we should have realised the place is geared towards education."
• "Major downside is that it was full of children, to the extent it resembled a daycare center."
• "We felt like we were at a childcare center at times, not a museum."
• "Going on a Bank Holiday was a mistake as it was very busy and quite loud."
• "It was heaving with people and bordering on stressful. I just couldn't wait to leave the room."
• "The only critic i have are the prices in the cafeteria. It was very expensive!"
• "I found the canteen revolting. The service was dire."

Museum Exhibits and Collections

Pros:

• "Besides being free for general admission the museum offers a broad range of historical and biological knowledge."
• "A fantastic museum of natural history. We loved the aquarium and the Dinobricks."
• "Extraordinary museum! I loved the zoological displays and the ethnographic ones too!"
• "This is a very interesting museum it covers everything from Eskimos to Native American Indians."
• "The museum itself is free and has a fantastic Victorian collection of animals, musical instruments and more!"
• "The museum, which first opened in 1901, has an excellent permanent collection covering areas including anthropology, musical instruments and natural history."
• "The exhibits are well presented and informative."

Cons:

• "The revamped World Gallery is good but the natural history section could do with a refresh and new interpretation."
• "The museum is part natural history, mainly stuffed animals, which is of limited interest."
• "The Brick Dino's exhibition was... disappointing."
• "The exhibits are interesting but a little run down in places and it's confusing to have actual preserved species next to enlarged replicas."
• "The only thing that I didn't like was the dino brick, I was expecting a dinosaur exhibition and there was just a children's room with Lego."
• "Lego brick room wasn't worth the money in my view it was to basic."
• "I've always loved the Horniman but couldn't help but be a little disappointed by the price of the exhibitions."

Cafe and Dining

Pros:

• "The cafe does great coffee and there's a small food market on Sundays."
• "Ooh and the cafe. Great food."
• "The cafe is very efficient and clean and the food is one of the best in the parks and museums we’ve been to."
• "The cafe serves tasty food."
• "Delicious homemade food in the café, and very reasonably priced."
• "The restaurant was excellent."
• "A small nice cafe for refreshments."

Cons:

• "The cafe was of course londons high end prices for drinks to basic snacks. Water is free of course for all customers."
• "Slightly disappointed that the cafe has no connection with the Horniman in its offerings with a very poor quality children meal."
• "The cafe seems to have really stepped up its game in terms of options. it was quite far out of my price range otherwise i wouldve gotten something. (pretty much £5+ for anything no matter the size)."
• "Not a massive option of food, but good enough for a good meal, I vegetarian options available no halal options."
• "The cafe has a decent selection of food on the pricier side."
• "The cafe gets very busy during school hols, would be nice to have more tables somehow."
• "Also expensive for what I got."

Accessibility and Location

Pros:

• "Only a short (uphill) walk from Forest Hill station."
• "Easy to find location."
• "The walk from the train station is straight forward although uphill but manageable."
• "Great museum and gardens about 10 minutes walk from Forest Hill Railway Station."
• "Wheelchair and pushchair access all around gardens and museums have lifts."
• "Wheelchair access is very good."
• "Public transport is probably best as have to drive around to find any parking."

Cons:

• "Parking is tricky, I was fortunate to park outside one of the entrances but there is no parking on site, have to find a nearby street to park on."
• "Parts are very steep and inaccessible but on the whole it works well."
• "I only wish it wasn’t so far 😃 (I live on the other side of the river) or I would come here more often."
• "Note there was some localized flooding in the low laying areas of the park, these were roped off."
• "House is now closed for a while, so check the website if planning to see them."
• "Otherwise most of the garden is under construction."
• "They didn't have sanitary products in women toilets."

Gardens and Outdoor Spaces

Pros:

• "The gardens when completed will be an excellent addition."
• "The beautiful gardens, the incredible architectures of every single building which create this complex of knowledge, amusement and serenity."
• "Gardens are lovely, animal walk was just what I needed too."
• "The gardens are lovely and welcoming."
• "The gardens are glorious with fabulous views."
• "The gardens are looking spectaculair this time of year, with the prairie plants in full bloom."
• "The gardens are a lovely breath of fresh air with spectacular views of London."

Cons:

• "It's popular so watch out for all the kiddos, they just come running every which way."
• "The gardens have sections ideal for children as well as areas where one can relax."
• "There's also a massive walking garden where you can take the kids to run about and area where you can relax with your person."
• "The gardens are magnificent, with great views over London."
• "There are outside gardens to stroll and sit in with a lovely view of the city."
• "The gardens are really quiet. Lovely view of South London from the marquee."
• "Manicured gardens, clean tidy and a bonus of lovely weather."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "Besides being free for general admission the museum offers a broad range of historical and biological knowledge."
• "Everything else is free. Well worth a visit."
• "Although you have to pay for some things (which are reasonably priced), a lot of things are free."
• "We booked for butterfly and aquarium, both of which are value for money."
• "Become a member, £33, and exhibits are free!"
• "Free entry and only a small fee for The Butterfly House and Aquarium, both of which were great!"
• "Excellent value for money as there’s so much to do and see."

Cons:

• "Unfortunately, we had to keep paying for extra exhibitions, which soon made the cost mount up."
• "Great for the kids and adults very informative, the aquarium was a little underwhelming considering the price but that might just be a standard for London as we don't live within the borough."
• "Aquarium is obviously a bit small but still something for the kids to enjoy, this by the way you had to pay."
• "alittle pricey for small attraction but well worth doing atleast once."
• "So much so that it was better to just buy annual membership."
• "Small aquarium with frogs, fish and seahorses (Adults £4.50, kids £2.50)."
• "You have to pay for the aquarium but it's only £5 for adults and £2.50 for children."