The Wallace Collection Reviews Summary

Collection & Exhibits

Pros:

• "The best private collection of European works of art that I have ever seen - paintings (French, Dutch, British, Italian etc.), furniture, arms and armour."
• "An absolute gem. An incredible art and armour collection."
• "Huge collection of paintings and sculptures, free visit (UK National Museum) and temporary exhibitions too."
• "The museum has an extensive collection of Old Master paintings by Rubens, Rembrant, Canaletto, and many other famous European painters."
• "A really superb collection of paintings, furniture and porcelain."
• "Mind blowing art collection, so many treasures!"
• "The collection contains the type of items that you would expect to see in the national gallery or the British Museum."

Cons:

• "Several hours could be spent at The Wallace collection. It is seriously a huge and very impressive collection. hundreds and hundreds of items in each categories. It is impossible to remember everything. Too many."
• "The new Portraits of Dogs exhibition is a bit small, but I really enjoyed it."
• "One particular staff member kept staring at me and then targeted me by telling me not to get too close to the furniture when in fact I was only standing and wasn't near the furniture."
• "The only minus point is the signage. The name of the painting and the artists is located on a frames, which in many occasions is difficult to read, due to height placement on the wall or lighting."
• "There were a Disney exhibit that was short and didn't really worth the price we paid."
• "The armoury is closed off for refurbishment right now."
• "However, it was very busy and difficult to view some of the Portraits, lack of consideration for the number of people been let into the gallery."

Location & Accessibility

Pros:

• "Only a short walk from Bond St station, cross the street, down James St, about 5-7 mins then left on Hinde St and you come to Manchester Sq."
• "Very well located in the heart of the city."
• "Great location in the west end."
• "Very easy walk from the Bond Street underground station."
• "It is literally in the heart of London and the admission is completely free of charge."
• "It's in the heart of London a short walk from Regent street."
• "The nearest tube station is Bond Street Station, but it is definitely walkable from both the Baker Street and Oxford Circus tube stations."

Cons:

• "One is torn between admiring the lovely objects and art, and fighting the sense this collection represents the former owners' insatiable acquisitiveness."
• "Bear in mind, though, that one of their most famous works, The Swing, is on a ticketed exhibition at the moment."
• "A usual, you're turfed out at five o'clock like a piece of trash."

Facilities & Services

Pros:

• "The cafe is wonderful especially during winter since it feels like being outdoors."
• "The toilets (free to use) on the lower ground level are kept clean. They are unisex single cubicles."
• "There is lift access to all floors and a very nice Atrium Caffè on the ground floor."
• "The café in the museum was looking cosy."
• "The tea room in the courtyard serves a lovely afternoon tea for the full ‘British’ elegant nibbles and tea experience."
• "The cafe offers excellent and reasonably priced food."
• "There is also a Caffe locally within the building to have a break if needed."

Cons:

• "Additionally, the service at the Cafe was extremely and painfully slow."
• "The biggest issue was the price, even for a posh part of London the price for a mediocre ream tea was astronomical."
• "The 'English breakfast tea' was served in a cast iron teapot complete with metal handle that was far too hot to pick up."
• "The service was slow and while there were lots of waiters they were uninterested in refilling our drinks or even asking how the food was."
• "The massive disappointment was the very poor service in the cafe."
• "Unfortunately, the culinary experience did not match the aesthetic appeal."
• "Had lunch in the beautiful Cafe courtyard, but the menu selection was limited and the food was less than average and over priced."

Staff & Security

Pros:

• "The guards are helpful, knowledgeable and willing to share when asked."
• "Staff members were friendly and helpful."
• "Staff were also super helpful."
• "Staff were great. I didnt go with children but they seem child friendly with activities for them listed on the website."
• "Staff is helpful, they have good knowledge, very friendly."
• "The best thing about this place is the staff, all genuinely passionate about the works and very informative."
• "The staff are friendly, and the giftshop has so many beautiful prints, books and clever little items based on the artworks around the collection."

Cons:

• "One particular staff member kept staring at me and then targeted me by telling me not to get too close to the furniture when in fact I was only standing and wasn't near the furniture."
• "Staff were nice but it did feel like at times that we were being followed around."
• "The only downside I would mention is that the museum staff in front of the museum as you enter, was not friendly and helpful."
• "The staff in most room at the time of my visit were staring at us in a way that made us feel watched and uncomfortable."
• "One was a little aggressive in her approach, she almost jumped at me as I was trying to take a picture."
• "One of the staff is really rude to do his job, being unrespect to viewers and start yelling in front of the people."
• "Worse thing was the security guard here. He farted a couple times (I am not joking) and it was disgusting, stinking and totally inappropriate."