Which Museum Membership is Right For You?

Everyone needs at least one museum membership in London. A relaxed day of an exhibition followed by a members room every couple of weeks makes the investment very worthwhile. Get a ‘plus one’ membership and someone can join you on these excursions. What’s more, a fifteen pound entry fee to an exhibition can make you feel pressured to make the most of it, when in fact a well-curated exhibition is best enjoyed almost by osmosis. Drift through knowing you can come back again for free, rather than reading every caption and examining every artefact. Which museums offer a real deal for regulars and which card will be an annoying reminder in your wallet of just how few times you’ve been this year?

The Victoria and Albert Museum

The members room at the V&A feels somewhat like a cupboard- rather disappointing for a museum of decorative arts. Nevertheless, there is a pleasing mezzanine and space for a private baguette unlike the big, crowded tables of the main cafe. You also recieve a 10% discount here. The room is accessed through a door matching a mirrored wall in the glass section. Although this would be much more fun if they removed the ‘members room’ sign so as to create a secret door.

They have an excellent array of exhibitions with more than one to see at once and an excellent gift shop.

Science Museum

Remarkably, the Science Museum does not offer membership since it does not have a regular rotation of exhibitions. Thus when they attempted a scheme, take up was limited.

 

Barbican

The great thing about a Barbican membership is it covers all the many aspects of this strange complex born out of a forward thinking 1950s outlook. This means member offers on cafes and restaurants, free exhibitions, 20% off cinema tickets and discount music and theatre. All these including access with plus one to the members room is just £50. The ‘membership plus’ is £105 but there seems little benefit here.

The British Museum

What really makes a museum membership is the member’s room. It’s somewhere you can go that other people can’t. But it’s not elitist- if they want to come in they just need to donate the same £60 to the worthy cause. This room looks out onto the Great Court and has a cafe.

The obvious point of note here is it is a British Museum membership, meaning archaeological and ethnographic treasures. So don’t expect the variety of exhibitions available at other institutions if you don’t like marble, corroded metal and broken pots.

The Natural History Museum

This is a self-consciously weaker membership since the ‘gift membership’ seems to place great emphasis on the elegant envelope it comes in. Priority access seems a worthy reason given the queues often formed but for £61 this seems steep.

Tate

This museum membership starts at a hefty £70, but then you get four museums included! The Tate Modern members room literally tops them all with a penthouse-style room overlooking the Thames. It can feel quite pillbox-like with the slit windows high above the seats but at least cards are checked so Dave’s aunt’s dogwalker can’t walk in. Not that we would mind, but they should pay the same. The two grand Tate museums of London have much to offer, but should you travel you can use the same card for Liverpool and St Ives.

Royal Academy

At £97 per year, this grand institution is quite a steep membership but includes a family guest plus one to all exhibitions. You can also attend talks and events. The Keeper’s House is the members room here but above is one of London’s top members rooms- the Academician’s room. Named the ‘bacon room’ for it’s distinctive walls, this is a proper members club with a fee and application process to match- £330+ £240 joining fee. This bar makes a unique place to relax alongside artistic elite.

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