SCHOOL IS out for summer — and so is every family, it seems. But while the big attractions can be sold out or have to queue for hours, not all potential road days are.
From viewing lawnmowers of the rich and famous to customizing the UK’s smallest house, there are plenty of quirky places to visit without the hustle and bustle of the crowds. Lee Price picks ten of the best…
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TEAPOT ISLAND: This odd exhibit in Yalding, Kent, features a collection of over 8,400 teapots.
You can buy rare ones and paint your own to take away. It also contains a cafe, which is believed to serve tea. To see teapotisland.co.uk.
CHAIR COLLECTION: The Wycombe Museum, Bucks, has a collection of chairs and furniture – a tribute to 200 years of furniture manufacturing in High Wycombe.
Lots of seating available. To see wycombemuseum.org.uk.
STREET OF SHOPS: Why go to the main street when you can go to the unusual “shopping street” of the Milton Keynes Museum?
In addition to a collection of historic storefronts, the venue also has display cases, including a Jacob & Co cookie jar. To see miltonkeynesmuseum.org.uk
THE NATIONAL GAS MUSEUM: Located in the former gatehouse of a gas works in Leicester, it claims to have the “largest collection of gas-related artifacts in the world”.
The museum tells the story of the industry, from dirty gasworks in Victorian times to a 1920s kitchen stocked with appliances. To see nationalgasmuseum.org.uk.
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SMALLEST HOUSE IN GREAT BRITAIN: Located in Conwy, North Wales, this small house was built in the 16th century.
The building, which was 3 meters high, 3 meters deep and 2 meters wide, remained in use until 1900, when the municipality declared it uninhabitable. Visit and see if you agree. To see thesmallesthouse.co.uk.
PENNY FATHING MUSEUM: Cheshire’s Courtyard Coffee House, Knutsford, is also a draw for penny farthing fans.
As the website explains, “Our passion for excellent all-day breakfasts and homemade cakes is matched only by our affection for the penny farthing.”
The collection is of the gigantic, impractical bicycles, rather than the coins it is named after. To see thecourtyardknutsford.co.uk.
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SHOES MUSEUM: Northampton Museum is home to one of the world’s largest shoe collections and has been designated by Arts Council England as of International Importance.
It has shoes from ancient Egypt. To see Northamptonmuseums.com.
BRITISH LAWN MOWER MUSEUM: This summer an exhibition of Lawnmowers of the rich and famous has been held.
Items on display include Princess Diana, Brian May and Paul O’Grady mowers.
Great for a day out in Southport, Merseyside. To see lawnmowerworld.nl
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DERWENT PENCIL MUSEUM: The website claims that this attraction is the “home of the world’s first pencil”.
Also on display at the museum in Keswick, Cumbria, are ‘secret’ World War II pencils, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee pencil and one of the largest colored pencils in the world – measuring eight meters in length. To see bit.ly/3aYQhbJ.
TOILET MUSEUM: As hordes of families descend on Staffordshire to visit the nearby Alton Towers, head to a toilet museum instead.
The Gladstone Pottery Museum in Stoke has an exhibition of toilets called Flushed With Pride, www.stokemuseums.org.uk.