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The 50 best museum cafes in the UK
The pioneering V&A tea rooms were designed to draw people into culture, and today such spaces offer more than just sandwiches. Felicity Cloake introduces some of our favouritesAt museums and galleries, the tourist imperative is often to tick off as much as possible, racing around desperately rather than setting aside the equally important time to take stock of it all over coffee and cake. But as well as being a respite from noisy school groups and other people’s opinions, these spaces serve other functions, too; a well-executed example draws people in in its own right, as Henry Cole, founding director of the V&A, was the first to realise.Cole hoped his refreshment rooms, which opened in 1868, would encourage people to come in and enjoy some culture while they ate. The tradition continues to this day. Build it, add a decent cafe, and they will come … and they may even stay to check out the exhibitions. The best examples, like the Garden Cafe at Hospitalfield in Arbroath or the Open Kitchen Cafe at the People’s History Museum in Manchester, work to give you a sense of place, using local ingredients and recipes. Continue reading...
The pioneering V&A tea rooms were designed to draw people into culture, and today such spaces offer more than just sandwiches. Felicity Cloake introduces some of our favourites
At museums and galleries, the tourist imperative is often to tick off as much as possible, racing around desperately rather than setting aside the equally important time to take stock of it all over coffee and cake. But as well as being a respite from noisy school groups and other people’s opinions, these spaces serve other functions, too; a well-executed example draws people in in its own right, as Henry Cole, founding director of the V&A, was the first to realise.
Cole hoped his refreshment rooms, which opened in 1868, would encourage people to come in and enjoy some culture while they ate. The tradition continues to this day. Build it, add a decent cafe, and they will come … and they may even stay to check out the exhibitions. The best examples, like the Garden Cafe at Hospitalfield in Arbroath or the Open Kitchen Cafe at the People’s History Museum in Manchester, work to give you a sense of place, using local ingredients and recipes. Continue reading...
