Imperial War Museum London, Park View Room

Impressive overview of the major UK battle of the last century. Especially the first World War and the Holocaust exhibits. Spent some 3 hours to see all floors around the central atrium. Free entrance and many helpfull staff. A voluntary donation is welcomed.

The IWM is split over 4+ levels, telling the British story and experience of war from WWI onwards. Entry is free (no tickets required unless for a paid tour) and visitors are greeted with an impressive entrance to the main atrium with a Harrier jet, Spitfire, Japanese kamikaze aircraft, and German V2 rocket suspended above the floor. There are a number of gift and bookshop locations across the lower two levels, and a cafe on the bottom level with a fair selection of food and drink at normal national cultural institution (tourist) prices. Staff are friendly. The exhibitions themselves only partially achieve the aim of telling the British story and experience of war through technology items (e.g weapons, uniforms, vehicles etc), storyboards, information panels, and photo and film. The limited display space necessarily constrains what can be displayed, but the feeling is that the curators have not maximised the space they have to tell the story as coherently as they could. It is a patchy experience, with some excellent displays (WWI and some WWII), and others being quite poor (Korea, Malaya, Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan). The Mk V tank in the WWI gallery, for example, is mostly obscured, and there's little to explain the significance of that model of tank, or that chassis' particular history. The same with the Sopwith Camel. There is no justification for having a Russian T34-85 tank on the bottom floor, especially because a Churchill, Matilda, Centurion, or pretty much any British tank that had seen war service would have been more appropriate. Putting large items on display with poor access/viewing and inadequate explanation is a wasted opportunity. It also just looks like the Museum is showing off what it has, but without contextualisation, it's just 'stuff'. The holocaust gallery was easily the most cogent and profound story in the museum. However, its inclusion does not tell the British story of war, which is arguably the IWM's remit. A standalone museum for the superb holocaust gallery would serve both, better. Overall, the IWM is an enjoyable enough experience, but it falls short of being the world class experience it could be. Visitors will gain some understanding of Britain's experience of war, but it is patchy, disjointed, and incomplete.