What is it
This handsome house, built in 1776, contains an exceptional collection of eighteenth-century French furniture, paintings and objets d'art. It all belonged to the Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace and has been open to the public since 1900, with room after grand room containing Louis XIV and XV furnishings and Sèvres porcelain, while the galleries are hung with paintings by Titian, Velázquez, Fragonard, Gainsborough and Reynolds; Franz Hals's 'The Laughing Cavalier' (neither laughing, nor a Cavalier) is one of the best known, along with Fragonard's 'The Swing;. The Wallace Collection also holds frequent temporary exhibitions.
Why go
The Wallace Collection is a fantastic tour through centuries of art and design, with some of the finest examples of pre-modern painting anywhere in the world.
Don’t miss
Yes, it’s amazing to see Titians and Fragonards. Yes, it’s wonderful to get a glimpse of the Laughing Cavalier. But we all know why you’re really here: the Wallace Collection’s basement filled with medieval armour, some of which children are even allowed to try on. They frown on you making the kid battle each other, but if you’re quick they can get some good whacks in.
When to visit
Open daily from 10am-5pm, and it’s free.
Time Out tip
Manchester Gardens, right outside the Wallace Collection, is a beautiful place for a summer lunch on a deckchair right in the middle of the city.