The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & Unnatural History is a unique museum (and bar) in London, offering a bizarre and fascinating collection of oddities, from shrunken heads to taxidermy. Here’s why this quirky hidden gem by The Last Tuesday Society is a must visit.
London has an absolute plethora off oddball and quirky places to visit, but one of my favourites has to be the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities. Based in Hackney, this eclectic private collection-meets-absinthe bar is not for the faint hearted but is absolutely a must visit for anyone who is a fan of the dark and macabre.
At The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities you’ll find both a bar and museum. The first floor bar, The Absinthe Parlour, offers a range of curious cocktails surrounded by dark and pecular decor. The Absinthe Parlour was opened in 2016 by Allison Crawbuck & Rhys Everet, who have gone on to launch the UK’s first Absinthe distillery: Devil’s Botany!
Even if you’re visiting just for the Museum of Curiosities, I’d highly recommend grabbing a drink in The Absinthe Parlour first (if even just for dutch courage!). Enjoying a drink here is more like an experience, one that allows you to prepare for the curiousites below and reveling in the eccentric atmosphere around you. It really helps set the scene for what comes next.
Once you’ve enjoyed a tipple, it’s time to descend the gold winding staircase into the basement and into the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities.
(If you’re feeling brave enough, you can even take your beverage downstairs with you and enjoy a drink with a skeletion in the aptly named Sarcophagus Chamber…)
All About The Last Tuesday Society & The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities
The Last Tuesday Society is an eccentric cultural organisation founded in 1873 by by William James and brought to London in 2006 by Viktor Wynd and David Piper. Initially established as a platform for avant-garde events, art exhibitions, and surreal parties, the society quickly became known for its celebration of the bizarre, the eccentric, and the unconventional. Its events often blend art, performance, and lectures on obscure topics, attracting a community of like-minded individuals interested in the strange unusual.
The museum first opened as an art gallery and curiosity shop in 2008 by Viktor Wynd. Back then it was called Viktor Wynd’s Little Shop of Horrors! Overtime, the idea of a curiousities shop changed and evolved into something more than just that.
In 2014, the society expanded its vision by creating The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & Natural History in Hackney. The museum embodies the society’s ethos, housing a collection of oddities and artifacts that defy traditional categorization. The Last Tuesday Society continues to host events and workshops, fostering a space where the strange and the macabre are embraced and explored.
Unfortunately I have yet to attend a live event but I have tuned into many of their online zoom lectures. I last watched a fascinating lecture on haunted houses in the UK with Lena Heide-Brennand, which gave me lots of inspiration and places to add to my list!
Inside of The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities
There is so much to see inside The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities! Museum departments include mummified fairies, mermaid skeletons, occult objects, surrealism artefacts and much more. I’d be here forever if I listed everything (and that absolutely spoils the fun!).
Many events and exhibitons take place at the museum, all focused around bizzare, fascinating and magical subjects and studies, such as witchraft, herbalism, mixology and much more. Viktor himself often offers guided tours of the museum.
Read more: Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein in Bath
So as you can see, The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities is so much more than just a bar and museum.
If you enjoy anything curious, oddball or weird, you will absolutely love this museum. The collection is forever being added to and with many events taking place within the parlour too, it’s definitely the place you can return to time and time again without getting bored. If I lived in London, I would be there all the time for the different events and workshops.
The Need-To-Knows
The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities is a small but mighty museum. There’s so much to see and discover there, so I’d definitely allow at least two hours to explore it fully and enjoy a drink in The Absinthe Parlour.
Admission to the museum is just £10.00, but you can book discounted tickets on Thursdays. You can also grab discounted tickets at £6.00 with pre-existing bar reservations, which I absolutely recommend doing. Enjoying a drink in the bar before (or after!) your visit to the museum really adds to the experience.
Entry to The Absinthe Parlour is free, but reservations are strongly recommended.
Under 18s are allowed in the museum when visiting with a parent or guardian before 5pm – but personally I don’t feel it’s quite suitable for children or that they would enjoy/appreciate all the weird and wonderful exibits.
Artefacts on display include taxidermy, erotica and dead people (human skulls, shrunken heads, dead babies in bottles), so do keep that in mind when visiting yourself. It might not be for everyone!
That being said… I do think that The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities is the perfect date spot. It’s quirky, it’s fascinating and it’s sure to impress your date.
Definitely discover more about The Last Tuesday Society and learn more about the many events and exhibitions they run throughout the year too. From scrying workshops to palm readings, there are a plethoroa of events to experience. You can also become a Patreon for just £5 a month to gain access to past zoom lectures (which are so fascinating – I’ve watched many!) and support The Last Tuesday Society.
The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities
www.thelasttuesdaysociety.org
11 Mare St, London E8 4RP
£10.50 per adult
The museum is closed on Mondays and bar reservations are strongly reserved. Whilst walk up tickets are available for the museum, it’s worth checking online first as it’s often used for events. There are toliets on site and the bar serves light bites and bar snacks. The closest tube station is Bethnal Green.
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