Time travel

There are more than 3000 museums, galleries & heritage sites in the UK that'll take your group just about anywhere you want to go...

If you still equate museums & galleries with the dull depositories you remember from childhood, then it's time to take another look.   Thanks to millennium cash awards, many of England's museums & galleries have undergone spectacular makeovers over the last few years.

            Some of the old rules you might remember have changed, too.   "Look-don't-touch" has gone right out the window at Carlisle's Old Tullie House, where you can actually try on Roman clothes.   And at Leicester's National Space Centre, you can find out if you're mentally & physically fit to voyage into outer space.

            When it comes to fine art, you'll find that England has the world at its doorstep.   Literally.   Cutting-edge artists from the Netherlands & China are exhibiting at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham right now; & for first-class homegrown talent, you should consider the award-winning Henry Moore Institute in Leeds.

You can check out www.enjoyengland.com for more information & useful links.   Of course, we've got plenty of ideas about places to visit ourselves, so keep reading...

From the Baroque splendour of Cartwright Hall Art Gallery to the intimacy of Ilkley's Manor House, Bradford's museums & galleries are among the finest in Yorkshire - & you can count on free admission wherever you decide to go.

            Specialist museums like Bradford Industrial Museum & Keighley's Cliffe Castle Museum bring the district's history & heritage to life, while interactive exhibits at the Brackenhall Countryside Centre provide good examples of art imitating nature.

Bradford's education team runs regular workshops & special events for schools & groups, & they're always happy to help you make the most of your visit.   Call them on 01274 431212 or go to www.bradfordmuseums.org.

In the late-19th century, John Bowes & his wife JosŽphine designed a French-style chateau to house their expanding art collection.   More than 100 years later, the Bowes Museum includes some of the best examples of fine & decorative art in the UK, with works by Goya, El Greco, & Canaletto.

            To keep things fresh, the permanent collections are complemented by a busy exhibition programme.   Until 29 April, you can see Fine & Fashionable: Lace from the Blackborne Collection.   The exhibit's perfectly suited to the museum: John & JosŽphine were pioneers in the field of textiles, & their collection included all of the textile techniques & European centres of production from the 15th to 19th centuries.

Besides the collections & exhibitions, the museum has its own bistro, shop & garden - everything you need for a pleasant day out.   Call 01833 694615 for further details & group bookings.

Like the Bowes Museum, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts in Birmingham was founded by a private collector.   In 1932, Dame Martha Constance Hattie Barber established the institute as a tribute to her late husband Henry, a Birmingham property developer.

With major works by some of Europe's most influential artists - including Rubens, Gainsborough, Turner, Rossetti, Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Rodin & Magritte - the Barber's a sort of National Gallery for the Midlands.   And it's got the awards to prove it, too.   In 2004, The Good Britain Guide named it art gallery of the year, & more recently, Britain's Best Museums & Galleries guide counted it among "the best small picture galleries in the country".   You can find out more at www.barber.org.uk.

Less than five minutes from the Barber, you'll find another haven for the arts at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.   This autumn & winter, Birmingham-born artist Patrick Hughes brings the largest-ever UK exhibition of his 3-D paintings & prints to the gallery following a hugely popular show in 2002.

            With Hughes' work, seeing is disbelieving.   Doors magically open & close as you walk past them, & walls seem to move.   If you fancy challenging your brain as well as your balance, check out Superduperspective until 11 February.  

            For something completely different, you might want to browse the Gas Hall from 21 October.   That's when the Goldsmiths' Company brings a rarely-seen collection of contemporary, British-made silver to the gallery for an eight-week stint.   Treasures of Today includes more than 100 pieces by 50 British silversmiths, ranging from imposing centrepieces & candelabra to cups & napkin rings.

            Two other exhibits will support Treasures of Today.   TEN celebrates ten years of the Association of British Designer Silversmiths with new pieces of work by 40 of its members.   The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery will also showcase its permanent collection of contemporary silver for the first time as a comprehensive display.

Treasures of Today runs until 14 January, & admission's free.   See www.bmag.org.uk for further details or try 0121 464 8887.

About ten miles outside Birmingham, glass is the medium of choice at Red House Glass Cone in Stourbridge.   Glass cones were a common sight in Dudley & Stourbridge in the 19th century, but today there are only four left in the UK.

            Built around 1790 & standing over 30 metres tall, Red House Glass Cone's the most complete example of a chimney-cum-glassmaking-house in Europe.   It's remained virtually unchanged since it was first built, so you get a real sense of what a glassmaker's life was like more than 200 years ago.

            Groups can choose between a number of tour options - & coming up to Hallowe'en, we recommend the ghost tour.   Spooky!   There's also glassblowing demonstrations, different exhibitions, a Stuart Crystal factory shop, a museum shop, & a tearoom.

            Packages & rates depend on the number of people in your group, so make sure to book in advance.   Ring 01384 812750 or go to www.redhousecone.co.uk.

Another good spot to do a bit of time travelling is Beamish open-air museum in County Durham.   Underground mining tours, lessons at the village school, & trips on period tramcars bring to life the 19th & early-20th centuries in north-east England.

            In the last few months, Beamish has introduced two new attractions: a Masonic temple in the 1913 town, & Puffing Billy, a working replica of William Hedley's 1813 locomotive.

            The Masonic temple was originally built in Sunderland in 1869 & has been brought to Beamish & rebuilt exactly as it was in 1913.   Inside you'll learn about Freemasonry in the region nearly 100 years ago.   And you can take a ride on the first-ever commercial steam locomotive   - otherwise known as Puffing Billy - until 29 October.   While the town & tramway at Beamish are open all year round, Pockerley Waggonway closes for the winter, & it will re-open on 24 March.

            Beamish offers plenty of incentives for group visitors, so it's little wonder it's been voted Best Attraction for Group Visits four times in the last six years.   As a GTO or coach driver you can expect free admission for yourself, visitor maps & publicity leaflets, & a promotional video loan.   Ring 0191 370 4026 for a group information pack.

If you can't make it aboard Puffing Billy before the end of October, don't fret.   The National Railway Museum in York has two steam excursions planned in the run up to Christmas.

            The London Lights Express leaves York at 07.00 on 18 November, returning at 21.00 that evening.   It's a great way to combine a steam trip with a spot of Christmas shopping & sightseeing in the Capital.   If you're already based in the south-east, then the York Festive Flyer on 25 November might be a more suitable journey.   You'll be steam hauled from Kings Cross in London to York - just in time for the St Nicholas Fayre, one of the most popular Christmas markets in the UK.   The fayre runs from 23 to 26 November, & offers a range of markets specialising in gifts, crafts & local farm produce.   You can expect to see the city of York in great festive spirit, with bustling stalls, carol singers & buskers.

            And while you're in York, you might want to stop by the National Railway Museum itself.   Home to millions of artefacts & rail icons - which include everything from the world's fastest steam engine to a lock of Robert Stephenson's hair - the museum's the largest of its kind in the world.

            In 2004, the NRM acquired the Flying Scotsman, the first steam engine to officially travel at 100 miles per hour.   New this year at the museum is the Flying Scotsman Story, a £700,000 permanent exhibition that outlines its remarkable history.   As the Scotsman's a working locomotive, you're advised to check its location as close as possible to the day of your visit.   There's a 24-hour information line on 0870 421 4472 for up-to-date info.

            Admission to the National Railway Museum's free, & you can find out more about their exhibits & events at www.nrm.org.uk.

Museums aren't just about mulling over the past.   Thinktank, Birmingham's science museum, is proof of that.   With ten galleries covering everything from steam power to nanotechnology, you can track the scientific & technological advancements humankind has made as you pass from room to room.   3-D films in the IMAX cinema & the digital planetarium are the sort of attractions that make learning about science an interesting & interactive experience.  

            Thinktank's got group visits all thought out, & you can count on group itineraries & talks, ample coach parking, function rooms, & a choice of cafŽs.   For more details, ring the groups hotline on 0121 202 2244.