The Clermont
✓ Located on the Strand, steps from Charing Cross Station
🏖️ 1.92 miles from The Serpentine - Hyde Park (Good water quality)
London
Museums & Galleries · London
British Optical Association Museum
📍 WC2N 5NG
Photo: Matt From London (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
- Over twenty-eight thousand items including historic vision aids and spectacles
- Diagnostic equipment, protective shades, goggles and models of eye disease
- Regularly refreshed displays of rare books, prints, photographs and art
- Try on antique and vintage spectacles and sunglasses virtually
- Guided tours of the historic premises, booked in advance
This is the museum of the eye care professions, founded in 1901 and the oldest optical museum in the world, holding over twenty-eight thousand items including historic spectacles, sight-testing equipment and models of eye disease. Displays cover the history of spectacles, contact lenses and sunglasses, alongside rare books, prints and art, with a virtual try-on of antique eyewear online. It suits anyone curious about medical history, design or fashion, and visits are by pre-booked guided tour to the historic premises in central London, open Monday to Friday. Located in London, it's close to London Charing Cross station just 0.1 miles away, with 669 bookable places to stay within 5 miles on BritStays for those planning a visit.
Practical details
- Open
- Monday to Friday, 10.00am–5.30pm
- Booking
- Guided tour must be booked in advance
- Accessibility
- Accredited museum open to the public
- Best for
- Anyone interested in the history of eyewear and eye care
From the attraction's own website on 26 Sep 2026 — check before you travel.
Facilities
- ✓ Guided Tours
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Make a proper break of it — these stays are all within 25 miles.
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Hotel The Grand at Trafalgar Square
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The Z Hotel Trafalgar
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🏖️ 1.91 miles from The Serpentine - Hyde Park (Good water quality)
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Citadines Trafalgar Square
🏖️ 1.92 miles from The Serpentine - Hyde Park (Good water quality)
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🗓️ Make a break of it
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🚆 Or come by train
- London Charing Cross 0.1 miles
- London Waterloo 0.6 miles
- Tottenham Court Road 0.6 miles
Straight-line distances · live departures on each station page