Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

Vast and impressive, this museum holds a magnificent collection of Victorian art and is known internationally for its works by the Pre-Raphaelites. All the big names are here—among them Rubens, Renoir, Constable, and Francis Bacon—reflecting the enormous wealth of 19th-century Birmingham and the aesthetic taste of its industrialists. Galleries of metalwork, silver, and ceramics reveal some of the city's history, and works from the Renaissance, the Arts and Crafts movement, and the present day are also well represented. Also on view is part of the incredible Staffordshire Hoard, the greatest haul of Anglo-Saxon treasure ever discovered. Items on display from the 3,500-strong haul, which was unearthed in a field 16 mi north of Birmingham in 2009, include helmets, gold, jewelry, and metalwork. The hoard's permanent home is likely to be an even split between here and Potteries Museum in Stoke, although the current display is scheduled to run through 2014. Free. Mon.–Thurs. and Sat. 10–5, Fri. 10:30–5, Sun. 12:30–5.