The Imperial War Museum may lie in a leafy suburb of Lambeth, but its message is hard-hitting and innovatively displayed. The award-winning museum charts conflicts involving Britain and Commonwealth forces since 1914, and it is extremely well presented and thought out. Exhibits are as diverse as 20th-century works of art to U-boats and tanks. The more human side of conflicts is revealed in letters and photographs and an impressive sound archive. The permanent exhibitions cover the two major world wars, and conflicts since 1945, seeking to explain the complex politics behind the headline battles. Perhaps the most fascinating of all is the Secret War exhibit, showing how Britain’s covert intelligence units gathered information. There is a German Enigma coding machine on display and sabotage devices used by the Special Operations Executive during World War II. There is also a permanent exhibition on the Holocaust and temporary exhibitions that highlight more personal issues, such as World War II through the eyes of children. It’s not a museum to be taken lightly, but it is a fascinating insight into the real people and stories behind the dry dust of historical textbooks or the gloss of Hollywood films.