The Musical Museum

The Musical Museum in Brentford, Borough of Hounslow, London, offers a substantial and spectacular collection of (mostly) «mechanical,» self-​playing musical instruments such as player pianos, a Mighty Wurlitzer cinema organ (which is also used for screenings of silent films with live music accompaniment), orchestrions and even a mechanical violin-​playing machine. The exhibit is arranged over three floors of a detached building and includes a fairly large concert hall that’s also a cinema (for sound films, too).
There is a guided tour several times a day (11.30, 13:30 and 15:30 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays), which I strongly recommend — for not only do the knowledgeable guides have many stories to tell about the relatively brief period in which these instruments were popular at the homes of the middle and upper classes, they can also operate these machines so you can hear the tunes from the piano rolls etc. You can ask these guides anything about the exhibit, too. Almost all of the instruments at the museum are in working order! The tour in included in the entry fee.
The Musical Museum is a 15 minute bus ride from South Ealing underground station (Bus No.65) and has its own parking lot. Alternatively, you can arrive by train from London’s Waterloo Station to Kew Bridge. You can nicely combine the visit with one to the nearby London Museum of Water and Steam, which is completely different of course but similarly interesting. The Thames river banks of Richmond with their cafés are only a short walk away, they are nice for a Sunday out.
On the ground floor there is a also a small but cute collection of toy instruments which you might remember from your own childhood — i.e. if you happen to be a hundred. Audio guides to the collection are available in English, French, German and Polish at all times and are included in the admission fee. You leave the building through the small museum shop where you can buy not only books and leaflets but authentic vintage piano rolls — hey cost just a couple of UKP each and all the money goes into the costly upkeep of the old instruments. Of course you won’t be able to play them unless you have a player piano at home, but maybe you will find a nice memento of your favorite classical or salon piece.
Please see my photos to get a better impression of the museum.