Nelson's Ship in a Bottle

You'll walk into a gallery space in London and find yourself face-to-face with one of the most absurdly ambitious craft projects ever attempted: a fully rigged model of HMS Victory, complete with all its original rigging and detail, crammed inside a bottle. It's the work of Yinka Shonibare, the British-Nigerian artist, and it's properly bonkers in the best possible way.

The piece doesn't try to hide what it is - it's a direct reference to the old fairground novelty of ships in bottles, except this version was created by an international artist with serious gallery credentials. There's something darkly funny about it, especially when you realise you're looking at an exact replica of Nelson's flagship reduced to bottle-sized proportions. History types will appreciate the layers of meaning here. Kids, honestly, will either find it absolutely fascinating or get bored within five minutes - depends entirely on the child and how much patience they have for conceptual art.

If you're staying at Abbey Wood Experience Freedom Glamping nearby, it's worth factoring in as a rainy-day option when you're exploring Greater London. You won't need more than 30 minutes here, which makes it perfect as a lunch-break detour rather than a destination in itself. The gallery setting means it's calm and usually quiet, which is a relief if you've spent the morning battling crowds elsewhere in the capital. Check opening hours before you head over - details weren't readily available - but it's the sort of place worth seeking out if conceptual art and Victorian eccentricity appeal to you.