The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge

The Beaney is the best free thing to do on a wet day in Canterbury, and it is a lot more interesting than the name suggests. The building on the High Street, with its distinctive half-timbered frontage, houses the city's museum, art gallery, library and visitor information desk under one roof, and entry to the galleries is free. Inside you find a mix of collections that range from natural history and world cultures to fine art, with an Explorers and Collectors gallery built around the travels and curiosities of local collectors. Highlights include a mummified cat, a medieval murder story and nationally significant artworks, along with displays on Dr James Beaney, the Victorian surgeon whose bequest created the original institution. Temporary exhibitions change through the year and sometimes carry a small charge, but the permanent galleries cost nothing, which makes the Beaney an easy and rewarding hour.

Check the weekly pattern before you go. The museum and galleries open Tuesday to Saturday from ten until five and on Sunday from eleven until four, and they are closed on Mondays. The visitor information desk keeps longer hours on most days and is open on Mondays too, which makes it a handy place to pick up maps, ask about guided walks and arrange in-person bookings.

The library is a separate part of the building, with its own hours, and is closed on Sundays and bank holidays. The first and last hour of each day are the quietest times to visit, and step-free access is available by lift.

Come with a short list. The mummified cat and the other objects in the Explorers and Collectors gallery are the family favourites, the art galleries reward a slow look and the displays about the medieval murder story connect neatly to what you have seen at the cathedral. Spotlight tours are offered for a suggested donation, and longer highlights tours can be booked in advance for groups, so ask at the desk or the venue before you travel.

The reading room and the building itself, with its decorative interior, are worth a wander even if you are not a museum person.

The Beaney slots neatly into a day. It is a five minute walk from the cathedral gate along the High Street, so it works as a morning warm-up or as a break between the cathedral and a punt tour. It pairs well with the Roman Museum, which is a few minutes away and is ticketed, giving you one paid and one free museum in the same stroll.

Families can combine it with the Dane John Gardens for a run around afterwards. Because it is free and central, it is also the right plan when the weather turns, when the cathedral queue is long or when you simply have an hour to fill. Allow one to one and a half hours, longer if there is a special exhibition you want to see.

A few practical points make the visit smoother. Check whether the exhibition on offer is ticketed before you queue, because the permanent galleries and the temporary shows can sit on different terms. The staff at the information desk are well informed and can suggest walking tours, river trips and day trips, so it is worth asking there if your plans are still loose.

Lockers and a shop are the sort of facilities visitors expect, but confirm what is available on the day. For a rainy morning it is hard to beat: free, central, warm, and full of small surprises that appeal to children and adults alike.