List of museums in London
This is a list of museums in London, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. It also includes university and non-profit art galleries. As of 2016, there were over 250 registered art institutions in Greater London.[citation needed]
List of museums in London
[edit]
Name | Image | District/ward | Borough | Region | Type | Summary |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 Willow Road | Hampstead | Camden | North | Historic house | Operated by the National Trust, modernist terrace house designed by Ernő Goldfinger, features a significant collection of 20th-century art | |
7 Hammersmith Terrace | Hammersmith | Hammersmith and Fulham | West | Historic house | Former home of Emery Walker, friend and mentor to William Morris, house features Arts and Crafts style interior | |
18 Stafford Terrace | Holland Park | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Historic house | Also known as Linley Sambourne House, home of the Victorian Punch cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne, features much of his work | |
575 Wandsworth Road | Clapham | Lambeth | South | Historic house | Operated by the National Trust, 18th-century terrace house with interiors designed by Kenyan poet and civil servant Khadambi Asalache | |
All Hallows-by-the-Tower Crypt Museum | Tower | City of London | North East | Religious | Saxon-period Anglican church, museum of church's history, including Roman and Saxon artefacts, historic religious artefacts | |
Anaesthesia Heritage Centre | Fitzrovia | Westminster | North | Medical | History of anaesthesia and the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland | |
Apsley House | Hyde Park Corner | Westminster | North | Historic house | Operated by English Heritage, also known as Wellington Museum, home of the Duke of Wellington, significant collections of paintings, porcelain, sculpture and furniture | |
Arsenal Football Club Museum | Holloway | Islington | North | Sport | History and memorabilia of the Arsenal F.C. | |
Art in Perpetuity Trust | Deptford | Lewisham | South East | Art | Contemporary visual art | |
artsdepot | Finchley | Barnet | North | Art | Arts centre with exhibit gallery | |
Baden-Powell House Exhibition | South Kensington | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Biographical | History of Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting | |
Bank of England Museum | City of London | City of London | North East | Numismatic | History of the Bank and its activities, banknotes and coins, books and documents, pictures, furniture, statues, silver | |
Bankside Gallery | Bankside | Southwark | South East | Art | Educational charity, home to the Royal Watercolour Society and the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers | |
Banqueting House, Whitehall | Whitehall | Westminster | North | Historic house | Ornate 17th-century building used for entertaining, designed by Inigo Jones, only remaining component of the Palace of Whitehall | |
Barbican Centre | Barbican Estate | City of London | North East | Art | Arts centre and gallery | |
Barnet Museum | Barnet | Barnet | North | Local | Local history, costumes, domestic items, lace | |
Battle of Britain Bunker | Uxbridge | Hillingdon | West | History | Museum and restored underground operations room at formerly used by No. 11 Group Fighter Command during World War II | |
Ben Uri Gallery, The London Jewish Museum of Art | St John's Wood | Westminster | North | Art | Jewish art | |
Benjamin Franklin House | Westminster | North | Historic house | 18th-century house where Benjamin Franklin lived for 16 years; exhibits on his life, science activities | ||
Bentley Priory Museum | Stanmore | Harrow | West | History | Museum in former officers' mess at former RAF base at Bentley Priory, used by the RAF Fighter Command and Royal Observer Corps during World War II, focuses on its role as Headquarters Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain | |
Black Cultural Archives | Brixton | Lambeth | South | Black history | Black history museum and cultural space | |
Bethlem Museum of the Mind | Beckenham | Bromley | South East | Medical | Art by patients and historic artefacts of Bethlem Royal Hospital | |
Borough Road Gallery | Southwark | South East | Art | Part of London South Bank University, celebrates the artist David Bomberg and includes the Sarah Rose Collection of his pictures and those of other artists in the Borough Group | ||
Boston Manor House | Boston Manor | Hounslow | West | Historic house | 17th-century Jacobean manor house | |
Bow Street Police Museum | Covent Garden | Westminster | North | Law enforcement | Based in the former Bow Street Police Station, it presents the story of policing in the area from the eighteenth century until 1992, when the police station closed. | |
Brent Museum | Willesden | Brent | West | Local | Located in the Willesden Green Library Centre, local history and culture; formerly the Grange Museum of Community History[1] | |
British Airways Heritage Centre | Hatton | Hounslow | West | Aviation | History and memorabilia of British Airways, including uniforms, aircraft models and pictures, posters and photographs[2] | |
British Dental Association Museum | Westminster | North | Medical | History of dental care in the United Kingdom | ||
British Library | St Pancras | Camden | North | Library | Changing exhibits of art, history and culture from its collections | |
British Museum | Bloomsbury | Camden | North | Multiple | Art, decorative arts, archaeology, antiquities from Ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece and the Middle East, coins, galleries on Africa, North America, Mexico, Asia | |
British Optical Association Museum | Charing Cross | Westminster | North | Medical | History of eye care (by appointment only) | |
British Red Cross Museum and Archives | Moorgate | City of London | North East | Medical | History and memorabilia of the British Red Cross, open by appointment only | |
Brixton Windmill | Brixton | Lambeth | South | Local | Early 19th century windmill; interior open selected days only | |
Bromley Museum | Orpington | Bromley | South East | Local | Local history and culture[3] | |
Bruce Castle Museum | Tottenham | Haringey | North | Local | Local history, culture | |
Brunei Gallery | Bloomsbury | Camden | North | Art | Part of the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London, historic and contemporary works from and about Africa and Asia, including photography and culture | |
Brunel Museum | Rotherhithe | Southwark | South East | Technology | History of the construction of the Thames Tunnel and its designers, Sir Marc Isambard Brunel | |
Buckingham Palace | Westminster | North | Historic house | Official London residence of the British monarch, public tours of the state rooms, includes Queen's Gallery and Royal Mews during summer only | ||
The Building Centre | Bloomsbury | Camden | North | Design | Exhibits on architecture and design[4] | |
Burgh House & Hampstead Museum | Hampstead | Camden | North | Local | Local history, culture, art exhibits | |
Camden Arts Centre | Hampstead | Camden | North | Art | Changing exhibits of contemporary art | |
Campbell Works | Stoke Newington | Hackney | East | Art | Runs a programme of contemporary art exhibitions, public engagement projects, publications and education schemes | |
Canada House Gallery | Trafalgar Square | Westminster | North | Art | Canadian historical and contemporary art and artefacts | |
Carlyle's House | Chelsea | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Historic house | Operated by the National Trust, Queen Anne early eighteenth century townhouse, home of Victorian historian and philosopher Thomas Carlyle | |
Cartoon Museum | Fitzrovia | Camden | North | Art | Political cartoons, comic strips and comic books | |
Centre for Recent Drawing | Islington | North | Art | Contemporary drawings | ||
Charles Dickens Museum | Holborn | Camden | North | Historic house | Mid–19th-century period house with original papers, furniture and items relating to author Charles Dickens | |
Chelsea Physic Garden | Chelsea | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Medical | Botanical garden with displays on medicinal uses of plants | |
Chisenhale Gallery | Tower Hamlets | North East | Art | Non-profit contemporary art gallery | ||
Chiswick House | Chiswick | Hounslow | West | Historic house | 18th-century neo-Palladian villa with large collection of art and furniture, gardens | |
Churchill War Rooms | Whitehall | Westminster | North | Multiple | Includes the World War II-era underground Cabinet War Rooms and the Churchill Museum with exhibits about the life of British statesman Winston Churchill | |
City of London Police Museum | City of London | City of London | North East | Law enforcement | Uniforms, Victorian-era police equipment, communications devices, famous murders, WWII display | |
Cinema Museum | Lambeth | Lambeth | South West | Media | History and artefacts of film making | |
Clarence House | Pall Mall | Westminster | North | Historic house | Official residence of The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall (normally open only during August) | |
Clink Prison Museum | Southwark | Southwark | South East | Prison | Site and history of the notorious prison in use from the 12th century to 1780 | |
Courtauld Gallery | Strand | Westminster | North | Art | Part of the University of London, located in Somerset House, features Old Masters and Impressionist paintings | |
Crime Museum | Westminster | North | Law enforcement | History, artefacts and crime memorabilia of Scotland Yard, not open to the public | ||
Crofton Roman Villa | Orpington | Bromley | South East | Archaeology | Remains of a Roman villa | |
Crossness Pumping Station | Crossness | Bexley | South East | Technology | Victorian sewage pumping station with preserved steam engines | |
Crystal Palace Museum | Crystal Palace | Bromley | South East | History | History and memorabilia of The Crystal Palace[5] | |
Cubitt Gallery | Finsbury | Islington | North | Art | ||
Cuming Museum | Walworth | Southwark | South East | Local | Local history, culture; small collection of Ancient Egyptian objects. Closed since March 2013 due to fire damage. | |
Cutty Sark Museum | Greenwich | Greenwich | South East | Maritime | Mid–19th-century clipper, museum ship | |
Danson House | Danson Park | Bexley | South East | Historic house | 18th-century Georgian house | |
Dennis Severs' House | Spitalfields | Tower Hamlets | North East | History | Enactments of life in the 18th and 19th centuries | |
Design Museum | Kensington | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Design | Product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design | |
Dr Johnson's House | City of London | City of London | North East | Historic house | 18th-century townhouse home of 18th-century English writer Samuel Johnson | |
Dorich House | Kingston Vale | Kingston upon Thames | South West | Art | Former studio of the Estonian sculptor Dora Gordine, with a collection of her works and of Russian Imperial art. Part of Kingston University.[6] | |
Down House | Downe | Bromley | South East | Historic house | Operated by English Heritage, home of naturalist Charles Darwin where he wrote "On the Origin of Species" | |
Dulwich Picture Gallery | Dulwich | Southwark | South East | Art | Collection of European Old Masters, mostly of the 17th and 18th centuries | |
Eastbury Manor House | Barking | Barking and Dagenham | North East | Historic house | Owned by the National Trust, 16th-century Tudor gentry house, local history displays | |
Eltham Palace | Eltham | Greenwich | South East | Historic house | Operated by English Heritage, 1930s Art Deco house with mediaeval Great Hall | |
Enfield Museum | Enfield | Enfield | North | Local | Local history | |
Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art | Canonbury | Islington | North | Art | Modern Italian art | |
Fan Museum | Greenwich | Greenwich | South East | Fashion | Art and craft of the fan | |
Faraday Museum | Mayfair | Westminster | North | Science | Located at the Royal Institution, scientist Michael Faraday's 19th century laboratory, activities and people associated with the Institution | |
Fashion and Textile Museum | Bermondsey | Southwark | South East | Fashion | Fashions, textiles and jewellery, both historic and contemporary | |
Fenton House | Hampstead | Camden | North | Historic house | Operated by the National Trust, 17th-century merchant's house, features collections of early keyboard instruments, paintings, porcelain, needlework pictures and Georgian furniture | |
Fleming Museum | Paddington | Westminster | North | Medical | Located at St Mary's Hospital, London, site and history of Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin, 1928 period laboratory | |
Florence Nightingale Museum | Lambeth | Lambeth | South West | Medical | Life and nursing work of Florence Nightingale | |
Forty Hall Museum | Forty Hill | Enfield | North | Multiple | Local history, 17th- and 18th-century ceramics and pottery, 19th- and 20th-century china, glassware | |
Foundling Museum | Bloomsbury | Camden | North | Multiple | History of the Foundling Hospital, Britain's first home for abandoned children, art by many of Britain's most prominent 18th-century artists, 18th-century period rooms, room on composer George Frideric Handel and his connection to the hospital | |
Francis Skaryna Belarusian Library and Museum | North Finchley | Barnet | North | History | Collection of material relating to the history of Belarus | |
Freud Museum | Hampstead | Camden | North | Historic house | Home of Sigmund Freud, features his study, exhibits on his life and works, collection of Ancient Egyptian artefacts, contemporary art and Freud-themed exhibitions | |
Fulham Palace | Fulham | Hammersmith and Fulham | West | Historic house | Mediaeval former residence of the Bishop of London, also art gallery | |
Fusiliers Museum | Tower Hill | Tower Hamlets | North East | Military | History of the Royal Fusiliers, uniforms, regalia, medals, weapons and memorabilia, located at the Tower of London | |
Galton Collection | Bloomsbury | Camden | North | Medical | Part of the University College London, open by appointment only, scientific instruments, papers, and personal memorabilia of Sir Francis Galton | |
Garden Museum | Lambeth | Lambeth | South West | Gardening | Tools and artefacts related to ornamental gardening | |
Garrick's Temple to Shakespeare | Hampton | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Biographical | 18th-century folly built by actor David Garrick to celebrate the genius of William Shakespeare, includes display on Garrick's life and acting career | |
Gasworks Gallery | Kennington | Lambeth | South West | Art | Contemporary art organisation with exhibition space and studios | |
Goldsmiths' Centre | Clerkenwell | Islington | North | Art | Changing exhibits of contemporary jewellery and silversmithing, operated by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths | |
Golden Hinde | Bankside | Southwark | South East | Maritime | Replica museum ship of the Golden Hind, the 16th-century galleon used by Sir Francis Drake | |
Gordon Museum of Pathology | Southwark | Southwark | South East | Medical | The largest medical Museum in the United Kingdom,[7] part of King's College London | |
Grant Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy | Bloomsbury | Camden | North | Natural history | Part of the University College London, skeletons, taxidermy, entomology and specimens preserved in fluid. | |
Greenwich Visitor Centre | Greenwich | Greenwich | South East | History | Also known as Discover Greenwich Visitor Centre, history of the World Heritage Site, its builders and buildings, maritime heritage, local history | |
Guards Museum | Westminster | North | Military | History, artefacts and memorabilia of the five regiments of Foot Guards: the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, and Welsh Guards | ||
Guildhall Art Gallery | Bassishaw | City of London | North East | Art | Located in the Guildhall, collection includes art and cultural artefacts about London, Victorian-era works, remains of a Roman amphitheatre in the basement | |
Gunnersbury Park Museum | Acton | Hounslow | West | Local | Local history of Hounslow and Ealing boroughs, archaeology, costume, fine art, ceramics, also Edwardian era kitchen rooms | |
Hackney Museum | Hackney | Hackney | North | Local | Local history and culture[8] | |
Hall Place | Crayford | Bexley | South East | Historic house | 16th- and 17th-century former country house; exhibits from the Bexley Museum's collections including art, social history, natural history, geology, archaeology, Ancient Egypt, costumes, furniture | |
Ham House | Ham | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Historic house | Operated by the National Trust, 17th-century grand house, fine interiors and historic gardens, collections of textiles and furniture | |
Hampton Court Palace | Hampton | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Historic house | Former royal palace, King Henry VIII exhibition, Tudor kitchen, Tudor-period living history programmes, gardens, maze | |
Handel Hendrix House | Mayfair | Westminster | North | Historic house |
Museum dedicated to the lives and works of the Baroque composer George Frideric Handel and the rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix, who lived in adjoining houses two centuries apart | |
Harrow Museum | Headstone | Harrow | West | Local | Local history, industry, archaeology, also known as Headstone Manor Museum | |
Havering Museum | Romford | Havering | North East | Local | ||
Hayward Gallery | Southbank | Lambeth | South West | Art | Part of the Southbank Centre, contemporary art | |
Heath Robinson Museum | Pinner | Harrow | North West | Biographical | Life and work of cartoonist Heath Robinson | |
HMS Belfast | Southwark | Southwark | South East | Maritime | Operated by the Imperial War Museum, originally a Royal Navy light cruiser and served during the Second World War and Korean War | |
Hogarth's House | Chiswick | Hounslow | West | Historic house | Home of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth | |
Honeywood Museum | Carshalton | Sutton | South West | Local | 17th-century house with details from different eras of ownership, local history exhibits | |
Honourable Artillery Company Museum | Finsbury | Islington | North | Military | Regimental artefacts and memorabilia (by appointment only) | |
Horniman Museum and Gardens | Forest Hill | Lewisham | South East | Multiple | Musical instruments, art, natural history, anthropology, African arts and culture, aquarium, gardens | |
House of Dreams Museum | East Dulwich | Southwark | South East | Art | House turned into outsider art sculpture by former textile designer and art director Steven Wright | |
House of Illustration | Kings Cross | Camden | North | Art | Located at Granary Square, public gallery dedicated to illustration[9] | |
Household Cavalry Museum | Horse Guards Parade | Westminster | North | Military | Regimental artefacts and memorabilia of the Household Cavalry | |
Hunterian Museum | Lincoln's Inn Fields | Westminster | North | Medical | Hunterian Collection of preserved anatomical specimens, history, artefacts and developments in surgery, part of the Royal College of Surgeons | |
ICANDO | Victoria | Westminster | North | Scouting | Formerly the Girl Guide Heritage Centre; exhibits and activities about Girl Guides[10] | |
Imperial War Museum London | Southwark | Southwark | South East | Military | Warfare in the 20th and 21st centuries | |
Inns of Court & City Yeomanry Museum | Lincoln's Inn | Camden | North | Military | Regimental history and artefacts of the Inns of Court & City Yeomanry (by appointment only) | |
Institute of Archaeology Collections | Bloomsbury | Camden | North | Archaeology | Part of the University College London, open by appointment only, prehistoric ceramics and stone artefacts, Classical Greek and Roman ceramics | |
Institute of Contemporary Arts | The Mall | Westminster | North | Art | Multi-disciplinary arts centre with exhibit galleries | |
Islington Museum | Finsbury | Islington | North | Local | Local history | |
Jack the Ripper Museum | Tower Hamlets | North East | History | History of the East London in the 1880s, providing a serious examination of the crimes of Jack the Ripper within the social context of the period | ||
Jewel Tower | Westminster | Westminster | North | History | Operated by English Heritage, one of only two surviving sections of the mediaeval royal Palace of Westminster, includes an exhibition on the history of Parliament and the building | |
Jewish Museum London | Camden Town | Camden | North | Ethnic | Jewish culture, heritage and traditions in Britain, ceremonial art collection | |
Keats House | Hampstead | Camden | North | Historic house | Early 19th-century home of Romantic poet John Keats | |
Kelmscott House Museum | Hammersmith | Hammersmith and Fulham | West | Art | London home of William Morris; exhibits of his designs | |
Kennel Club Dog Art Gallery | Westminster | North | Art | Exhibits and collection of dog paintings, open by appointment | ||
Kensington Palace | Kensington Gardens | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Historic house | Royal residence | |
Kenwood House | Hampstead | Camden | North | Historic house | Operated by English Heritage, 17th-century former country house; interiors by Robert Adam, features collection of Old Master paintings | |
Kew Gardens | Kew | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Multiple | Includes Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Marianne North Gallery, exhibits on plants and conservation, Kew Palace | |
Kew Palace | Kew | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Historic house | Former royal palace located within the Kew Gardens | |
Kingston Museum | Kingston upon Thames | Kingston upon Thames | South West | Local | Local history, Eadweard Muybridge gallery of photographs, exhibits of art, photography, culture | |
Kirkaldy Testing Museum | Southwark | Southwark | South East | Technology | Materials testing machines used by engineer David Kirkaldy | |
L-13 Light Industrial Workshop | Clerkenwell | Islington | North | Art | Contemporary art space | |
Lambeth Palace | Lambeth | Lambeth | South West | Historic house | Tours of the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury on selected days only | |
Landmark Arts Centre | Teddington | Richmond upon Thames | West | Art | Arts centre with visual art gallery, located in the former St Alban's Church[11] | |
Langdon Down Museum of Learning Disability | Teddington | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Medical | Operated by the Down's Syndrome Association in the Langdon Down Centre, history of treating people with learning disabilities | |
Lethaby Gallery | Kings Cross | Camden | North | Art | Located at Granary Square, art gallery of Central Saint Martins, features contemporary and historic works from its collections of art and design | |
Leighton House Museum | Holland Park | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Art | Victorian house of painter Frederic, Lord Leighton, features paintings, sculpture, Middle Eastern tiles | |
Library and Museum of Freemasonry | Holborn | Camden | North | Masonic | Library, artefacts and regalia of Freemasonry | |
Little Holland House | Carshalton | Sutton | South West | Historic house | Arts and Crafts home of the artist Frank Dickinson (1874–1961) with interior influenced by John Ruskin and William Morris | |
London Canal Museum | Kings Cross | Islington | North | Transport | History of London's canals | |
London Film Museum | Covent Garden | Westminster | North | Media | Props, costumes, sets and artefacts from British films, history of moviemaking | |
London Fire Brigade Museum | Southwark | Southwark | South East | Firefighting | Open by appointment only, history of the London Fire Brigade, equipment, apparatus | |
London Mithraeum | City of London | City of London | Central | Archaeology | Remains of a Roman temple to Mithras | |
London Motorcycle Museum | Greenford | Ealing | West | Transport | Over 150 classic and British motorcycles | |
London Museum of Water & Steam | Brentford | Hounslow | West | Technology | Water supply technology and a collection of water pumping steam engines, also operating narrow gauge railway; formerly the Kew Bridge Steam Museum | |
London Sewing Machine Museum | Wimbledon | Merton | South West | Technology | Collection of sewing machines[12] | |
London Transport Museum | Covent Garden | Westminster | North | Transport | Public transport including the railway, underground, buses, memorabilia | |
London Transport Museum Depot | Acton | Ealing | West | Transport | Houses the majority of the museum's collection, open day visits and tours | |
Madame Tussauds London | Westminster | North | Wax | Wax figures of celebrities in acting, music, politics, sport, history, royalty and fiction | ||
Mall Galleries | Trafalgar Square | Westminster | North | Art | Gallery exhibits of the Federation of British Artists | |
Magic Circle Museum | Camden | North | Magic | Magic tricks, props, posters, artefacts, open by appointment | ||
Mansion House | City of London | City of London | North East | Historic house | Guided tours of the public rooms of the official residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London, includes city regalia, 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings, gold and silver plate collections; open on selected days only | |
Marble Hill House | Richmond | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Historic house | Operated by English Heritage, 18th-century Palladian villa with Georgian interior | |
Markfield Beam Engine and Museum | Tottenham | Haringey | North | Technology | Victorian 100 horsepower beam pumping engine | |
MCC Museum | St John's Wood | Westminster | North | Sport | History and memorabilia of cricketing, located at Lord's Cricket Ground | |
Media Space | South Kensington | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Art | Located on the second floor of the Science Museum, showcases the collection of the National Media Museum, explores relationships between, and lesser-known histories of, photography, science, art and technology | |
Merton Heritage Centre | Morden | Merton | South West | Local | Local history[13] | |
MOCA, London | Peckham Rye | Southwark | South East | Art | Museum dedicated to Contemporary Art of varied media. Curated by Michael Petry | |
Moco Museum | Hyde Park | Westminster | North | Art | Museum of modern and contemporary art, opened August 2024[14] | |
Morley Gallery | South Bank | Lambeth | South West | Art | Part of Morley College, exhibitions include painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, ceramics, textiles, installations, digital and sound art | |
Museum of Army Music | Twickenham | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Music | Open Wednesday afternoons and by appointment, history of British military bands and music, includes musical instruments, banners, uniforms, paintings, model bands. Now closed and the site is a school. | |
Museum of Asian Music | Acton | Ealing | West | Music | Musical instruments, music extracts and video clips of music from across Asia | |
Museum of Brands | Notting Hill | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Media | Advertising, packaging and brand memorabilia and artefacts, including domestic products, packaging, posters, toys and games | |
Museum of Comedy | Bloomsbury | Camden | North | Media | Located in the undercroft of St. George's, Bloomsbury, photos, posters, memorabilia, scripts, video and film about the history of British comedy | |
Museum of Croydon | Croydon | Croydon | South West | Local | Local history, culture, social history, Riesco Gallery with collections of Chinese pottery and ceramics, and Roman and Anglo-Saxon collections | |
Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture | Colindale | Barnet | North | Art | Open by appointment only, research museum of Middlesex University, 19th- and 20th-century decorative arts for the home including textiles and wallpaper | |
Museum of Immigration and Diversity | Spitalfields | Tower Hamlets | North East | History | Open selected days only | |
Museum of Life Sciences | Southwark | Southwark | South East | Natural history | Historic biological and pharmaceutical collections, including skeletons, fluid-preserved material, taxidermy, and fossils; part of King's College London | |
Museum of London | Barbican Estate | City of London | North East | History | City's history, culture, archaeology | |
Museum of London Docklands | Isle of Dogs | Tower Hamlets | North East | Maritime | Maritime, river and local history | |
Museum of Richmond | Richmond | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Local | Local history, culture | |
Museum of the Home | Shoreditch | Hackney | North | Art and historic house | Changing style of the English domestic interior in a series of period rooms from 1600 to the present day. Also historic alms house. Formerly the Geffrye Museum. | |
Museum of the Order of St John | Clerkenwell | Islington | North | Medical | History of the Order of St John and its medical care in the community | |
Museum of Wimbledon | Wimbledon | Merton | South West | Local | Local history, culture[15] | |
Musical Museum | Brentford | Hounslow | West | Music | Collection of music boxes and automatic instruments | |
National Army Museum | Chelsea | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Military | History and artefacts of the British Army | |
National Gallery | Trafalgar Square | Westminster | North | Art | National collection of Western European painting from the 13th century to 1900 | |
National Maritime Museum | Greenwich | Greenwich | South East | Maritime | History of Britain at sea, includes maritime art, ship models and plans, scientific and navigational instruments, instruments for time-keeping and astronomy. Incorporates Greenwich Observatory and the Queen's House. | |
National Portrait Gallery | Soho | Westminster | North | Art | Portraits of historically important and famous British people | |
Natural History Museum | South Kensington | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Natural history | Also includes the Geological Museum, collections focus is botany, entomology, mineralogy, palaeontology and zoology. | |
Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret | Southwark | Southwark | South East | Medical | 19th-century operating theatre, herb garret and museum of surgery | |
Old Royal Naval College | Greenwich | Greenwich | South East | History | ||
Old Speech Room Gallery and Museum, Harrow School | Harrow | Harrow | West | Art | Egyptian and Greek antiquities, English watercolours, Modern British paintings, sculpture, printed books and natural history | |
Orleans House Gallery | Twickenham | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Art | Municipal art gallery, also the Stables Gallery | |
Osterley Park and House | Isleworth | Hounslow | West | Historic house | Operated by the National Trust, late 18th-century palace designed by Robert Adam, ornate interiors, gardens | |
Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art | Hackney | North | Art | Exhibitions of works by international contemporary artists working in various media | ||
Peckham Platform | Southwark | South East | Art | Contemporary art | ||
Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology | Bloomsbury | Camden | North | Archaeology | Artifacts from Ancient Egypt, part of the University College London | |
The Photographers' Gallery | Soho | Westminster | North | Art | Photography | |
Pitzhanger Manor | Ealing | Ealing | West | Historic house | Designed by the architect John Soane, has exhibitions of contemporary art. | |
Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum | South Kensington | Westminster | West | Military | Contributions of the Polish Armed Forces in the West in World War II | |
Pollock's Toy Museum | Fitzrovia | Camden | North | Toy | Toys, games, dolls, puppets, folk toys | |
Postal Museum | Clerkenwell | Islington | North | Philatelic | Postal communications history, stamps, letters, artefacts | |
Pushkin House | Bloomsbury | Camden | North | Art | Russian art and culture | |
Queen Charlotte's Cottage | Kew | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Historic house | Located within the Kew Gardens, 18th-century rustic retreat built for Queen Charlotte, open seasonally | |
Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge | Chingford | Waltham Forest | North East | Historic house | Tudor hunting lodge | |
Queen's Gallery | Westminster | North | Art | Exhibitions of items from the Royal Collection, located at Buckingham Palace | ||
Queen's House | Greenwich | Greenwich | South East | Art | Marine art gallery of the National Maritime Museum | |
Queer Britain | Kings Cross, London | Camden | North | Art and history | Britain's first dedicated LGBTQ museum | |
Ragged School Museum | Tower Hamlets | North East | Education | History of the Victorian-era charity schools | ||
Rainham Hall | Rainham | Havering | North East | Historic house | Operated by the National Trust, 18th-century Queen Anne house | |
Ranger's House (Wernher Collection) | Greenwich | Greenwich | South East | Art | Operated by English Heritage, Georgian villa with fine and decorative art collection, including silver and jewels, paintings and porcelain | |
Red House | Bexleyheath | Bexley | South East | Historic house | Operated by the National Trust, 19th-century house commissioned, created and lived in by William Morris, founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement | |
Red Mansion Foundation | Portland Place | Westminster | North | Art | Gallery exhibits of contemporary Chinese art | |
Redbridge Museum | Ilford | Redbridge | North East | Local | Local history, culture, located on the second floor of Ilford Central Library[16] | |
RCM Museum of Music | South Kensington | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Music | Musical instruments, art, documents and accessories, part of the Royal College of Music | |
Riverside Gallery | Richmond | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Art | Municipal art gallery[17] | |
Rivington Place | Shoreditch | Hackney | North | Art | International visual arts centre, home to InIVA and Autograph ABP | |
Rose Theatre Exhibition | Bankside | Southwark | South East | Archaeology | Excavations of an Elizabethan theatre | |
Royal Academy of Arts | Piccadilly | Westminster | North | Art | Located in Burlington House | |
Royal Academy of Music Museum | Regent's Park | Westminster | North | Music | Musical instruments and artefacts of the Royal Academy of Music | |
Royal Air Force Museum London | Colindale | Barnet | North | Aviation | History of aviation and the British Royal Air Force | |
Royal Armouries, Tower of London | Tower Hill | Tower Hamlets | North East | Military | Arms and armour dating from the Middle Ages onwards | |
Royal College of Physicians Museum | Regent's Park | Camden | North | Medical | Portraits, silver, medical instruments and artefacts | |
Royal Hospital Chelsea Museum | Chelsea | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Military | Military artefacts and memorabilia, items related to the Duke of Wellington | |
Royal London Hospital Archives and Museum | Whitechapel | Tower Hamlets | North | Medical | History of the hospital and medical care in the East End | |
Royal Mews | Westminster | North | Transport | The King's stables, features State vehicles including horse-drawn carriages and motor cars, and the Gold State Coach | ||
Royal Observatory, Greenwich | Greenwich | Greenwich | South East | Horology | Part of the National Maritime Museum, features astronomical and navigational tools, a planetarium | |
Royal Pharmaceutical Society Museum | Lambeth | Lambeth | South West | Medical | British pharmacy history, medicines and artefacts | |
Saatchi Gallery | Chelsea | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Art | Contemporary art | |
St Bartholomew's Hospital Museum | Smithfield | City of London | North East | Medical | History of the hospital and its work, historic surgical instruments, sculpture, mediaeval archives, works of art including paintings by William Hogarth | |
St Paul's Cathedral | Ludgate Hill | City of London | North East | Religious | Anglican cathedral with religious art, sculpture, architecture, tombs, decorative arts | |
Salvation Army International Heritage Centre | Denmark Hill | Southwark | South | Religious | Within William Booth College; museum and archive charting the history of the Christian church and charity, The Salvation Army[18] | |
Science Gallery London | Southwark | Southwark | South East | Science and art | Exhibitions of art illuminating scientific topics | |
Science Museum | South Kensington | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Science | National museum of science and technology, transport, medicine, steam engines | |
Serpentine Galleries | Kensington Gardens | Westminster | West | Art | Serpentine Gallery and Serpentine Sackler Gallery in Kensington Gardens, exhibitions of contemporary art, architecture and design | |
Sherlock Holmes Museum | Regent's Park | Westminster | North | Biographical | Dedicated to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes | |
Shirley Windmill | Shirley | Croydon | South West | Mill | Restored mid–19th-century tower windmill | |
The Showroom | Westminster | North | Art | Contemporary art gallery | ||
Sir John Soane's Museum | Holborn | Camden | North | Art | Fine art, architecture, antiquities, sculpture | |
Somerset House | Strand | Westminster | North | Art | Arts centre with gallery and Courtauld Gallery | |
Soseki Museum in London | Clapham | Lambeth | South West | Historic house | London home of Japanese author Natsume Sōseki[19] | |
South London Gallery | Camberwell | Southwark | South East | Art | Contemporary art | |
Southside House | Wimbledon | Merton | South West | Historic house | 17th-century period house | |
Spencer House | St James's | Westminster | North | Historic house | 18th-century mansion with restored state rooms and garden | |
Stephens Collection | Finchley | Barnet | North | Biographical | Life of Dr Henry Stephens, inventor of an indelible blue-black ink, and his son Henry Charles Stephens, their ink company and local history | |
Strawberry Hill | Twickenham | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Historic house | Gothic villa home of Horace Walpole | |
Studio Voltaire | Clapham | Lambeth | South | Art | Contemporary art[20] | |
Sutton House | Hackney | Hackney | North | Historic house | Operated by the National Trust, 16th-century Tudor house | |
Syon House | Brentford | Hounslow | West | Historic house | Family residence of the Duke of Northumberland, 18th-century house with interior by Robert Adam, collections of paintings and furniture, gardens, park | |
Tate Britain | Millbank | Westminster | North | Art | National collection of historical and contemporary British art | |
Tate Modern | Bankside | Southwark | South East | Art | National collection of modern and contemporary art | |
Tower Bridge | Tower Hamlets | North East | Technology | Steam engines, workings of the bridge | ||
Tower of London | Tower Hill | Tower Hamlets | North East | Multiple | Historic fortress, prison and former royal residence, includes the Royal Armouries, Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, regimental museum of the Royal Fusiliers | |
Twinings Museum | Strand | Westminster | North | Food | History of Twinings, tea caddies and tea history | |
Twickenham Museum | Twickenham | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Local | Local history | |
Two Temple Place | Westminster | North | Art | Late Victorian mansion, now an art gallery to showcase publicly owned art from UK regional collections, only open during exhibitions | ||
UCL Geology Collections | Bloomsbury | Camden | North | Natural history | Part of the University College London, rocks, minerals, fossils on display in the Rock Room, limited opening hours[21] | |
Upminster Tithe Barn Museum of Nostalgia | Upminster | Havering | North East | History | Artefacts of rural domestic and agricultural life | |
Upminster Windmill | Upminster | Havering | North East | Mill | 19th-century windmill; exhibits on its history | |
Vagina Museum | Camden | Camden | North | Museum | Aims to celebrate female reproductive anatomy and challenge myths and misconceptions | |
Valence House Museum | Dagenham | Barking and Dagenham | North East | Local | Local history, archaeology, maritime and fishing industry, art | |
Valentines Mansion | Ilford | Redbridge | North East | Historic house | Country house with recreated Victorian kitchen and Georgian rooms, contemporary art exhibits, 18th-century gardens | |
Vestry House Museum | Walthamstow | Waltham Forest | North East | Local | Local history, culture | |
Victoria and Albert Museum | South Kensington | Kensington and Chelsea | West | Multiple | National collection of applied arts, includes ceramics, glass, textiles, costumes, silver, ironwork, jewellery, furniture, mediaeval objects, sculpture, prints and printmaking, drawings and photographs, theatre and performing arts, Asian art and decorative arts, architecture | |
The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & Natural History | Hackney | Hackney | North | Multiple | Includes natural and scientific curiosities, art, pop culture objects | |
Wallace Collection | Marylebone | Westminster | North | Art | Old masters and decorative arts | |
Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum | Walthamstow | Waltham Forest | North East | Transport | The museum is due to become the Lea Valley Experience, pioneering achievements in road, rail, air and sea transport in the River Lea valley from the early 19th century. | |
Wandle Industrial Museum | Mitcham | Merton | South West | Industry | Industries along the River Wandle, including flour and textile mills[22] | |
Wandsworth Museum | Wandsworth | Wandsworth | South West | Local | Local history | |
Wellcome Collection | Camden | North | Medical | Medical artefacts and original artworks exploring "ideas about the connections between medicine, life and art"; exhibits from the collections of the Wellcome Library | ||
Wellington Arch | Hyde Park Corner | Westminster | North | History | Triumphal arch with exhibits about its history | |
Wesley's Chapel, Museum of Methodism and John Wesley's House | Islington | North | Religious | History of Methodism from its founding by John Wesley to the present | ||
Westminster Abbey Museum | Westminster | Westminster | North | Religious | Royal and other funeral effigies, religious artefacts | |
Westminster Dragoons Museum | Fulham | Hammersmith and Fulham | West | Military | Regimental artefacts, regalia and memorabilia, collection currently in storage[23] | |
White Lodge Museum and Ballet Resource Centre | Richmond | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Ballet | History of the Royal Ballet School, daily life of its students, history and development of Classical ballet, history of White Lodge, visits by appointment | |
Whitechapel Gallery | Whitechapel | Tower Hamlets | North East | Art | Contemporary art | |
Whitehall | Cheam | Sutton | South West | Historic house | Tudor house with elements from different eras | |
Whitewebbs Museum of Transport | Crews Hill | Enfield | North | Transport | Cars, trucks, motorcycles, model railway[24] | |
Wiener Library | Bloomsbury | Camden | North | History | Exhibits of art and history from its collections about the Holocaust and genocides around the world | |
William Morris Gallery | Walthamstow | Waltham Forest | North East | Art | Arts and Crafts movement furniture, textiles, ceramics and glass | |
Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum | Wimbledon | Merton | South West | Sport | History of tennis | |
Wimbledon Windmill Museum | Wimbledon | Merton | South West | Mill | 19th-century windmill' exhibits on its history and on other windmills | |
World Rugby Museum | Twickenham | Richmond upon Thames | South West | Sport | Rugby union history and the England national rugby union team, players, memorabilia, history of Twickenham Stadium | |
Young V&A | Bethnal Green | Tower Hamlets | North East | Toy | Toys, dolls, children's playtime and lives |
Defunct museums
[edit]- 491 Gallery, closed in 2013
- Bethnal Green Museum (now known as the V&A Museum of Childhood)
- Bramah Tea and Coffee Museum
- British Music Experience, closed in 2014
- BT Museum
- Church Farmhouse Museum
- Clockmakers' Museum (collections were moved to the Science Museum in 2015)[25]
- Clowns Gallery-Museum closed in 2018 and seeking new venue[26][27]
- Dalí Universe
- De Morgan Centre, closed Wandsworth location in 2014 and seeking new venue
- Egyptian Hall
- Erith Museum[28]
- Firepower: The Royal Artillery Museum, closed in 2016, collections in storage for proposed Salisbury Plain Heritage Centre
- Fleming Collection
- Geological Museum (now part of the Natural History Museum)
- Gilbert Collection (collections now at the Victoria and Albert Museum)
- Greenwich Heritage Centre, Woolwich
- Heralds' Museum
- Heritage Motor Museum, Syon Park (collections now at the Heritage Motor Centre in Warwickshire)[29]
- Hermitage Rooms
- Holophusikon
- Island History Trust
- Jewish Military Museum (collection moved to the Jewish Museum London)
- Jewish Museum (Finchley)
- King George III Museum (some collections now at the Science Museum)
- Livesey Museum for Children
- London Gas Museum
- London General Cab Company Museum, Brixton[30]
- London Toy and Model Museum, closed in 1999[31]
- London Motor Museum
- London Museum (collections now at the Museum of London)
- Musaeum Tradescantianum
- Museum of British Transport, Clapham (collections now at the National Railway Museum (York) and the London Transport Museum)[32]
- Museum of Mankind (collections now returned to the British Museum)
- Museum of the Moving Image (London)
- Nature Study Museum, 1904–1942 in the old mortuary of St George in the East church[33][34]
- The Newsroom - Guardian and Observer Archive and Visitor Centre
- North Woolwich Old Station Museum
- Passmore Edwards Museum
- Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art (collections now at the British Museum)
- Prince Henry's Room
- Pumphouse Educational Museum, closed in 2011
- Royal Artillery Museum, closed in 2001 and collections moved to now-defunct Firepower: The Royal Artillery Museum; collections in storage for proposed Salisbury Plain Heritage Centre
- Rotunda (Woolwich)
- Southall Railway Centre, no longer open to the public
- Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition No longer open to the public; closed in early 2019. Used to contain displays relating to the history of the theatre, costumes, music, theatrical effects, dioramas, and a recreation of a 17th-century printing press
- Theatre Museum (collections now at the Victoria and Albert Museum)
- Type Archive
- West Ham United Museum[35]
- Winston Churchill's Britain At War Experience
- Women's Library, no longer hosts exhibits
- Woodlands Art Gallery
Visitor figures
[edit]The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) publishes monthly visitor figures for the public sector museums and galleries which it sponsors, which include most of the leading museums in London.
The most popular London museum in the private sector is The Sherlock Holmes Museum.
The DCMS totals for the financial year to 31 March 2008 were as follows:[36]
- Tate Modern and Tate Britain – (see note) 6,769,949
- British Museum – 6,037,930
- National Gallery – 3,914,000
- Natural History Museum – 3,613,953
- Science Museum – 2,711,680
- Victoria and Albert Museum – 2,280,759
- National Maritime Museum – 1,765,814
- National Portrait Gallery – 1,645,680
- Imperial War Museum – 759,571
- Horniman Museum – 477,894
- Wallace Collection – 335,349
- V&A Museum of Childhood – 332,844
- Museum of London – 316,992
- Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms – 306,600
- HMS Belfast – 258,941
- Museum of London Docklands – 100,834
- Sir John Soane's Museum – 93,427
- Geffrye Museum – 80,352
- Theatre Museum – 6,852 (closed permanently in August 2007)
- NOTE: Tate Modern and Tate Britain are on separate sites two miles apart, but the DCMS only publishes a single combined visitor figure for them. Tate Modern is widely reported to attract the more visitors of the two, but it is not clear whether it received more visitors than the British Museum on its own.
The majority of government-funded museums stopped charging admission fees in 2001[37] and, although this was challenged in 2007,[38] this has remained the case. Following the removal of admission charges, attendances at London museums increased, with a large percentage of the 42 million annual visitors nationwide.[39]
See also
[edit]- Albertopolis
- Museum Mile, London
- The London Museums of Health & Medicine
- Culture of London
- Category:Tourist attractions in London
References
[edit]- ^ "Brent Museum". Brent.gov.uk. 2 April 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Heritage collection | History and Heritage". British Airways. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Bromley Museum | Bromley Museum | London Borough of Bromley". Bromley.gov.uk. 16 March 2011. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "The Building Centre". The Building Centre. 20 September 2008. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "The Website Of The Crystal Palace Museum". Crystalpalacemuseum.org.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Dorich House". Dorichhousemuseum.org. Retrieved 19 November 2014.
- ^ "About the Gordon Museum". Gordon Museum of Pathology. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
- ^ "Hackney Council – Hackney Museum". Hackney.gov.uk. 14 June 2010. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Official site". House of Illustration. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- ^ "Home". Icando.org.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Arts, fairs, classes, hire... Landmark Arts Centre, south west London". Landmarkartscentre.org. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "London Sewing Machine Museum". Craftysewer.com. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ Merton. "Heritage – Merton – London Libraries". Merton. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Here's what to see at London's new Moco Museum". euronews. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
- ^ "Home". Wimbledonmuseum.org.uk. 1 March 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Redbridge Museum". Redbridge.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 21 June 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Riverside Gallery – London Borough of Richmond upon Thames". Richmond.gov.uk. 17 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Salvation Army International Heritage Centre". salvationarmy.org.uk. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ "夏目漱石とロンドン:倫敦漱石記念館ホームページにようこそ!". Soseki.intlcafe.info. 19 August 2002. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Official site". Studio Voltaire. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ "UCL Geology Collections". Ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Home". Wandle.org. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Westminster Dragoons". Army Museums Ogilby Trust. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ^ "Whitewebbs Museum of Transport". Whitewebbsmuseum.co.uk. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "Museum & Library". The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers. Archived from the original on 19 January 2015. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
- ^ "The London Church with Hundreds of Clowns in Its Basement". 26 January 2017.
- ^ "Home". clownsgallery.co.uk.
- ^ "Managed on behalf of Bexley Council by the Erith Museum Group". Erith Museum. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ "About the Heritage Motor Centre". Heritage Motor Centre. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ^ "Taxis in Lambeth". Vauxhall Civic Society. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
- ^ "The London Toy and Model Museum (1982-1999)". The Brighton Toy and Model Index. 7 July 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "Museum of British Transport, Clapham". ingenious.org.uk. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
- ^ Mansfield, Ian (4 December 2010). "The Nature Study Museum in Stepney". www.ianvisits.co.uk. UK. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ Kulpa, Peter George. "Historic Building Record – Old Mortuary and Nature Study Museum" (PDF). Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "West Ham United FC Museum". Time Out London. 20 June 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ "No longer available – GOV.UK". Culture.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
- ^ Bishop, Tom (29 April 2004). "Museums count cost of going free". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
- ^ Russell, Ben (18 June 2007). "Why museums must stay free". The Independent online. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
- ^ Lister, David (18 June 2007). "Why recall for a rethink on Labours one cultural success". The Independent online. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
External links
[edit]- London's best unsung museums – Time Out London
- New Exhibitions – Exhibition listings; includes comprehensive list of commercial art galleries in London.