East London has a proud history – a part of the city that rapidly grew following the industrial revolution, and long the heart of the city’s industry. It deep working-class heritage, and a long history of radical politics and close knit communities.
This community spirit is still live and strong, and reflected in its excellent community and locally focused museums.
In recent years, East London has become the city’s creative district. So you’ll also find distinctive, surprising museums. And the area is changing, too. Major new institutions are opening around the rapidly regenerating docklands and Olympic Park areas, such as the new V&A East Storehouse.
East London is home to more than 30 museums. Other parts of the city have more – but none have such a wide ranging collection, and such a high number of genuinely unique and distinctive museums as East London.
On this page:
- My top picks – the best museums in East London
- Hidden gems and university collections
- Themed guides: by interest or visitor type
- An interactive tool to explore all 30+ museums
Make sure to check out my full London museum guide, or read my guides to museums in North, South, Central and West London.
Best museums in East London – my top picks
- Museum of London Docklands (Tower Hamlets) – One of London’s best museums, and often overlooked by tourists. It explores the history of London’s docklands, telling the wider story of the city’s growth and trade. Housed in a 200-year-old warehouse and free to visit.
- V&A East Storehouse (Newham) – The newest addition to East London’s museum offering is the new branch of the V&A. It’s essentially the warehouse used to store the museum’s vast collection, but is also open as a museum – there are curated displays from its collection, and you can see conservators at work. For me, the most exciting part is that it’s also home to the new Bowie Centre.
- The Tower of London (Tower Hamlets) – One of London’s most iconic landmarks: a fortress, royal palace, and prison with nearly a thousand years of history – and plenty to see and do.
- Museum of the Home (Hackney) – An interesting and unique museum exploring ‘the home’ throughout history. Its standout exhibit is ‘Rooms through time’, recreations of a series of rooms from throughout history, meticulously set up and based on people’s real homes, to show how Londoners have lived throughout the year. Rooms stretch from 1630 to 2049.
Hidden gem museums in East London
- Hackney Museum (Hackney) – One of the best local history museums in London, telling the story of one of the city’s most diverse and creative boroughs.
- The William Morris Gallery (Waltham Forest) – The largest collection of William Morris’ work in the world, with galleries covering every aspect of his life, career and politics.
- Upminster Tithe Barn Museum of Nostalgia (Havering) – A medieval barn now housing an eclectic collection of artefacts, from agricultural tools to vintage toys and televisions – a lovingly chaotic museum of everyday nostalgia.
- Dennis Severs’ House (Tower Hamlets) – A museum which encapsulates East London’s creative spirit. Dennis Severs, an American artist, spent much of his life transforming this house into what he called a ‘still life drama’, telling the story of how a fictional family lived in the same space throughout generations. You can visit it either as a self-guided experience or as part of a theatrical tour.
- Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities – Probably London’s weirdest museum, and definitely its creepiest. Exhibition cases cover topics like the occult, ‘Human Hair’, and two-headed animals.
Which East London Museum should I visit…
🧒 Best East London Museums if you have kids
East London is home to two museums especially for kids – the Discover Children’s Story Centre in Stratford and the Young V&A Museum in Bethnal Green.
The Ragged School Museum, the Museum of the Home and the Museum of London Docklands are also great family choices.
🏛️ Best East London museums if you love history
East London’s history is rich – museums cover its deep industrial heritage, but also its social history and long history of migration.
The Museum of London Docklands is the pick of the bunch. There are also excellent local museums, community-centred and exploring individual boroughs in more depth. As well as the Hackney Museum I mentioned earlier, the Redbridge Museum is a great pick, recently refurbished, and Valence House in Barking and Dagenham.
For social history, the Museum of the Home is the best in my opinion. The Ragged School Museum – which served children in poverty in the East End – also gives insight into life for Victorian Children (and they host ‘Victorian lessons’ for an immersive experience…)
Also worth a visit is the RAF Hornchurch Heritage Centre, telling the story of a former RAF station that played a key role in the Battle of Britain.
For a taste of Tudor East London, visit Sutton House (Hackney’s oldest building) or Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge in Chingford.
🏭 For East London’s industrial heritage…
The Museum of London Docklands tell the history of the docks (including a recreated ‘Sailortown’).
The Walthamstow Pumping Station is a volunteer-run museum celebrating the area’s transport and industrial heritage. And in Newham you’ll find House Mill, the largest surviving tidal mill in the world.
🎨 Art galleries in East London
East London is a buzzy, creative area – and the galleries tend to be smaller and community- driven than the larger national galleries elsewhere.
The main gallery is Whitechapel Gallery, one of London’s most important spaces for contemporary art. Autograph Gallery in Shoreditch is a photography gallery centred on social justice and identity. And finally Nunnery Gallery and Chisenhale Gallery are a pair of not-for-profit, small galleries in the East End.
These are just a small selection of the best museums in East London. Explore all museums in East London using the interactive tool below.
Interactive tool: explore all 30+ museums in East London
How to use this guide: The cards below show an A-Z directory of all 30+ museums in East London. Use the filters to the right to show only museums you’re interested in.
‘Primary focus’ splits museums by their broad area of focus. You can click ‘additional themes’ to see more specific categories, such as museums covering World War Two, or modern art galleries.
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Vestry House Museum
Read more: Vestry House MuseumTEMPORARILY CLOSED Waltham Forest’s local history museum, housed in a former workhouse. Closed for a revitalisation project, reopening early 2026.
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