Discover every museum in London all in one place.
There are nearly 250 museums in London – more than just about any other city in the world. Through London’s Museum Guide I want to encourage others to share my love of London’s incredible museum scene, and help you to discover gems you might not have heard of.
Below you’ll find a full, filterable list of everything the city has to offer. Head to the London Museum Guide homepage to explore bespoke guides.
A complete A-Z of London’s museums by theme & location
How to use this guide: The cards below show an A-Z directory of all 250+ museums in 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. If you prefer to look at a map, visit my London Museum Map here.
Finally, have fun, and if you have any tips, want to leave a review for a museum, or notice an error, don’t hesitate to comment or contact me!
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575 Wandsworth Road
Read more: 575 Wandsworth RoadAn unassuming Georgian terraced house which on the inside is utterly beautiful, covered in hand-carved fretwork, decorated by its former owner poet Khadambi Asalache. A tiny marvel and one of London’s artistic hidden treasures.
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Black Cultural Archives
Read more: Black Cultural ArchivesAn archive and heritage centre devoted to Black British History. Temporarily closed as a museum, but continues to host events and tours of its exhibition.
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Chelsea FC Museum
Read more: Chelsea FC MuseumThe museum at Stamford Bridge, telling the story of Chelsea FC and visited as part of a stadium tour. Features trophies, VR, memorabilia, and stadium access.
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Crossness Engines (The Crossness Pumping Station)
Read more: Crossness Engines (The Crossness Pumping Station)A sewage station might not be your average day out – but the Crossness is a masterpiece of Victorian engineering, credited with playing a crucial role in saving London from the Great Stink in 1858 and subsequent cholera epidemics. Architecturally it’s massive in scale and stunning, giving it the nickname ‘the Cathedral of Sewage’. Only…
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Danson House
Read more: Danson House1760s Georgian mansion in Danson Park with rich interiors. The gardens are free to visit, while the house is only available to visit as part of a guided tour. It is also Bexley’s Registery Office.
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Eel Pie Island Museum
Read more: Eel Pie Island MuseumA funky little volunteer-run museum celebrating Eel Pie Island, which was home to a legendary 1960s music club. Everyone from Howlin’ Wolf to David Bowie, Rod Stewart to the Rolling Stones and Eric Claptop played there. The museum (which isn’t actually on the Island where the venue was, but nearby) celebrates this rock’n’roll heritage, and…
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Emery Walker’s House
Read more: Emery Walker’s HouseThe former home of Emery Walker, an important figure in the Arts and Crafts movement and close friend of William Morris. Beautifully preserved with its interiors almost exactly as they were when Walker lived here, described as “the last authentic Arts and Crafts interior in Britain”.
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Florence Nightingale Museum
Read more: Florence Nightingale MuseumA museum celebrating the pioneer of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale. Explores her life, how she pioneered nursing during the Crimean War, and her campaign for better nursing. A highlight is the lamp that gave her her famous nickname: ‘the lady with the lamp. Well-regarded for its informative and inspiring storytelling.
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Fulham Palace
Read more: Fulham PalaceFor over 1,300 years, this was the home of the Bishops of London. Now you can explore its history through its preserved rooms and museum, as well as explore its 13 acres of gardens with exotic plants. Other highlights are its Tudor Hall and its archaeological finds (the site is still being excavated, with findings…
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Garden Museum
Read more: Garden MuseumA small museum dedicated to British gardening history within a medieval church. Home to lovely gardens (as you’d expect!), and a permanent exhibition about gardening and its history. You can also climb the church’s ancient tower, with views over the Thames.
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Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare
Read more: Garrick’s Temple to ShakespeareAn ornate 1750s ‘Temple to Shakespeare’, built by actor David Garrick to honor the playright. It originally housed his extensive collection of Shakespearean relics, but is now home to a small exhibition about Garrick himself, with reproduction of work by classic artist such as Hogarth. It’s only small, but it’s a beautiful spot, set in…
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Hall Place & Gardens
Read more: Hall Place & GardensA stunning Tudor country house with exhibitions about its former residents, local history and free to visit gardens. It also has an owls experience, butterfly garden and hosts farmers markets.
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Ham House and Garden
Read more: Ham House and GardenOne of the best preserved and most lavish Stuart houses in England. Beautiful interiors, filled with original artwork and period furniture. Outside are lovely formal gardens, including the Cherry Garden. It’s often hailed as one of Britain’s most haunted houses.
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Hampton Court Palace
Read more: Hampton Court PalaceOne of London’s most spectacular historic sites, Hampton Court Palace is best known as the grand Tudor palace of King Henry VIII – complete with vast kitchens, courtyards, and a great hall fit for feasts. Later expanded by William and Mary in the 17th century, it’s a rare chance to see both Tudor and Baroque…
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Hayward Gallery
Read more: Hayward GalleryA leading contemporary art gallery which hosts rotating modern art exhibitions. Has a reputation for putting on cutting-edge exhibitions, including immersive installations. Housed in the brutalist monolith of the Southbank Centre on the River Thames.
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Imperial War Museum London
Read more: Imperial War Museum LondonAn excellent museum exploring modern conflict. As well as military vehicles, rockets and artefacts, has excellent permanent exhibitions on the Two World Wars, an award winning and poignant Holocaust exhibition, and a collection of art and photography related to conflict. Its temporary exhibitions are also excellent and free, and the museum’s focus on real people’s…
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Irish Cultural Centre
Read more: Irish Cultural CentreAn Irish culture centre which hosts exhibitions and art exhibitions throughout the year.
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Kew Gardens
Read more: Kew GardensOne of the world’s most famous and biggest botanical gardens, home to over 50,000 living plants, historic glasshouses, several galleries, a royal palace and a genuinely awesome treetop walkway. There’s an extraordinary amount to see – you can read my full guide here: https://whatsdownthatstreet.com/2024/06/12/kew-gardens-highlights/
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Lambeth Palace
Read more: Lambeth PalaceThe historic London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury (still in use), open for guided tours on specific days. One of London’s oldest continuously inhabited residences, and a stunningly preserved example of medieval architecture. Also home to peaceful gardens.
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Lambeth Palace Library
Read more: Lambeth Palace LibraryThe National Library and Archive of the Church of England. Founded in 1610, it holds one of the most important collections of ecclesiastical archives in the world – from medieval manuscripts and early printed books to modern church records, and hosts exhibitions about the history of the Church. Also operates free tours of the library.
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Landmark Arts Centre
Read more: Landmark Arts CentreAn arts and community centre in a former church which – as well as its programme of events, classes and shows – hosts small, free community led exhibitions. For example, hosts Richmond’s art fair twice a year.
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Langdon Down Museum
Read more: Langdon Down MuseumA small museum dedicated to the history of learning disability. Housed within the stunning Langdon Down Centre, a Victoria building established by Dr John Langdon Down, established as a place where people with learning disabilities could be cared for and educated at a time when most of them would have been condemned to life in…
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M P BIRLA MILLENNIUM ART GALLERY
Read more: M P BIRLA MILLENNIUM ART GALLERYA small gallery with rotating exhibits of art across cultures and generations – especially focused on Indian art and culture.
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Marble Hill House
Read more: Marble Hill HouseA elegant 18th-century Palladian villa set in 66 acres of riverside parkland. Recently renovated, home to Georgian artworks, period furnishings and a large garden.
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Metropolitan Police Museum
Read more: Metropolitan Police MuseumA small museum, only available by booking ahead and only open on certain days, with exhibitions about the history of the Met Police, its offices, and crimes in the city.
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Museum of Richmond
Read more: Museum of RichmondRichmond’s local museum, inside the borough’s lovely Victorian Old Town Hall. Covers the borough’s history from medieval times to present, with community-driven exhibitions, talks and tours. Exhibitions are split across themes, such as Richmond’s Industry, Richmond’s Archaeology, Richmond’s Architecture and Richmond’s People. One of its highlights is the model of Richmond Palace, one of Henry…
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One Paved Court
Read more: One Paved CourtTucked away in a restored 18th-century building just off Richmond Green, One Paved Court is an independent, not-for-profit gallery showcasing contemporary art. Run by a collective of artists, it hosts an ever-changing programme of exhibitions spanning painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media.
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Orleans House Gallery
Read more: Orleans House GalleryA free public art gallery, housed in the Baroque Octagon Room overlooking the River Thames in Twickenham. It’s home to the borough’s rich art collection, and also hosts (largely contemporary art) temporary exhibitions. Surrounded by woodland.
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Red House
Read more: Red HouseThe former home of William Morris, stunningly decorated with original furnishings, Pre-Raphaelite art and gardens. Visit to the house is by pre-book only.
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Roca London Gallery
Read more: Roca London GalleryA gallery designed by Zaha Hadid Architects with cutting edge exhibitions on architecture and design. Within a showroom for Roca, who make bathrooms.
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South London Botanical Institute
Read more: South London Botanical InstituteA small Victorian-era institute dedicated to botany, featuring a historic herbarium and peaceful botanic garden, with themed sections, including a collection of carniverous plants.
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Strawberry Hill House
Read more: Strawberry Hill HouseAn extraordinary 18th building by Horace Walpole, seen as Britain’s best example of Georgian Gothic Revival Architecture. It’s a feast for the eyes inside and out, filled with eccentric details and Walpole’s art collection.
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The Cinema Museum
Read more: The Cinema MuseumA volunteer-run museum of cinema memorabilia housed in a former workhouse. Focused on cinema before the age of the multiplex, with a collection going back to the 1890s.
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Twickenham Museum
Read more: Twickenham MuseumA cozy volunteer-run museum on Twickenham’s waterfront, exploring the local history of the area.
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William Morris Society Museum
Read more: William Morris Society MuseumThe smaller of London’s two museums on William Morris, in the home he lived in his final years. Rich with his work and information about his life, of interest to Arts & Crafts lovers.
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World Rugby Museum
Read more: World Rugby MuseumThe award-winning definitive museum of rugby union, within Twickenham Stadium. Home to a huge collection of rugby memorabilia as well as interactive displays, exploring all aspects of the sport, its history, and key moments. Can be visited separately or as part of a stadium tour.
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