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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Arsenal Football Club Museum
Read more: Arsenal Football Club MuseumThe museum at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, dedicated to the clubs history from its 19th century origins in Woolwich to present day. Filled with memorabilia, trivia, history and interactive exhibits. Included as part of a stadium tour, but can be visited separately.
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Centre for Recent Drawing (C4RD)
Read more: Centre for Recent Drawing (C4RD)A volunteer-run small art gallery devoted to current drawing practice. Provides non-commercial exhibition space for emerging and established artists to show drawings free from market pressures.
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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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Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art
Read more: Estorick Collection of Modern Italian ArtThe UKs only gallery devoted to modern Italian art, best known for its Futurist masterpieces and figurative art and sculpture dating from 1890 to the 1950s. Housed in a Grade II listed Georgian villa in Canonbury. As well as its permanent collection it hosts temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary Italian artists
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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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Islington Museum
Read more: Islington MuseumThe local heritage museum for the Borough of Islington. Its galleries cover themes community and social history, including fashion , food healthcare, wartime Islington and radicals. Includes a bust of Lenin who lived in the borough.
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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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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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London Canal Museum
Read more: London Canal MuseumA museum devoted to the history of London’s waterways, exploring the story of canals in London – how they came to be built, the lives of the workers, and how they worked. Housed in a 19th-century ice warehouse it also tells the story of London’s ice industry. Highlights include peering into huge Victorian ice wells…
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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 Methodism
Read more: Museum of MethodismA small museum about the history of Methodism, housed in its spiritual home – the Methodist church built under the direction of its founder, John Wesley. Next door is Wesley’s former home, which can also be visited.
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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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Museum of the Order of St John
Read more: Museum of the Order of St JohnOne of London’s hidden gem museums, telling the history of the Order of St John – from its medieval origins, to the modern day St John Ambulance.
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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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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 Charterhouse
Read more: The CharterhouseA historic building with a multi-layered history – having been a medieval monastry, a Tudor mansion, and a school. You can explore this history through its well-preserved rooms, its garden and its museum
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The Postal Museum (with Mail Rail)
Read more: The Postal Museum (with Mail Rail)A museum about the history of post in the UK, with interactive and immersive displays. Its highlight is the Mail Rail – a small train running underground, originally used to transport mail across the city, which you can ride as part of your visit and learn about its history.
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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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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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