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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Bankside Gallery
Read more: Bankside GallerySmall public gallery, home to the Royal Watercolour Society. Showcases new and established watercolour artists.
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Brunel Museum
Read more: Brunel MuseumA small museum dedicated to the world’s oldest underwater tunnel and the iconic Sir Marc Isambard Brunel who designed it. It’s housed in the original 1843 engine house of Brunel’s Thames Tunnel. There’s also the opportunity to see the Grade II* listed Tunnel Shaft which once served as the Grand Entrance Hall for Victorian visitors.
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Clink Prison Museum
Read more: Clink Prison MuseumA hands-on museum on the site of London’s medieval Clink prison. It aims to showcase what the prison was like, filled with gruesome stories and torture implements.
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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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Dulwich Picture Gallery
Read more: Dulwich Picture GalleryThe world’s first purpose-built public art gallery, home to an important collection of art by the old masters. You’ll find many big hitters here – including works by Rembrandt, Gainsborough and Van Dyck. The building is a landmark in its own right – designed by John Soane, its been a core influence on art galleries…
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Fashion & Textile Museum
Read more: Fashion & Textile MuseumContemporary fashion museum, founded by designer Zandra Rhodes. It hosts rotating exhibitions of fashion, textiles, and costume design – check what’s on, it hosts a wide range of stuff which will be of interest to many people. For example past exhibitions have covered the textiles of Andy Warhol, to how texiles have been used for…
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Golden Hinde
Read more: Golden HindeA full-scale replica of the Golden Hinde, the ship captained by Sir Francis Drake which became the first English ship to circumnavigate the globe. A very kid-friendly museum, with immersive and interactive experiences for children to learn about history in an engaging way. Also great for history buffs – built using traditional methods, with an…
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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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HMS Belfast
Read more: HMS BelfastAn iconic WWII Royal Navy warship museum moored on the Thames. You can explore its lower and upper decks to see what life was like for those onboard – all of its cabins are presented as they were, including the Mess Decks, the Sick Bay, and the opportunity to hold the steering wheel. Exhibitions explore…
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House of Dreams Museum
Read more: House of Dreams MuseumThe home of artist Stephen Wright, who has spent years covering with artworks, sculptures and designs with found objects – made up of things he buys at flea markets, or donated by visitors. Every inch is covered with mosaics, riots of colour, sculpture. And… many, many creepy dolls. An utterly unique place to visit.
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Kirkaldy Testing Museum
Read more: Kirkaldy Testing MuseumA unique industrial museum, home to engineer David Kirkaldy’s colossal Universal Testing Machine, which he designed to test building components, and other testing machines. For over a century, Kirkaldy, his team, and later his descendants tested materials of every kind, from metal to wooden beams, for major projects such as Hammersmith Bridge and the Sydney…
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Merton Priory Chapter House
Read more: Merton Priory Chapter HouseThe excavated remains of a medieval priory, founded nearly 1,000 years ago and now displayed in an underpass museum.
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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 Wimbledon
Read more: Museum of WimbledonAn independent, volunteer-run local history museum showcasing Wimbledon’s history and the people who’ve lived here. Includes a collection relating to the campaign for Women’s Suffrage; models of lost manor houses; and local archaeology finds.
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Old Operating Theatre Museum
Read more: Old Operating Theatre MuseumA unique medical museum in the attic of an 18th century church, home to Europe’s oldest surviving surgical theatre for female patients. Provides insight into the history of medicine and Victorian surgery, back before anaesthetics and antiseptics. As well as exploring the old operating theatre, you can see the Herb Garrett above, which was used…
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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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Shakespeare’s Globe
Read more: Shakespeare’s GlobeA reconstruction of Shakespeare’s 16th century Globe Theatre. As well as its live productions in an authentic historic environment, it offers guided tours, during which you’ll learn about Shakespeare’s London and visit the Theatre’s exhibition space.
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South London Gallery
Read more: South London GalleryA contemporary public art gallery in Peckham, which has been going for 125 years and has a reputation for cutting edge exhibition showcasing modern art.
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Southwark Heritage Centre
Read more: Southwark Heritage CentreA small showcase of Southwark’s historic collection, including local history displays, artefacts from the Cuming Collection (which used to be housed in the Cuming Museum) and works from the borough’s collection of art. Housed within Walworth Library.
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Tate Modern
Read more: Tate ModernOne of London’s premier art galleries, famous for its absolutely ginormous collection of 20th and 21st century art, and blockbuster temporary exhibitions. You could spend all day exploring its free permanent collection and still not see everything. For me, the highlight is the ‘Artist and Society’ section, which explores the interaction between politics and art,…
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Wandle Industrial Museum
Read more: Wandle Industrial MuseumA small, community museum focusing on the industrial heritage of the River Wandle, including Young’s Brewery; William Morris’ printworks; lavender, snuff and dye industries.
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Wat Buddhapadipa
Read more: Wat BuddhapadipaThe first Buddhist temple of its kind in the UK, with peaceful gardens and a striking temple.
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Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum
Read more: Wimbledon Lawn Tennis MuseumThe world’s largest tennis museum, within the Wimbledon Tennis Club, right next to Centre Court. Usually visited as part of a tour, it tells the story of the tournament through interactive galleries, with memorabilia and artefacts about many of the great players to have graced its courts.
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Wimbledon Windmill Museum
Read more: Wimbledon Windmill MuseumA tiny museum inside an 1817 windmill on Wimbledon Common. As well as exploring the windmill itself, there are exhibits explaining the evolution of windmills. Also home to models of windmills, ranging from ancient windmills to the various types used in Britain.
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