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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Autograph Gallery
Read more: Autograph GalleryA free to visit photography gallery which puts on groundbreaking exhibiitions, usually focused on identity, race, human rights and social justice.
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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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Bethlem Museum of the Mind
Read more: Bethlem Museum of the MindMuseum at Bethlem Royal Hospita,l exploring mental healthcare history and the lives, experience and achievements of people with mental health problems. It also hosts temporary exhibitions about mental health, and showcases a large collection of art, including pieces by former patients dating back 200 years. Open to the public Wednesday-Saturday.
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Biggin Hill Memorial Museum
Read more: Biggin Hill Memorial MuseumTells the story of Biggin Hill, “the most important airfield during the Battle of Britain”. It includes personal stories, chapel memorial, and modern interactive displays for all ages. Opening hours change seasonally – visit website.
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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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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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Chislehurst Caves
Read more: Chislehurst Caves22-mile network of man-made caves, created from the 13th-19th centuries. Originally used as mines, they were used during the First World War to store ammunition and the Second World War as a shelter. Lamp-lit tours explore mythology, geology, and history. Visited by guided tour only
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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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Croydon Art Space
Read more: Croydon Art SpaceA small art gallery showcasing contemporary art, hosting a few exhibitions a year
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Crystal Palace Museum
Read more: Crystal Palace MuseumA small museum telling the story of the original Crystal Palace, a huge iron and glass structure built for the Great Exhibition in 1851 in Hyde Park. The building was then moved to the area now known as Crystal Palace, but burnt down in 1936.
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Down House
Read more: Down HouseThe home of Charles Darwin, with extensive gardens, an audioguide by David Attenborough and exhibitions about his work. You’ll also find the Sandwalk – a path he would take multiple times a day, thought to be crucial as he developed his theories.
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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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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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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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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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Hackney Museum
Read more: Hackney MuseumHackney’s local museum, exploring over 1,000 years of history. This includes exhibitions on Saxon Hackney all the way through to its modern, diverse identity and rich history of migration. It’s all presented in an engaging, family-friendly way and is know for being an inclusive community resource with plenty of interactive elements for children.
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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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Historic Croydon Airport
Read more: Historic Croydon AirportA historic airport, home to the world’s first purpose built airport terminal. Between the wars it was the UK’s only international airport, and for a time it was the biggest and most advanced airport in the world.
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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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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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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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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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Museum of Croydon
Read more: Museum of CroydonCroydon’s local museum, sharing stories of the borough’s history and people. Also home to the Riesco collection, of Chinese ceramics.
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Museum of the Home
Read more: Museum of the HomeThe world’s only museum of the home, exploring home life and how homes have evolved and changed over the past 500 years. Includes ‘Rooms through time’, which features period rooms showing how lives in London have changed – from 1630 to 2049, across different cultures – and ‘Gardens through time’. A unique and thought-provoking museum.…
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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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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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Shirley Windmill
Read more: Shirley WindmillA grade II listed, restored 1854 tower windmill offering Sunday tours. Most of the original machinery is still in place, give an insight into milling history.
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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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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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Sutton House
Read more: Sutton HouseThe oldest house in Hackney and one of the only remaining Tudor houses in London. Originally built for Sir Ralph Sadler, who you may know from Wolf Hall. Features authentic oak-paneled rooms and a peaceful garden in the heart of East London.
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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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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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Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities
Read more: Viktor Wynd Museum of CuriositiesOne of London’s strangest museums, describing itself as a ‘Museum of Curiosities & UnNatural History’. A delightfully bizarre cabinet of curiosities featuring everything from two-headed animals, to an exhibition on ‘Fairies Mermaids, Unicorns and Giants’, to magic and the occult, and even an exhibition on Human Hair. An utterly unique museum, also home to a…
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