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!
A small museum in one of the oldest churches in London, housed in an atmospheric crypt. It included part of a Roman floor, Roman and Saxon artefacts, and charts the City of London’s history from Roman Londinium through the Great Fire.
A museum within the Bank of England’s headquarters, which charts over 300 years of monetary history from banknote design to financial crises. Visitors can handle a real gold bar.
An underground WWII operations room at RAF Uxbridge, crucial during the Battle of Britain – fighter aircraft operations took place here during the Battle of Britain and D-Day. A visit includes a tour of the original underground bunker and Operations Room – and above ground is a state of the art, modern exhibition exploring the…
A 17th-century Jacobean manor in Brentford, recently restored and open to the public. Set in a scenic park, it offer s beautifully preserved interiors, including original ornate plasterwork, and community exhibition galleries, often about Hounslow’s modern diverse communities.
This lesser-known collection showcasing the British Red Cross’ 150 years of history, featuring historical objects like medical kits from WWI trenches and documents from relief operations illustrating the evolution of emergency aid since 1870s.
A Grade I listed, 16th century manor house, which is also home to the museum of the London Borough of Haringey. Its collection includes artefacts from the past and present of Haringey’s neighbourhoods (including Tottenham, and Tottenham Hotspurs memorabilia!). The former grounds of the manor house are now a large public park. As of 2025,…
A Grade I listed Villa, famous as one of London’s gems of Georgian architecture gems. It features large gardens (the first ever English landscape gardens); while in the house, Neo-Palladian in style and extremely striking, you can explore its ornate details, period rooms and art collection.
The former home of Dr Samuel Johnson, where he compiled his famous and influential Dictionary of the English Language. As well as exhibitions about his life and work, you can explore the period rooms and gain a sense of 18th-century literary life in London.
An art gallery home to the City of London’s art collection, especially notable for its Victorian pieces – though the collection ranges from the 17th century to the modern day. Downstairs are the excavated remains of part of London’s Roman Ampitheatre, lost for centuries and discovered when the gallery was built in the 1980s.
A large museum, with over 50,000 items in its collection, focused on the history and culture of West London boroughs Ealing and Hounslow. Features archaeological artefacts from the area; exhibitions on the culture of Ealing and Hounslow and its famous residents; social history; fashion and industry. It’s housed in a former Rothschild mansion, and some…
The former country home of 18th-century artist William Hogarth, now a small museum about his life. It has a large collection of his work, as well as exhibits on the house, its residents and the local area, as well as a lovely garden.
A free to visit, multi-sensory experience based around the ruins of an ancient temple of Mithras, a secretive and mysterious Roman cult. Found below Bloomberg’s London headquarters, the ruins of the 3rd century AD temple are brought to life by an immersive light and sound show. There’s also a small exhibition.
A hands-on industrial museum at the former Kew Bridge Waterworks. Tells the story of London’s water supply, with interactive exhibits; live steam demonstration; the world’s largest collection of working Cornish steam engines, and a splash zone for kids.
A 22-acre heritage site with a beautiful Tudor manor house and medieval barn, housing a small free museum about Ruislip’s history. The Manor house includes many original features; in the nearby Pram Shed are a collection of historic farming tools.
A Grade I listed Palladian mansion from the 1750s, and the official residence and office of the Lord Mayor of the City of London. Includes the striking Egyptian Hall and a large art collection.
A small museum in a Grade II listed engine hall, featuring a restored Victorian steam-powered beam engine. It offers live demonstrations of the steam engine on certain days.
A unique museum of self-playing musical instrument, telling the story of how music has been recorded and reproduced throughout history. Engineering marvels and inventions, such as self-playing violin and The Mighty Wurlitzer, designed to accompany silent films. There are lots of opportunities to listen to the instruments. Also home to a gallery dedicated to music…
A grand Georgian country house remodelled by the famous 18th century architect Robert Adam. It’s set in a vast park and now run by the National Trust, featuring opulent neo-classical rooms, like the famous and stunning Entrance Hall and its luxurious state apartments. Throughout are paintings, sculptures and tapestries.
A Grade II* listed Tudor hunting lodge, originally built under the reign of Henry VIII and later renovated by Elizabeth I. As well as being an excellent example of Tudor architecture and one of the few surviving timber-framed Tudor buildings in London, it hosts a small museum about the period and how the building was…
A museum charting 900 years of medical care at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, with artefacts such as the 1546 refoundation agreement between Henry VIII and the City of London.
London’s iconic domed cathedral, designed by Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London.with religious art and architecture. Includes the crypt, which is the final resting place of Sir Christopher Wren and the DUke of Wellington,; a Whispering Gallery; and panoramic views across London from the dome.
A quite simply stunning Grade I listed stately home, former residence of the Duke of Northumberland. It has many layers of history, but its most famous for its interior, a masterpiece by Robert Adam with exquisite classical-style rooms. Surrounded by 200 acres of parkland and home to a famous Great Conservatory. Overall a relatively uncrowded…
Housed in a Grade II listed Victorian sewage pumping station, this volunteer-run museum celebrates Walthamstow’s transport and industrial heritage. Its extensive firefighting collection was built up by former firefighter Frank Mycock and includes everything from a Victorian horse-drawn fire engine to modern equipment. The museum is also home to a pair of working Marshall steam…
A museum dedicated to William Morris, the iconic arts & crafts designer, in what was once his family home. It displays the largest collection of Morris’ work in the world, including textiles, furniture, and art. Galleries cover every aspect of his life, including his politics, his influences, how craftsmean created his designs, and a mock-up…
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