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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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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Havering Museum
Read more: Havering MuseumA community museum exploring Havering’s history, from pre-history to the borough’s diverse present. Located in a historic brewery.
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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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London Transport Museum Depot
Read more: London Transport Museum DepotThe London Transport Museum’s depot, where the majority of its 500,000-object collection is held, including vintage vehicles, trains, buses, posters and maps. Visited by guided tour focusing on specific aspects of its collection – such as design, and ‘Cab it!’ where you can explore a number of old underground trains and see the drivers room.…
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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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Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery
Read more: Pitzhanger Manor & GalleryThe country home of Sir John Soane (Ealing was countryside back then!), designed by him. Soane is one of Britain’s most influential architects. You can explore the manjor, recently restored to Soane’s original design. There is also a contemporary art gallery.
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RAF Hornchurch Heritage Centre
Read more: RAF Hornchurch Heritage CentreA heritage centre and tribute to RAF Hornchurch, a former Royal Airforce sector station established to protect London during World War One and playing a major role in the Battle of Britain. Immersive wartime displays and personal stories walk you through the history of the site, with exhibition rooms on topics such as ‘Battle of…
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Rainham Hall
Read more: Rainham HallA beautifully preserved Georgian house with rotating exhibitions on the house’s history and a tranquil garden. Recently reopened following a £2.5m conservation project.
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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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Upminster Tithe Barn Museum of Nostalgia
Read more: Upminster Tithe Barn Museum of NostalgiaA treasure-filled medieval barn with over 500 years of history. Focused on agriculture, with a wide range of historic agricultural artefacts. But over time its collection has expanded to all sorts – from kitchen materials, to old TVs, toys and craft items. It calls itself the ‘Museum of Nostalgia’.
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Upminster Windmill
Read more: Upminster WindmillOne of London’s four remaining historic windmills, dating to 1803. Offers a chance to explore the Windmill, learn about its history and the role of windpower.
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