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!
Hackney’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.
The Museum of London’s East London branch, set in a Grade I listed warehouse on the Isle of Dogs. It tells the story of London’s port and the Thames, from the rise and fall of the docks to the Blitz. Highlights include atmospheric recreated dockside streets, plenty of interactive exhibits and a Mudlarks family gallery,…
The 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.…
An 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.
London’s leading museum dedicated to photography. It has no permanent collection, but instead has several temporary exhibitions running at any time, showcasing a wide range of historic and contemporary photography, across styles and geographies. Exhibitions can cover everything from Black British identity, to photography on album covers, to photography using cutting edge technology. Also home…
London’s largest Victorian Ragged School, which served some of the poorest children in the East End. It aims to recreate what life was like for Victorian children (it has a reconstructed Victorian classroom, where they host ‘Victorian lessons’). Exhibits also showcase the history of the school, its founder (Dr Barnardo) and what life was like…
A not-for-profit contemporary art space supporting emerging artists and socially engaged projects. It often focuses on political art, and supports artists who haven’t previously had significant exposure in London
The latest branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum, opening up more of its huge collection up to visitors. The V&A East Museum will focus on art and design over five floors – with its permanent gallery ‘Why We Make’ exploring and celebrating design and creativity through over 500 objects across global art, design and…
The storehouse for the some of the V&A’s vast collection not on display in the main museum, allowing you to get a behind-the-scenes look. Across three levels are public walkways to see the museum store at work and some of its collection. There are also mini displays showcasing the collection, and free group sessions highlighting…
The 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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