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!
-
Antique Breadboard Museum
Read more: Antique Breadboard MuseumQuirky micro-museum in Putney that displays a “a small but stunning collection of breadboards and bread knives dating from the 1840s”. It’s a private project, run Madeleine Neave, whose father was behind the collection of breadboards. She runs informal, hands-on tours throughout the Summer, which include cream teas.
-
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
-
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.
-
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…
-
Dennis Severs’ House
Read more: Dennis Severs’ HouseA unique way to discover London’s history. American artist Dennis Severs bought this Spitalfields townhouse in 1979 and spent the rest of his life transforming it into a “still-life drama.” Each of its rooms is set between 1725 and 1919, as if the fictional Huguenot Jervis family, silk weavers by trade, had just stepped out…
-
Grant Museum of Zoology
Read more: Grant Museum of ZoologyA large zoology collection, established during Victorian times, with more than 100,000 zoological specimins – including very rare and extinct specimens. Cabinet-style natural history museum with 68,000 zoological specimens, offering education about animal anatomy and evolution. Part of the University College London.
-
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.
-
Hunterian Museum
Read more: Hunterian MuseumA museum exploring the history of surgery, from ancient times to cutting-edge technology. Housed at the Royal College of Surgeons, it recently reopened after a major refurbishment, and displays the largest public display of human anatomy in England, as well as instruments, equipment and models. Fascinating, though not for the squeamish. It’s named after the…
-
Jack the Ripper Museum
Read more: Jack the Ripper MuseumAn immersive museum in Whitechapel which tells the story of Jack the Ripper and his crimes. It aims to plunge you into the unsettling world of Victorian East End London, with recreated (often gruesome) scenes. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the museum was extremely controversial when it first opened – its planning…
-
Kennel Club Dog Art Gallery
Read more: Kennel Club Dog Art GalleryA unique art gallery dedicated to art featuring dogs, dating from the present day all the way back to the 1st century AD – though most art comes from the 19th and 20th century. Housed within the offices of the Kennel Club, an organisation dedicated to the wellbeing and health of dogs.
-
Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Read more: Library and Museum of FreemasonryA museum about the history of freemasonry, inside the impressive art deco Freemasons Hall. Exhibitions display regalia and ritual objects, and cover three centuries of Freemasonry in England. You can also take a guided tour which allows you to visit the Grand Temple. The Freemasons are a centuries-old fraternal organisation often shrouded in mistory, and…
-
London Mithraeum (Bloomberg SPACE)
Read more: London Mithraeum (Bloomberg SPACE)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.
-
Musical Museum (Brentford)
Read more: Musical Museum (Brentford)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…
-
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…
-
Royal College of Physicians Museum
Read more: Royal College of Physicians MuseumA museum in England’s oldest medical college, founded over 500 years ago by a Royal Charter from King Henry VIII. A collection showcasing centuries of medical history and the evolution of medicine. Its huge collection includes rare artefacts, ancient apothecary jars, old anotomical tables and a portrait collection. Also home to a Medicinal Garden, with…
-
The Cartoon Museum
Read more: The Cartoon MuseumMuseum of British cartoons, comics and animation from 18th century to present, celebrating humor and political satire in cartooning. It also hosts excellent and fun temporary exhibitions.
-
The Magic Circle Museum
Read more: The Magic Circle MuseumSmall museum of magic history, in the headquarters of the Magic Circle – the world’s most famous magic society, with over 1,700 members and a century of history. You can only visit as part of an event, which are hosted several times a week.
-
Tower of London
Read more: Tower of LondonLondon’s most famous fortress, the Tower of London has stood on the Thames for nearly 1,000 years, and was the site of many key historical moments, imprisonments and executions (and hauntings?). Today it’s one of the UK’s most visited historic sites and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Too many highlights to list here – but…
-
Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities
Read more: Viktor Wynd Museum of CuriositiesOne of London’s strangest and creepiest 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…
Thanks for visiting my blog! This post may contain affiliate links - which means if you make a purchase, I'll receive a small commission, at no extra cost to yourself. This helps me keep this site running for free.