Best North London Museums: 50+ Top Picks and Hidden Gems
North London is home to some of the city’s top sights. Millions of tourists flock to Camden each year for its famous markets — but the area is just as rich in museums, from world-class national collections like the British Museum and British Library to smaller, more unusual spots.
Further north, London turns suburban, with a scattering of hidden gems and historic houses such as Forty Hall Estate in Enfield and Bruce Castle in Haringey. On this page you’ll find a complete guide to all 48 museums in North London.
There are nearly 50 museums in North London – it can be hard to know where to start. My top picks for four ‘must-see’ museums in North London are:
The British Museum (Camden): It’s not possible to write any blog about museums in London without mentioning its most visited. The British Museum is one of the world’s greatest collections, covering every continent and aspect of human history. And it’s free to visit.
The Wellcome Collection (Camden): A free to visit, interactive science museum, with a focus on health and often exploring how science intersects with art.
TheBritish Library (Camden): Too often forgotten is the British Library – which exhibits its ‘treasures’, including important documents and artefacts from British culture and history. Everything from the Magna Carta to handwritten Beatles lyrics. It’s free to visit, though temporary exhibitions are often costed.
Royal Airforce Museum London (Barnet): Slightly further afield is the massive, immersive and hands on RAF Museum.
Hidden gem museums in North London
The Cartoon Museum (Camden): A small museum celebrating British cartoons and comics.
The Freemason’s Museum: Exactly what it says on the tin – a museum exploring the history of the mysterious Freemasons.
Foundling Museum: A museum telling the story of the historic children’s home – a moving museum, often overlooked, which is a great way to learn a different side to London’s history.
But North London has so much more to offer beyond its most famous museums. There are plenty of hidden gem, unusual and interesting museums worth visiting. Some of my favourites include:
The Wiener Holocaust Library is also a fascinating and important institution, the world’s oldest dedicated to the study of the Holocaust.
🔬 Science museums in North London
North London is the best region of the city if you’re interested in science. Yes, the biggest science museum – the Science Museum itself – is in West London.
But North London is home to the excellent, interactive Wellcome Collection, and nearby the Francis Crick Institute, which hosts cutting edge science exhibitions on the latest discoveries throughout the year.
London’s heavy hitting art galleries are elsewhere, but North London has some excellent collections of modern art. Most notable are galleries in Camden, including the Camden Art Centre and the beautiful Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art.
🏗️ If you like architecture…
North London has some real architectural gems worth mentioning. The Sir John Soane museum, the former home of the famous architect, is the pick of the bunch.
But there are also the listed manor houses of Bruce Castle (16th century, in Haringey) and Forty Hall & Estate (17th century with older Tudor remains, Enfield). At the other end of the architectural spectrum, Camden is home to 2 Willow Road, a modernist masterpiece by Erno Goldfinger, which you can now visit as a museum.
These are just a small selection of the best museums in North London. Explore all museums in North London using the interactive tool below.
Interactive tool: explore all 48 museums in North London
How to use this guide: The cards below show an A-Z directory of all 48 museums in North 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.
A 1930s modernist terraced home preserved with original interiors and modern art. Designed by Ernő Goldfinger, a key figure in the Modernist architectural movement
The museum at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, dedicated to the clubs history from its 19th century origins in Woolwich to present day. Filled with memorabilia, trivia, history and interactive exhibits. Included as part of a stadium tour, but can be visited separately.
A small museum dedicated to Jewish and immigrant artists in Britain, focusing n themes of migration, identity and social change. It aims to showcase and celebrate the Jewish, refugee and immigrant contribution to British visual culture.
Gallery at SOAS University showcasing rotating exhibitions highlighting art and artifacts from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Its aim is to promote a better understanding of the art, culture, history and contemporary contexts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Venue for cutting-edge contemporary art exhibitions and educational programs, housed in a Victorian building, known for emerging artists and innovative works.
A volunteer-run small art gallery devoted to current drawing practice. Provides non-commercial exhibition space for emerging and established artists to show drawings free from market pressures.
The 19th-century home of Charles Dickens, arguably London’s most iconic writer, who wrote about the experience of Britain’s working class in the 19th century. In this building on Doughty Street, Dickens wrote some of his most famous works, including Nicholas Nickelby and Oliver Twist. The house showcases a large collection of artefacts linked to Dickens…
The UKs only gallery devoted to modern Italian art, best known for its Futurist masterpieces and figurative art and sculpture dating from 1890 to the 1950s. Housed in a Grade II listed Georgian villa in Canonbury. As well as its permanent collection it hosts temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary Italian artists
17th-century merchants house and a fine example of Georgian architecture. Throughout the house are musical instrument and porcelain collections, and there is a beautiful garden, including a 300 year old orchard.
A moving museum, telling the story of the Foundling Hospital, a children’s home opened in 1739, making it the first home in England specifically dedicated to caring for abandoned and destitute children. It includes objects left by mothers when they handed their baby over, which would have allowed the hospital to match the child to…
One of Europe’s leading biomedical research centres, which runs exhibitions that open up cutting-edge science to the public, exploring themes like genetics, health, and the future of medicine. If you’re interested in science, medicine or innovation, check what’s on – their exhibitions are usually excellent.
Final home of Sigmund Freud, including his collection of antiquities, his study and his library, and his famous psychoanalytic couch. There are also temporary exhibitions, and a portrait of Freud by Dali.
A 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.
A small museum about the Inns of Court Regiment, tracing its unusual history and predecessor units from 1584 through many conflicts right up to recent operations in Afghanistan. Open only on request.
The local heritage museum for the Borough of Islington. Its galleries cover themes community and social history, including fashion , food healthcare, wartime Islington and radicals. Includes a bust of Lenin who lived in the borough.
A stately home on Hampstead Heath, built in the 17th century and remodelled in the 18th. Famous for its elegant interiors, landscaped gardens, and world-class art collection – including work by Rembrandt.
A 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…
A new, state of the art immersive art space in King’s Cross. Each exhibition takes over the huge warehouse-style venue, using digital projection and audio technology to create immersive exhibitions across art, music, science and more. Examples of its exhibitions include Discovering Dinosaurs, an immersive experience on voyages to the moon narrated by Tom Hanks,…
A museum devoted to the history of London’s waterways, exploring the story of canals in London – how they came to be built, the lives of the workers, and how they worked. Housed in a 19th-century ice warehouse it also tells the story of London’s ice industry. Highlights include peering into huge Victorian ice wells…
A hybrid of museum and live comedy venue tucked beneath St George’s Church in Bloomsbury. It celebrates British comedic history with memorabilia from iconic performers, and also hosts stand-up shows and events.
A small museum about the history of Methodism, housed in its spiritual home – the Methodist church built under the direction of its founder, John Wesley. Next door is Wesley’s former home, which can also be visited.
One of the world’s most important collections of Egyptian archeology, comprised of more than 80,000 artefacts, tucked away in the UCL’s campus. Highlights include the earliest representation of weaving; the oldest woven garment and the earliest example of metal from Egypt.
A 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 preserved home of neoclassical architect Sir John Soane, preserved as it was at the time of his death in 1837 and home to his vast, varied collection with artefacts from all over the globe. Also hosts a number of free to visit exhibitions, usually around architecture or art.
One of the world’s largest libraries, with a free exhibition showcasing some of its treasures – including handwritten Beatles lyrics and the Magna Carta, along with important artefacts from across the world.
One of the world’s most famous and London’s most visited museum, guiding you through Global history, with artefacts from every corner of the world. Highlights include the Rosetta Stone and the Benin Bronzes. It also hosts exceptional temporary exhibitions, among the best in London.
The oldest museum of optometry in the world, telling the story of eye care and eyewear. Housed in the British Optical Association’s historic headquarters, it’s home to a massive collection of more than 28,000 items from the history of eyecare, some of which is shown in galleries open to the public. By exploring the history…
Museum 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.
A historic building with a multi-layered history – having been a medieval monastry, a Tudor mansion, and a school. You can explore this history through its well-preserved rooms, its garden and its museum
Small 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.
A museum about the history of post in the UK, with interactive and immersive displays. Its highlight is the Mail Rail – a small train running underground, originally used to transport mail across the city, which you can ride as part of your visit and learn about its history.
The world’s oldest institution dedicated to the study of the Holocaust. Its collection includes over one million items, including published and unpublished works, press cuttings, photographs and eyewitness testimony. Hosts a variety of exhibitions on the Holocaust, its causes and its legacy.
A museum exploring the ‘human experience’ and health. Home to a permnanent exhibition ‘Being Human’, and rotating exchibitions on science, medicine, life, and art.
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