List of museums in London

This list of museums in London, England contains museums which are defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Also included are non-profit art galleries and university art galleries. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.

There are over 240 museums in London. The government publishes visitor figures for its own establishments. The majority of government-funded museums stopped charging admission fees in 2001[1] and, although this was challenged in 2007,[2] this has remained the case. Following the removal of admission charges, attendances at London museums increased, with a large percentage of the 42 million annual visitors nationwide.[3]

Contents

The list

To use the sortable table, click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.

Name Image District/Ward Borough Region Type Summary
2 Willow Road Hampstead Camden North Historic house Operated by the National Trust, modernist terrace house designed by Ernő Goldfinger, features a significant collection of 20th century art
7 Hammersmith Terrace Hammersmith Hammersmith and Fulham West Historic house website, former home of Emery Walker, friend and mentor to William Morris, house features Arts and Crafts style interior
18 Stafford Terrace Holland Park Kensington and Chelsea West Historic house Also known as Linley Sambourne House, home of the Victorian Punch cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne, features much of his work
491 Gallery Leytonstone Waltham Forest North East Art Art and social centre
Age Exchange Reminiscence Centre Blackheath Greenwich South East History website, 20th century everyday artefacts and memorabilia, includes 1930s shop, clothing, wartime memorabilia
Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum Paddington Westminster North Medical Located at St Mary's Hospital, London, site and history of Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin, 1928 period laboratory
All Hallows-by-the-Tower Crypt Museum Tower City of London North East Religious Saxon-period Anglican church, museum of church's history, including Roman and Saxon artefacts, historic religious artefacts
Anaesthesia Heritage Centre Fitzrovia Westminster North Medical History of anaesthesia and the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland
AOP Gallery Shoreditch Hackney North Art website, photography gallery operated by the Association of Photographers
Apsley House Hyde Park Corner Westminster North Historic house Operated by English Heritage, also known as Wellington Museum, home of The Duke of Wellington, significant collections of paintings, porcelain, sculpture and furniture
Arsenal Football Club Museum Holloway Islington North Sports History and memorabilia of the Arsenal F.C.
artsdepot Finchley Barnet North Art Arts centre with exhibit gallery
Baden-Powell House Exhibition South Kensington Kensington and Chelsea West Biographical History of Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting
Bank of England Museum City of London City of London North East Numismatic History of the Bank and its activities, banknotes and coins, books and documents, pictures, furniture, statues, silver
Banqueting House Westminster North Historic house 17th century ornate building used for entertaining, designed by Inigo Jones, only remaining component of the Palace of Whitehall
Barbican Centre Barbican Estate City of London North East Art Arts centre and gallery
Barnet Museum Barnet Barnet North Local Local history, costumes, domestic items, lace
Benjamin Franklin House Westminster North Historic house 18th century house where Benjamin Franklin lived for 16 years, exhibits on his life, science activities
Ben Uri Gallery, The London Jewish Museum of Art St John's Wood Westminster North Art Jewish art
Bethlem Royal Hospital Archives and Museum Beckenham Bromley South East Medical Art by patients and historic artefacts
Black Cultural Archives Brixton Lambeth South West Ethnic website, Heritage Centre planned to open in 2011
Boston Manor House Boston Manor Hounslow West Historic house 17th century Jacobean manor house
Brent Museum Willesden Brent West Local website, located in the Willesden Green Library Centre, local history and culture, formerly the "Grange Museum of Community History"
British Airways Heritage Centre Hatton Hounslow West Aviation website, history and memorabilia of British Airways, including uniforms, aircraft models and pictures, posters and photographs
British Dental Association Museum Westminster North Medical History of dental care in the United Kingdom
British Library St Pancras Camden North Library Changing exhibits of art, history and culture from its collections
British Museum Bloomsbury Camden North Multiple Art, decorative arts, archaeology, antiquities from Ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece and the Middle East, coins, galleries on Africa, North America, Mexico, Asia
British Music Experience Greenwich Greenwich South East Music History of the British music industry since 1944, located in the O2 Bubble
British Optical Association Museum Charing Cross Westminster North Medical History of eye care
British Postal Museum and Archive Clerkenwell Islington North Philatelic Postal communications history, stamps, letters, artefacts
British Red Cross Museum and Archives Moorgate City of London North East Medical History and memorabilia of the British Red Cross, open by appointment only
Bromley Museum Orpington Bromley South East Local website, local history, culture
Bruce Castle Museum Tottenham Haringey North Local Local history, culture
Brunei Gallery Bloomsbury Camden North Art Part of the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University College London, historic and contemporary works from and about Africa and Asia, including photography and culture
Brunel Museum Rotherhithe Southwark South East Technology History of the construction of the Thames Tunnel and its designers, Sir Marc Isambard Brunel
Buckingham Palace Westminster North Historic house Official London residence of the British monarch, public tours of the state rooms, includes Queen's Gallery and Royal Mews
Building Centre Bloomsbury Camden North Design website, exhibits on architecture and design
Burgh House & Hampstead Museum Hampstead Camden North Local Local history, culture, art exhibits
Canada House Gallery Trafalgar Square Westminster North Art Canadian historical and contemporary art and artefacts
Carlyle's House Chelsea Kensington and Chelsea West Historic house Operated by the National Trust, Victorian period townhouse home of historian and philosopher Thomas Carlyle
Cartoon Museum Bloomsbury Camden North Art Political cartoons, comic strips and comic books
Centre for Recent Drawing Tower Hamlets North East Art Contemporary drawings
Charles Dickens Museum Holborn Camden North Historic house Mid-19th century period house with original papers, furniture and items relating to author Charles Dickens
Chartered Insurance Institute Museum City of London North East Firefighting
Chelsea Physic Garden Chelsea Kensington and Chelsea West Medical Botanical garden with displays on medicinal uses of plants
Chiswick House Chiswick Hounslow West Historic house 18th century neo-Palladian villa with large collection of art and furniture, gardens
Church Farmhouse Museum Hendon Barnet North Historic house Historic kitchen, scullery and dining room, history of the former 17th century farm
Churchill War Rooms Whitehall Westminster North Multiple Includes the World War II-era underground Cabinet War Rooms and the Churchill Museum with exhibits about the life of British statesman Winston Churchill
Cinema Museum Lambeth Lambeth South West Media History and artefacts of film making
Clarence House Pall Mall Westminster North Historic house Official residence of The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry
Clink Prison Museum Southwark Southwark South East Prison Site and history of the notorious prison in use from the 12th century to 1780
Clockmakers' Museum Bassishaw City of London North East Horology Clocks, watches and other horological items, located in the Guildhall
Couper Collection Battersea Wandsworth South West Art Floating art museum on barges
Courtauld Gallery Strand Westminster North Art Part of the University of London, located in Somerset House, features Old Masters and Impressionist paintings
Crime Museum Westminster North Law enforcement History, artefacts and crime memorabilia of Scotland Yard, not open to the public
Crofton Roman Villa Orpington Bromley South East Archaeology Remains of a Roman villa
Crossness Pumping Station Crossness Bexley South East Technology Victorian sewage pumping station with preserved steam engines
Crystal Palace Museum Crystal Palace Bromley South East History website, history and memorabilia of The Crystal Palace
Cubitt Gallery Finsbury Islington North Art
Cuming Museum Walworth Southwark South East Local Local history, culture; small collection of Ancient Egyptian objects
Cutty Sark Museum Greenwich Greenwich South East Maritime Mid-19th century clipper, museum ship currently under restoration
Danson House Danson Park Bexley South East Historic house 18th century Georgian house
De Morgan Centre Wandsworth Wandsworth South West Art Late 19th and early 20th century ceramics by William De Morgan, and paintings by his wife, the painter Evelyn De Morgan, reopened to the public on Thursday 15th September 2011
Dennis Severs' House Spitalfields Tower Hamlets North East Living Enactments of life in the 18th and 19th centuries
Design Museum Shad Thames Southwark South East Art Product, industrial, graphic, fashion and architectural design
Dr Johnson's House City of London City of London North East Historic house 18th century townhouse home of 18th century English writer Samuel Johnson
Down House Downe Bromley South East Historic house Operated by English Heritage, home of naturalist Charles Darwin where he wrote "On the Origin of Species"
Dulwich Picture Gallery Dulwich Southwark South East Art Collection of European Old Masters, mostly of the 17th and 18th centuries
Eastbury Manor House Barking Barking and Dagenham North East Historic house Owned by the National Trust, 16th century Tudor gentry house, local history displays
Eltham Palace Eltham Greenwich South East Historic house Operated by English Heritage, 1930s Art Deco house with medieval Great Hall
Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art Canonbury Islington North Art Modern Italian art
Fan Museum Greenwich Greenwich South East Fashion Art and craft of the fan
Fashion and Textile Museum Bermondsey Southwark South East Fashion Fashions, textiles and jewellery, both historic and contemporary
Fenton House Hampstead Camden North Historic house Operated by the National Trust, 17th century merchant's house, features collections of early keyboard instruments, paintings, porcelain, needlework pictures and Georgian furniture
Firepower: The Royal Artillery Museum Woolwich Greenwich South East Military History and artefacts of the Royal Regiment of Artillery and the Royal Arsenal, collections of historic and modern weapons
Florence Nightingale Museum Lambeth Lambeth South West Medical Life and nursing work of Florence Nightingale
Forty Hall Museum Forty Hill Enfield North Multiple Local history, 17th and 18th century ceramics and pottery, 19th and 20th century china, glassware
Foundling Museum Bloomsbury Camden North Multiple History of the Foundling Hospital, Britain's first home for abandoned children, art by many of Britain's most prominent 18th century artists, 18th century period rooms, room on composer George Frideric Handel and his connection to the hospital
Freud Museum Hampstead Camden North Historic house Home of Dr. Sigmund Freud, features his study, exhibits on his life and works, collection of Ancient Egyptian artifacts, contemporary art and Freud-themed exhibitions
Fulham Palace Fulham Hammersmith and Fulham West Historic house Medieval former residence of the Bishop of London, also art gallery
Galton Collection Bloomsbury Camden North Medical Part of the University College London, open by appointment only, scientific instruments, papers, and personal memorabilia of Sir Francis Galton
Garden Museum Lambeth Lambeth South West Gardening Tools and artefacts related to ornamental gardening
Garrick's Temple Hampton Richmond upon Thames South West Biographical website, 18th century folly built by actor David Garrick to celebrate the genius of William Shakespeare, includes display on Garrick's life and acting career
Geffrye Museum Shoreditch Hackney North Art and historic house Changing style of the English domestic interior in a series of period rooms from 1600 to the present day. Also historic alms house.
Golden Hind Bankside Southwark South East Maritime Replica museum ship of the 16th century galleon used by Sir Francis Drake
Grant Museum of Zoology Bloomsbury Camden North Natural history website, part of the University College London, skeletons, mounted animals and specimens preserved in fluid
Museum of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children Bloomsbury Camden North Medical Open by appointment, history of the hospital, collection of rare & multi-national book editions of Peter Pan
Greenwich Heritage Centre Woolwich Greenwich South East Local Local history, culture, Royal Arsenal and the Royal Woolwich Dockyard
Greenwich Visitor Centre Greenwich Greenwich South East History Also known as Discover Greenwich Visitor Centre, history of the World Heritage Site, its builders and buildings, maritime heritage, local history
Guards' Museum Westminster North Military History, artefacts and memorabilia of the five regiments of Foot Guards: the Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards, and Welsh Guards
Guildhall Art Gallery Bassishaw City of London North East Art Located in the Guildhall, collection includes art and cultural artefacts about London, Victorian-era works, remains of a Roman amphitheatre in the basement
Gunnersbury Park Museum Acton Hounslow West Local Local history of Hounslow and Ealing boroughs, archaeology, costume, fine art, ceramics, also Edwardian era kitchen rooms
Hackney Museum Hackney Hackney North Local website, local history, culture
Hall Place Crayford Bexley South East Historic house 16th & 17th century former stately home, exhibits from the Bexley Museum's collections including art, social history, natural history, geology, archaeology, Ancient Egypt, costumes, furniture
Ham House Ham Richmond upon Thames South West Historic house Operated by the National Trust, 17th century grand house, fine interiors and historic gardens, collections of textiles and furniture
Hampton Court Palace Hampton Richmond upon Thames South West Historic house Former royal palace, King Henry VIII exhibition, Tudor kitchen, Tudor-period living history programs, gardens, maze
Handel House Museum Mayfair Westminster North Historic house 18th century period townhouse, home of baroque composer George Frideric Handel
Harrow Museum Headstone Harrow West Local Local history, industry, archaeology
Hayward Gallery Southbank Lambeth South West Art Part of the Southbank Centre, contemporary art
HMS Belfast Southwark Southwark South East Maritime Operated by the Imperial War Museum, originally a Royal Navy light cruiser and served during the Second World War and Korean War
Hogarth's House Chiswick Hounslow West Historic house Home of the 18th century English artist William Hogarth
Honeywood Museum Carshalton Sutton South West Local website, 17th century house with details from different eras of ownership, local history exhibits
Honourable Artillery Company Museum Finsbury Islington North Military Regimental artefacts and memorabilia
Horniman Museum Forest Hill Lewisham South East Multiple Musical instruments, art, natural history, anthropology, African arts and culture, aquarium, gardens
Household Cavalry Museum Horse Guards Parade Westminster North Military website Regimental artefacts and memorabilia
House Mill Bromley-by-Bow Newham North East Mill 18th-19th century tidal mill
Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons Lincoln's Inn Fields Westminster North Medical Hunterian Collection of preserved anatomical specimens, history, artefacts and developments in surgery
ICANDO Victoria Westminster North Scouting website, formerly the Girl Guide Heritage Centre, exhibits and activities about Girl Guides
Imperial War Museum London Southwark Southwark South East Military Warfare in the 20th and 21st centuries
Inns of Court and City Yeomanry Museum Lincoln's Inn Westminster North Military information, regimental history and artefacts of the Inns of Court and City Yeomanry
Institute of Archaeology Collections Bloomsbury Camden North Archaeology website, part of the University College London, open by appointment only, prehistoric ceramics and stone artefacts, Classical Greek and Roman ceramics
Institute of Contemporary Arts The Mall Westminster North Art Multi-disciplinary arts centre with exhibit galleries
Island History Trust Isle of Dogs Tower Hamlets North East Local Local history
Islington Museum Finsbury Islington North Local Local history
Jewel Tower Westminster North History Operated by English Heritage, one of only two surviving sections of the medieval royal Palace of Westminster, includes an exhibition on the history of Parliament and the building
Jewish Military Museum Hendon Barnet North Military website, Jewish military contributions in Britain
Jewish Museum London Camden Town Camden North Ethnic Jewish culture, heritage and traditions in Britain, ceremonial art collection
Keats House Hampstead Camden North Historic house Early 19th century home of Romantic poet John Keats
Kelmscott House Museum Hammersmith Hammersmith and Fulham West Art London home of William Morris, exhibits of his designs
Kennel Club Art Gallery Westminster North Art Exhibits and collection of dog paintings, open by appointment
Kensington Palace Kensington Gardens Kensington and Chelsea West Historic house Royal residence
Kenwood House Hampstead Camden North Historic house Operated by English Heritage, 17th century former stately home, interiors by Robert Adam, features collection of Old Master paintings
Kew Bridge Steam Museum Brentford Hounslow West Technology Water supply technology and a collection of water pumping steam engines, also operating narrow gauge railway
Kew Palace Kew Richmond upon Thames South West Historic house Former royal palace located within the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Kew Transport Museum Richmond Richmond upon Thames South West Transportation information
Kingston Museum Kingston upon Thames Richmond upon Thames South West Local website, local history, Eadweard Muybridge gallery of photographs, exhibits of art, photography, culture
Kirkaldy Testing Museum Southwark Southwark South East Technology Materials testing machines used by engineer David Kirkaldy
L-13 Light Industrial Workshop Clerkenwell Islington North Art Contemporary art space
Lambeth Palace Library Lambeth Lambeth South West Library Exhibits from its collections of art, architecture, history
Landmark Arts Centre Teddington Richmond West Art website, arts centre with visual art gallery
Leighton House Museum Holland Park Kensington and Chelsea West Art Victorian house of painter Frederic, Lord Leighton, features paintings, sculpture, Middle Eastern tiles
Library and Museum of Freemasonry Holborn Camden North Masonic Library, artefacts and regalia of Freemasonry
Little Holland House Carshalton Sutton South West Historic house Arts and Crafts home of the artist Frank Dickinson (1874–1961) with interior influenced by John Ruskin and William Morris
London Canal Museum Kings Cross Islington North Transportation History of London's canals
London Film Museum Lambeth Lambeth South West Media Props, costumes, sets and artefacts from British films, history of moviemaking
London Fire Brigade Museum Southwark Southwark South East Firefighting Open by appointment only, history of the London Fire Brigade, equipment, apparatus
London Motorcycle Museum Greenford Ealing West Transportation Over 150 classic and British motorcycles
London Sewing Machine Museum Wimbledon Merton South West Technology website, collection of sewing machines
London Transport Museum Covent Garden Westminster North Transportation Public transportation including the railway, underground, buses, memorabilia
Madame Tussaud's London Westminster North Wax
Magic Circle Museum Camden North Magic Magic tricks, props, posters, artefacts, open by appointment
Mansion House City of London City of London North East Historic house Guided tours of the public rooms of the official residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London, includes city regalia, 17th Century Dutch and Flemish paintings, gold and silver plate collections
Marble Hill House Richmond Richmond upon Thames South West Historic house Operated by English Heritage, 18th century Palladian villa with Georgian interior
Markfield Beam Engine and Museum Tottenham Haringey North Technology Victorian 100 horsepower beam pumping engine
MCC Museum St John's Wood Westminster North Sports History and memorabilia of cricketing, located at Lord's Cricket Ground
Mall Galleries Trafalgar Square Westminster North Art Gallery exhibits of the Federation of British Artists
Merton Heritage Centre Morden Merton South West Local website, local history
Michael Faraday Museum Mayfair Westminster North Science Located at the Royal Institution, reconstruction of scientist Michael Faraday's 19th century laboratory
MOCA, London Peckham Rye Southwark South East Contemporary Art Museum dedicated to Contemporary Art of varied media. Curated by Michael Petry
Morley Gallery South Bank Lambeth South West Art Part of Morley College, exhibitions include painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, ceramics, textiles, installations, digital and sound art
Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising Notting Hill Kensington and Chelsea West Media Advertising, packaging and brand memorabilia and artefacts, including domestic products, packaging, posters, toys and games
Museum of Croydon Croydon Croydon South West Local Local history, culture, social history
Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture Enfield North Art 19th and 20th century decorative arts for the home including textiles and wallpaper, part of Middlesex University
Museum of Immigration and Diversity Spitalfields Tower Hamlets North East History Immigration and diversity in Britain, open on a limited basis
Museum of London Barbican Estate City of London North East History City's history, culture, archaeology
Museum of London Docklands Isle of Dogs Tower Hamlets North East Maritime Area maritime, river and local history
Museum of Richmond Richmond Richmond upon Thames South West Local website, local history, culture
Museum of the Order of St John Clerkenwell Islington North Religious History of the Order of St John and its medical care in the community
Musical Museum Brentford Hounslow West Music Collection of music boxes and automatic instruments
National Army Museum Chelsea Kensington and Chelsea West Military History and artefacts of the British Army
National Gallery Trafalgar Square Westminster North Art National collection of Western European painting from the 13th century to 1900
National Maritime Museum Greenwich Greenwich South East Maritime History of Britain at sea, includes maritime art, ship models and plans, scientific and navigational instruments, instruments for time-keeping and astronomy. Incorporates Greenwich Observatory and the Queen's House.
National Portrait Gallery Trafalgar Square Westminster North Art Portraits of historically important and famous British people
Natural History Museum South Kensington Kensington and Chelsea West Natural history Also includes the Geological Museum, collections focus is botany, entomology, mineralogy, palaeontology and zoology.
The Newsroom - Guardian and Observer Archive and Visitor Centre Kings Cross Islington North Media Exhibitions from its collections
Nonsuch Mansion Cheam Sutton South West Historic house
Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret Southwark Southwark South East Medical 19th century operating theatre, herb garret and museum of surgery
Old Royal Naval College Greenwich Greenwich South East Historic site
Old Speech Room Gallery and Museum, Harrow School Harrow Harrow West Art Egyptian and Greek antiquities, English watercolours, Modern British paintings, sculpture, printed books and natural history
Orleans House Gallery Twickenham Richmond upon Thames South West Art website, municipal art gallery, also the Stables Gallery
Osterley Park and House Isleworth Hounslow West Historic house Operated by the National Trust, late 18th century palace designed by Robert Adam, ornate interiors, gardens
Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology Bloomsbury Camden North Archaeology Artifacts from Ancient Egypt, part of the University College London
Photographers' Gallery Soho Westminster North Art Photography
Pitzhanger Manor Ealing Ealing West Historic house Also known as PM Gallery and House, manor designed by architect John Soane with PM Gallery for contemporary art, tours and information about the house
Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum South Kensington Kensington and Chelsea West Military Contributions of the Polish Armed Forces in the West in World War II
Pollock's Toy Museum Camden North Toy Toys, games, dolls, puppets, folk toys
Prince Henry's Room City of London North East Historic house 17th century Jacobean townhouse, exhibit on diarist Samuel Pepys
Pumphouse Educational Museum Rotherhithe Southwark South East Local website, includes the Rotherhithe Heritage Museum with local history and culture exhibits, and the Lavender Pond & Nature Park
Richard Green New Bond Street Westminster West Art website Fine Art London
Pushkin House Bloomsbury Camden North Art Russian art and culture
Queen Charlotte's Cottage Kew Richmond upon Thames South West Historic house Located within the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 18th century rustic country retreat built for Queen Charlotte
Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge Chingford Waltham Forest North East Historic house website, Tudor hunting lodge
Queen's Gallery Westminster North Art Exhibitions of items from the Royal Collection, located at Buckingham Palace
Queen's House Greenwich Greenwich South East Art Marine art gallery of the National Maritime Museum
Ragged School Museum Tower Hamlets North East Education History of the Victorian-era charity schools
Ranger's House (Wernher Collection) Greenwich Greenwich South East Art Operated by English Heritage, Georgian villa with fine and decorative art collection, including silver and jewels, paintings and porcelain
Red House Bexleyheath Bexley South East Historic house Operated by the National Trust, 19th century house commissioned, created and lived in by William Morris, founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement
Red Mansion Foundation Portland Place Westminster North Art Gallery exhibits of contemporary Chinese art
Redbridge Museum Ilford Redbridge North East Local website, local history, culture, located on the second floor of Ilford Central Library
Riesco Gallery Croydon Croydon South West Art Municipal art gallery with a collection of Chinese pottery and ceramics
Ripley's Believe It or Not! Piccadilly Circus Westminster North Amusement
Riverside Gallery Richmond Richmond upon Thames South West Art website, municipal art gallery
Rose Theatre Exhibition Bankside Southwark South East Archaeology Excavations of an Elizabethan theatre
Royal Academy of Arts Piccadilly Westminster North Art Located in Burlington House
Royal Academy of Music Museum Regent's Park Westminster North Music Also known as York Gate Collections, includes musical instruments, archives, manuscripts and images
Royal Air Force Museum Colindale Barnet North Aviation History of aviation and the British Royal Air Force
Royal Armouries, Tower of London Tower Hill Tower Hamlets North East Military Arms and armour dating from the Middle Ages onwards
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Kew Richmond upon Thames South West Multiple Includes Shirley Sherwood Gallery of Botanical Art, Marianne North Gallery, exhibits on plants and conservation
Royal College of Music Archives and Museum of Instruments South Kensington Kensington and Chelsea West Music Musical instruments and accessories
Royal College of Physicians Museum Regent's Park Camden North Medical Portraits, silver, medical instruments and artefacts
Royal Fusiliers Museum Tower Hill Tower Hamlets North East Military website, regimental history, uniforms, regalia, medals, weapons and memorabilia of the Royal Fusiliers, located at the Tower of London
Royal Hospital Chelsea Museum Chelsea Kensington and Chelsea West Military Military artefacts and memorabilia, items related to The Duke of Wellington
Royal Institute of British Architects Collections Marylebone Westminster North Art Exhibits of art, drawings, photographs about architecture from its collections
Royal London Hospital Archives and Museum Whitechapel Tower Hamlets North East Medical History of the hospital and medical care in the East End
Royal Mews Westminster North Transportation The Queen's stables, features State vehicles including horse-drawn carriages and motor cars, and the Gold State Coach
Royal Military School of Music Museum Twickenham Richmond upon Thames South West Music Open by appointment, musical instruments, music, documents, prints, manuscripts, paintings and uniforms showing the history of military music
Royal Observatory, Greenwich Greenwich Greenwich South East Horology Part of the National Maritime Museum, features astronomical and navigational tools, a planetarium
Royal Pharmaceutical Society Museum Lambeth Lambeth South West Medical British pharmacy history, medicines and artefacts
St Bartholomew's Hospital Museum Smithfield City of London North East Medical History of the hospital and its work, historic surgical instruments, sculpture, medieval archives, works of art including paintings by William Hogarth
St Paul's Cathedral Ludgate Hill City of London North East Religious Anglican cathedral with religious art, sculpture, architecture, tombs, decorative arts
Saatchi Gallery Chelsea Kensington and Chelsea West Art Contemporary art
Science Museum South Kensington Kensington and Chelsea West Science National museum of science and technology, transportation, medicine, steam engines
Shakespeare’s Globe Exhibition Southwark Southwark South East Theatre Backstage tours and history of the theatre, costumes, music, theatrical effects, recreation of a 17th century printing press
Sherlock Holmes Museum Regent's Park Westminster North Biographical Dedicated to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes
Shirley Windmill Shirley Croydon South West Mill Restored mid-19th century tower windmill
Showroom Gallery Tower Hamlets North East Art Contemporary art
Sir John Soane's Museum Holborn Westminster North Art Fine art, architecture, antiquities, sculpture
Smythson Stationery Museum Westminster North information, small museum at back of the Smythson store with stationery products, old Christmas cards, wartime telegrams
Somerset House Strand Westminster North Art Arts centre with gallery and Courtauld Gallery
Soseki Museum in London Clapham City of London North East Historic house information, information, London home of Japanese author Natsume Sōseki
South London Gallery Camberwell Southwark South East Art Contemporary art
Southall Railway Centre Southall Ealing West Transportation Vintage steam and diesel locomotives and rolling stock
Southside House Wimbledon Merton South West Historic house 17th century period house
Spencer House St James's Westminster North Historic house 18th century mansion with restored state rooms and garden
The Stephens Collection Finchley Barnet North Biographical website, life of Dr. Henry Stephens, inventor of an indelible blue-black ink, and his son Henry Charles Stephens, their ink company and local history
Strawberry Hill Twickenham Richmond upon Thames South West Historic house Gothic villa home of Horace Walpole
Sutton House Hackney Hackney North Historic house Operated by the National Trust, 16th century Tudor house
Syon House Brentford Hounslow West Historic house Family residence of the Duke of Northumberland, 18th century house with interior by Robert Adam, collections of paintings and furniture, gardens, park
Tate Britain Millbank Westminster North Art National collection of historical and contemporary British art
Tate Modern Bankside Southwark South East Art National collection of modern art
Tower Bridge Tower Hamlets North East Technology Steam engines, workings of the bridge
Tower of London Tower Hill Tower Hamlets North East Multiple Historic fortress, prison and former royal residence, includes the Royal Armouries, Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, regimental museum of the Royal Fusiliers
Twinings Museum Strand Westminster North Food History of Twinings, tea caddies and tea history
Twickenham Museum Twickenham Richmond upon Thames South West Local website, local history
Type Museum Brixton Lambeth South West Media Collection of typesetting equipment and artefacts, currently not open to the public
University College London Art Collections Bloomsbury Camden North Art website, part of the University College London, exhibits in the Strang Print Room (South Cloisters)
University College London Collections Bloomsbury Camden North Multiple website, open by appointment only, part of the University College London, research collections in archaeology, ethnography, science
University College London Geology Collections Bloomsbury Camden North Natural history website, part of the University College London, rocks, minerals, fossils on display in the Rock Room, limited opening hours
Valence House Museum Dagenham Barking and Dagenham North East Local Local history, archeology, maritime and fishing industry, art
Valentines Mansion Ilford Redbridge North East Historic house Country house with recreated Victorian kitchen and Georgian rooms, contemporary art exhibits, 18th century gardens
Vestry House Museum Walthamstow Waltham Forest North East Local Local history, culture
Victoria and Albert Museum South Kensington Kensington and Chelsea West Multiple National collection of applied arts, includes ceramics, glass, textiles, costumes, silver, ironwork, jewellery, furniture, medieval objects, sculpture, prints and printmaking, drawings and photographs, theatre and performing arts, Asian art and decorative arts, architecture
V&A Museum of Childhood Bethnal Green Tower Hamlets North East Toy Toys, dolls, children's playtime and lives
Wallace Collection Marylebone Westminster North Art Old masters and decorative arts
Walthamstow Pump House Museum Walthamstow Waltham Forest North East Transportation Currently closed, will become the Lea Valley Experience, pioneering achievements in road, rail, air and sea transport in the River Lea valley from the early 19th century
Wandle Industrial Museum Mitcham Merton South West Industry website, industries along the River Wandle
Wandsworth Museum Wandsworth Wandsworth South West Local Local history
Wellcome Collection Camden North Medical Medical artefacts and original artworks exploring 'ideas about the connections between medicine, life and art', exhibits from the collections of the Wellcome Library
Wellington Arch Westminster North History Triumphal arch with exhibits about its history
Wesley's Chapel, Museum of Methodism and John Wesley's House Islington North Religious History of Methodism from its founding by John Wesley to the present
West Ham United Museum Upton Park Newham North East Sports History and memorabilia of West Ham United
Westminster Abbey Museum Westminster Westminster North Religious Royal and other funeral effigies, religious artefacts
Westminster Dragoons Museum Fulham Hammersmith and Fulham West Military Regimental artefacts, regalia and memorabilia
White Lodge Museum and Ballet Resource Centre Richmond Richmond upon Thames South West Ballet History of the Royal Ballet School, daily life of its students, history and development of Classical ballet, history of White Lodge, visits by appointment
Whitechapel Gallery Whitechapel Tower Hamlets North East Art Contemporary art
Whitehall Cheam Sutton South West Historic house Tudor house with elements from different eras
Whitewebbs Museum of Transport Enfield Enfield North Transportation website, cars, trucks, motorcycles, model railway
William Morris Gallery Walthamstow Waltham Forest North East Art Arts and Crafts movement furniture, textiles, ceramics and glass
Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum Wimbledon Merton South West Sports History of tennis
Wimbledon Society Museum of Local History Wimbledon Merton South West Local website, local history, culture
Wimbledon Windmill Museum Wimbledon Merton South West Mill 19th century windmill, exhibits on its history and other windmills
Winston Churchill's Britain At War Experience Tower Hamlets North East History Located in Tower Bridge, recreation of life in London during The Blitz
Women's Library Tower Hamlets North East Library Part of London Metropolitan University, exhibits on women's history, culture and issues from its collections
World Rugby Museum Twickenham Richmond upon Thames South West Sports Rugby union history and the England national rugby union team, players, memorabilia, history of Twickenham Stadium

Defunct museums

Visitor figures

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) publishes monthly visitor figures [1] for the public sector museums and galleries which it sponsors, which include most of the leading museums in London. The most popular London museum in the private sector is The Sherlock Holmes Museum. The totals of the financial year to 31 March 2008 were as follows:

Note: Tate Modern and Tate Britain are on separate sites two miles apart, but the DCMS only publishes a single combined visitor figure for them. Tate Modern is widely reported to attract the more visitors of the two, but it is not clear whether it received more visitors than the British Museum on its own.

See also

References

  1. ^ Bishop, Tom (29 April 2004). [news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3667641.stm "Museums count cost of going free"]. BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3667641.stm. Retrieved 26 March 2009. 
  2. ^ Russell, Ben (18 June 2007). "Why museums must stay free". The Independent online. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/why-museums-must-stay-free-453620.html. Retrieved 26 March 2009. 
  3. ^ Lister, David (18 June 2007). "Why recall for a rethink on Labours one cultural success". The Independent online. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/david-lister/david-lister-why-call-for-a-rethink-on-labours-one-cultural-success-453607.html. Retrieved 26 March 2009. 
  4. ^ http://www.erithmuseum.org.uk/ Erith Museum, Museum Now Closed, accessed 06-03-10

External links

Museums in the United Kingdom
England
Northern Ireland
Scotland
Wales