Explore London’s History from Prehistoric Times to the Present Day

Museum of London — Discover the Story of the Capital
Thousands of Years of London History

The Museum of London, now officially known as London Museum, preserves and interprets the extraordinary story of the capital and the millions of people who have shaped it.

For decades, visitors explored its collections at London Wall. That museum closed in December 2022, and the organisation adopted the London Museum name in 2024. Its spectacular new home within the historic Smithfield General Market will open on 28 November 2026.

The new museum will bring together thousands of years of history, from London’s earliest communities and Roman Londinium to medieval streets, Victorian expansion, popular culture, migration, fashion, nightlife, and contemporary London.

From the Museum of London to London Museum

The Museum of London at 150 London Wall opened in 1976 and became one of Britain’s leading museums dedicated to the history of a city.

Its galleries followed London’s development chronologically, using archaeology, paintings, clothing, vehicles, photographs, household objects, reconstructed environments, and countless everyday items.

After welcoming visitors for more than four decades, London Wall closed in December 2022 as preparations intensified for the move to Smithfield. In 2024, the organisation launched its new identity as London Museum.

Its collections cover subjects including:

Prehistoric London
Roman Londinium
Anglo-Saxon settlement
Medieval London
The Great Plague
The Great Fire of London
Georgian society
Victorian expansion
Transport and industry
Fashion and entertainment
Protest and social change
Modern multicultural London

The new Smithfield museum will reinterpret these stories within an extraordinary historic setting.

Exploring the Story of London
1. Roman Londinium

Roman London represents one of the most fascinating chapters in the capital’s history.

Following the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43, Londinium developed beside the Thames. Its position allowed ships, merchants, goods, and people to move between Britain and the wider Roman world.

Archaeological discoveries across the City have revealed evidence of houses, temples, roads, defensive walls, workshops, cemeteries, and everyday life.

The museum’s archaeological collections include objects such as:

Coins
Pottery
Jewellery
Tools
Glass
Household objects
Religious artefacts
Building materials

Together, they reveal how Roman Londinium became the foundation for the city that followed.

2. Medieval London

Following the Roman period, London changed dramatically.

By the medieval era, it had become a busy commercial city filled with churches, markets, workshops, guilds, houses, taverns, religious institutions, and crowded streets.

The museum’s collections help reveal how ordinary Londoners lived during this period.

Objects connected with cooking, clothing, craftsmanship, religion, commerce, entertainment, and domestic life provide a remarkably personal connection with medieval inhabitants.

London was already becoming a powerful centre of trade and government — but its streets would have looked very different from those visitors know today.

3. The Great Fire of London

One of the defining moments in London’s history came in 1666.

The Great Fire of London began in Pudding Lane and spread rapidly through the tightly packed timber buildings of the City.

Thousands of buildings were destroyed, including homes, churches, commercial premises, and the medieval St Paul’s Cathedral.

Yet the disaster also transformed London.

Reconstruction reshaped parts of the city, while architects including Sir Christopher Wren created new churches and the magnificent St Paul’s Cathedral.

Objects, documents, paintings, and archaeological discoveries help reveal both the destruction and London’s extraordinary recovery.

4. Victorian London

Few periods changed London as dramatically as the 19th century.

The capital expanded rapidly as railways, factories, docks, bridges, sewers, new suburbs, department stores, and entertainment venues transformed everyday life.

Victorian London was a city of extraordinary contrasts.

Enormous wealth existed alongside severe poverty, overcrowding, pollution, and poor housing.

Museum collections explore:

Transport
Shopping
Fashion
Industry
Housing
Public health
Entertainment
Working life
Technology

Much of the London visitors recognise today emerged during this remarkable period.

The New London Museum at Smithfield

The museum’s move to Smithfield represents a major new chapter.

The historic General Market is being transformed into the museum’s first main building, while preserving and restoring its distinctive Victorian architecture.

Around 10,000 square metres of brickwork have been cleaned as part of the project, alongside roof strengthening and work within an extensive network of rediscovered underground vaults.

The new free permanent galleries will open on 28 November 2026.

Rather than simply recreating the former London Wall galleries, the project is designed as a new cultural destination where London’s history and contemporary communities meet.

Past Time

One of the principal areas within the new museum is Past Time.

Located within the historic market structure, these galleries will immerse visitors in stories from London’s past.

The building itself will become part of that experience.

Smithfield’s Victorian architecture, underground spaces, industrial materials, and surviving market features create an unusual backdrop for archaeological and historical collections.

Even an active railway line becomes part of the museum experience, with a six-metre viewing window allowing visitors to see trains passing beside the galleries.

It is a striking reminder that London is constantly layering new infrastructure and communities over its past.

Our Time

The ground floor of the General Market will contain Our Time.

Located beneath the building’s impressive domed roof, the space will explore the lived experiences of Londoners and provide opportunities for communities and partners to participate in telling the city’s story.

This reflects an important principle behind the new museum.

London’s history did not end with the Victorians or even the 20th century.

Music, migration, food, nightlife, protest, fashion, sport, communities, and everyday experiences continue to shape the capital.

Visiting the Museum of London

How to Get There
Location: Smithfield, London EC1 9AG
Elizabeth Line: Farringdon is the most convenient station
Tube: Farringdon serves the Circle, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan lines
Train: Thameslink and National Rail services call at Farringdon
Walk: Smithfield is close to Barbican, Holborn, and St Paul’s
Bus: Numerous routes operate through the surrounding City of London

Opening Hours & Admission

Important: As of 29 August 2026, the new London Museum at Smithfield has not yet opened.

Opening date: 28 November 2026
Permanent galleries: Free admission
Former London Wall museum: Closed to visitors
London Museum Docklands: Remains open and free to visit

The official museum confirms that its new Smithfield galleries will open on 28 November 2026.

Facilities

The new museum is being developed as a major day-to-night cultural destination with:

Permanent galleries
Learning spaces
Food and drink
Retail areas
Event spaces
Accessible visitor facilities
Late-night programming
Social and community spaces

Nearby Attractions
Barbican Centre — Arts and cultural venue
St Paul’s Cathedral — Historic cathedral
Guildhall — Historic civic building
Museum of London Docklands — Maritime and trade history

Together, these attractions form part of the City of London Heritage Trail.

Why Visit the Museum of London?

The Museum of London — now London Museum offers:

Thousands of years of London history
Roman, medieval, Victorian, and modern stories
Exceptional archaeological collections
A spectacular new home within Smithfield Market
Free permanent galleries
A strong focus on the lives of Londoners

Whether you’re fascinated by Roman archaeology, medieval streets, the Great Fire, Victorian society, fashion, transport, music, migration, or modern culture, the museum provides an extraordinary introduction to the capital.

Its new Smithfield home adds another layer to that story by placing the collections inside buildings that are themselves part of London’s history.

It’s not simply a museum about the capital — it’s the story of London and the generations of people who have lived, worked, traded, celebrated, struggled, and continually reinvented one of the world’s greatest cities.