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50 Local History
museums in London

Where can you see an original Blue Peter Badge? Or the only surviving building from the Crystal Palace exhibition? Discover the answers to these and more with local history in your part of London.

Image of Gunnersbury Park Museum

Gunnersbury Park Museum

Lots of local history set in a former banker's mansion.

West LONDON

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Imperial War Museum

The Imperial War Museum London covers conflicts involving Britain from the First World War through to the present day.

South LONDON

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London Canal Museum

Once used by industry and nowadays home to many colourful boats, the museum tells the story of all aspects of London’s canals.

North LONDON

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London Transport Museum

The transport heritage of Britain's capital city explained through artefacts and interactive displays.

Central LONDON

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Museum of London

Located on London Wall and close to the Barbican Centre, the Museum of London documents,explores and tells the ever changing story of the history of London.

Central LONDON

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Museum of London Docklands

The history of London's River Thames told in a set of 19th centuary Georgian sugar warehouses.

East LONDON

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North Woolwich Old Station Museum

Reconstructed 1920s ticket office, plus locomotives, carriages, models and railway memorabilia. This museum has been permanently closed since 2009.

South LONDON

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Vestry House Museum

Explore the local history of Waltham Forest in the attractive former 1730's workhouse.

East LONDON

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Charles Dickens Museum

The beautiful Georgian terraced house in Bloomsbury is the only remaining London home of Charles Dickens.

Central LONDON

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The Twickenham Museum

Told, is the rich history of Twickenham, Whitton, Teddington and the Hamptons. Reached via a pleasant riverside walk from Richmond.

Outer LONDON

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Shakespeare's Globe Exhibition

A modern reconstruction of the William Shakespeare's first 1599 Globe Theatre. Where tours, exhibitions and performances bring Elizabethan plays to life.

Central LONDON

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Clink Museum

Built on top a defunct prison, displays many original medieval torture devices and horrible history artefacts.

Central LONDON

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Islington Museum

The history of; the borough, its residents and local heroes. Told though artefacts including books, displays, letters and recordings.

North LONDON

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Museum of Immigration and Diversity

Open just a few days per year, this evocative museum explores experiences of multicultural refugees.

Central LONDON

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New London Architecture

Located at The Building Centre with a focus for debate and discussion on architecture, planning, development and construction in London.

Central LONDON

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The Rose Theatre Exhibition

Bankside's first purpose-built playhouse, erected in 1587. William Shakespeare learnt his craft and Christopher Marlowe wrote his best plays here.

Central LONDON

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Barnet Museum

A broad collection of hundreds of artefacts reflecting the history of Barnet and it's residents dating from the Bronze Age to the present day.

North LONDON

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Brent Museum

The local history and heritage of Brent with a collection of over 10,000 objects.

North LONDON

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Bruce Castle Museum

Set in Grade I listed 16th century manor house, the museum tells the history of Haringey and Tottenham from Roman times to the present day.

North LONDON

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Burgh House, Hampstead Museum

Local history museum in north London, set in a Grade I-listed house built during the rein of Queen Anne in 1704.

North LONDON

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The Jewish Museum

The only museum in London dedicated to a minority group. The story of Jewish history, culture and religion told in a compelling way.

North LONDON

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The Crystal Palace Museum

Housed in the only surviving Crystal Palace Company building, is the story and memorabilia of The Crystal Palace exhibition centre.

South LONDON

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The Cuming Museum

The Cuming family's bequeathed collection of objects of; natural history, archaeology and ethnology, among other curios.

South LONDON

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The Museum of Wimbledon

A small intimate museum which reveals in pictures, words and objects, the 3,000 year history of Wimbledon.

South LONDON

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Wimbledon Windmill Museum

A distinctive landmark since 1817, the museum tells the story of the development of the English windmill through models and machinery.

South LONDON

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Hackney Museum

This exciting museum explores the reasons why people have moved to Hackney from all over the world for more than 1000 years.

East LONDON

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The Ragged School Museum

Housed in three Victorian canalside warehouses—a reconstructed Victorian Classroom and a Victorian East End Kitchen displays its own collection of historical objects.

East LONDON

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Sutton House

Tudor house surviving in the heart of a thriving East London community.

East LONDON

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V & A Museum of Childhood

Spanning the 1600s to the present day—toys, clothes and interactive displays are set within a 1872 hangar with marble floor and visible cast iron frame.

East LONDON

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Bourne Hall Museum

A remarkable modern building of unusual architectural interest, situated in the heart of Ewell Village surrounded by beautiful grounds.

Outer LONDON

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Forty Hall Museum

A stunning Jacobean Manor House with grade 1 listed status tells the story of Forty Hall & Estate throughout the ages.

Outer LONDON

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Harrow Museum

Harrow Museum, also known as Headstone Manor & Museum is the local history museum for the London Borough of Harrow.

Outer LONDON

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Kew Palace

The Grade I listed, royal palace in Kew Gardens on the banks of the Thames.

West LONDON

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Kingston Museum

A large and varied collection of local interest and the life of pioneering photographer Eadweard Muybridge

Outer LONDON

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Merton Heritage Centre

Merton Heritage and Local Studies Centre tells the story of Merton and its people through a changing programme of exhibitions and events.

Outer LONDON

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Museum of Croydon

The history of Croydon from 1800 to the present day through the objects and stories of local people.

Outer LONDON

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Museum of Richmond

Celebrating the rich and royal heritage of Richmond, Ham, Petersham and Kew.

Outer LONDON

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Old Speech Room Gallery, Harrow School

A distinguished collection of antiquities, fine art and collections relating to Old Harrovians such as Churchill, Byron, Sheridan, Codrington and Cecil Beaton.

Outer LONDON

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Redbridge Museum

The museum explores the many different places, people and events in over 150,000 years of local Redbridge history.

Outer LONDON

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Tithe Barn Museum of Nostalgia

A collection of artifacts of nostalgic origin located in Hall Lane. The museum holds around 14,500 artifacts of domestic and agricultural us

Outer LONDON

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The Wandle Industrial Museum

The museum tells the stories of the different industries that used the River Wandle. Such as Young’s Brewery, William Morris and Liberty’s.

Outer LONDON

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Greenwich Heritage Centre

Housed in the old ordnance factory, displays of local history with maps, photos and artefacts from the Roman era to the 20th century.

South LONDON

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John Wesley's House

Built by Wesley in 1779, is one of London’s finest surviving examples of a small Georgian house.

Central LONDON

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Twinings Museum

The small museum within the shop, that's been on the Strand since 1717 displays the history of Twinings with photos, packaging and memorabillia.

Central LONDON

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Valence House Museum

The only surviving medieval manor house of Dagenham, partially surrounded by a moat and situated in Valence Park. With exhibitions of archaeology and rural life.

Outer LONDON

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Battle of Britain Bunker

The former RAF Uxbridge site that played pivotal role in defending Britain during the Second World War.

Outer LONDON

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Boston Manor House

A fine three-story Jacobean manor house built in 1622-3, with 19th century style furniture and paintings of the locality.

West LONDON

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Walthamstow Pumphouse Museum

Housed in a former Victorian waste water pumping station and devoted to the technology and industrial history of Walthamstow.

East LONDON

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Honeywood Museum

Honeywood Museum is Sutton borough's heritage centre and local history museum.

Outer LONDON

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City of London Police Museum

The City of London Police Museum tells the story of the City of London Police and some of the major events that the police have dealt with since 1839.

Central LONDON