The London Museum has announced that it will open its new permanent galleries in Smithfield's General Market on 28 November.
Designed by Stanton Williams and Asif Khan, alongside conservation architects Julian Harrap, the museum is located in the Victorian General Market, a historic building that has been returned to public use for the first time in more than 30 years.
The £437 million museum features three interconnected spaces – Real Time, Our Time, and Past Time.
Real Time is a covered former street that serves as the museum's main entrance, while Our Time is a vibrant central hub for events and activities, anchored by 13 large installations.
The London Museum in Smithfield's General Market features three interconnected spaces – Real Time, Our Time, and Past Time
Past Time can be found in the museum's subterranean galleries, with permanent displays offering an overview of London's history.
As part of the project, the adjacent Poultry Market will open in 2028, expanding the museum with two temporary exhibition spaces, a dedicated learning centre, and a collections store.
Sharon Ament, director of the London Museum, said: "This has been a long undertaking – not without its challenges but mostly filled with immense joy and hyper-creativity – and now we are counting down the days to welcome our first visitors.
"At the beginning we asked ourselves how to be the best museum for London, the answer is, to be London itself, in all its grit and glitter."
Poultry Market to open in 2028
She added: "I hope our museum is a place where people can come together, feel at home, and find themselves grounded in the lives, treasures, challenges and innovations of this city’s vast history. Above all, I hope we make Londoners proud!”
Objects view in the museum include Banksy’s Piranhas artwork, Charles I’s execution vest, Emmeline Pankhurst’s hunger strike medal, the Whitechapel Fatberg, and Anna Pavlova’s 'Dying Swan' dress.
The new London Museum is located in the Victorian General Market in Smithfield and opens on 28 November
Additionally, the museum will offer a day to night programme of events, experiences and entertainment, to be shaped by rotating guest editors.
The inaugural programme, London Tastes, will be co-curated by Ruby Tandoh and Jonathan Nunn, and sponsored by Sainsbury’s.
Sadiq Khan, London's mayor, said: "The opening of the new London Museum will be a hugely significant moment both for London and internationally.
"Backed by one of the largest ever cultural investments in our capital, London Museum will attract millions of visitors and Londoners and reinforce our status as the culture capital of the world."
Images courtesy of the London Museum, Secchi Smith and Asif Khan
