The new London Museum, formerly the Museum of London, has received an additional £50 million of funding for its new Smithfield home.
London’s mayor Sadiq Khan and the City of London Corporation have each contributed £25m in addition to their previous pledges.
Sharon Ament, director of the London Museum, said: “With the generous support of the [Greater London Authority] and the City of London Corporation, alongside our other funders and supporters, we are steaming ahead to deliver a transformative, world-leading museum that will be worthy of this great global capital.”
The budget for the new museum is £437m. Designed by Stanton Williams and Asif Khan, working with conservation architects Julian Harrap, the London Museum is one of Europe’s largest cultural infrastructure projects and will preserve the historic Smithfield Market buildings.
The formerly derelict Victorian General Market will house the museum’s permanent galleries and is due to open in 2026.
The Poultry Market, set to house the museum’s learning centre, temporary exhibition spaces and collection stores, will open in 2028.
In total, the mayor has contributed £95m to the project, while the City of London Corporation’s funding comes to £222m.
The London Museum has set its own fundraising target of £100m and has so far secured £45m. It is exploring green loan opportunities to raise the remaining £20m to reach the £437m target.
New museum to open in 2026
“Culture is the DNA of our city, and I am proud that we’re such an integral part of the creation of the new London Museum at Smithfield. It is one of the biggest cultural projects in Europe and will be a brilliant addition to London’s world-leading cultural sector,” said Khan.
The City of London Corporation’s policy chairman, Christopher Hayward, added: “This additional funding marks a positive milestone for the new London Museum. I have always said we are committed to working with London Museum to explore other funding opportunities, so I am very pleased we are able to confirm this new tranche of funding.”
Earlier this year, the London Museum unveiled its new logo featuring a white clay pigeon and a golden poo splat to showcase “the grit and glitter” of the city.
Images courtesy of the London Museum, lead image credit: Secchi Smith
