London Museum reveals 2026 opening date for new Smithfield home
by Magali Robathan | 19 Jun 2026
Museum of London will open on 28 November 2026.
The new museum has been designed by Asif Khan, Stanton Williams and Julian Harrap.
Artefact's will include King Charles I's execution vest, Emmeline Pankhurst’s hunger strike medal and Banksy’s Piranhas artwork.
The London Museum’s new site will open in Smithfield, East London, on 28 November 2026.
The new museum, designed by Asif Khan and Stanton Williams, alongside conservation architects Julian Harrap, will tell the story of London and its history, and will also act as a social space for residents and visitors.
Items on permanent display will include the vest worn by King Charles I at his execution, Emmeline Pankhurst’s hunger strike medal and Banksy’s Piranhas artwork.
The Museum of London closed its London Wall site in December 2022 as part of a £437m project to move into the historic Smithfields Market site in the City of London.
The November opening will mark the completion of a decades-long restoration of the Victorian General Market, returning the disused historic building to public use for the first time in more than 30 years.
The museum will unfold over three connected spaces across the General Market site.
Visitors will enter via Real Time - a former covered street that will act as the museum’s entrance, and will display data capturing London in the moment. From there, they will move into Our Time - a central hub beneath the domed market roof where events and activities will take place. This space will feature 13 large installations - a series of eclectic objects from London’s living memory. Activities will be delivered with partners including Fabric nightclub, Punchdrunk Enrichment and Hive Curates.
Below ground, large subterranean galleries will house the museum’s permanent collection - titled Past Time - which will tell the story of London’s history through varied displays.
“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,” said the museum’s director Sharon Ament.
"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.”
According to a museum spokesperson, the project is being funded "through a unique partnership between the City of London Corporation and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, alongside support from a range of philanthropic supporters including Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Goldsmiths' Foundation, The Linbury Trust and The National Lottery Heritage Fund".
Asif Khan Ltd Museum of London Stanton Williams Conservation Heritage Museum Partnership People
The Past Time galleries will be underground Credit: Secchi Smith
The London Museum’s new site will open in Smithfield, East London, on 28 November 2026. The new museum, designed by Asif Khan and Stanton Williams, alongside conservation architects Julian Harrap, will tell the story of London and its history, and will also act as a social space for residents and visitors. Items on permanent display will include the vest worn by King Charles I at his execution, Emmeline Pankhurst’s hunger
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