London Museum (formerly known as Museum of London) has today announced a new pledge of £50 million from its principal funders the City of London Corporation and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. The contribution of £25 million each will go towards the creation of its new home – a sustainable and world class development in the historic Smithfield markets. It will be supported by an additional £30 million in fundraising by the museum. The funding will help realise the overall budget of £437 million for the new museum.
© Secchi Smith
Designed by Stanton Williams and Asif Khan, working with conservation architects Julian Harrap, the new Museum is one of Europe’s largest cultural infrastructure projects and will preserve the historic Smithfield Market buildings for generations to come. The formerly derelict Victorian General Market, home to the museum’s permanent galleries, will open in 2026 showcasing more of its internationally important collection than ever before. The Poultry Market, set to house the museum’s world-class learning centre, temporary exhibition spaces and collection stores, will open in 2028.
Director of London Museum, Sharon Ament said: “Thousands of Londoners are helping to shape this fantastic new museum which will not only explore our city’s rich history but the people and places that make it such a vibrant place to be. With the generous support of the GLA 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 new pledge will help the museum realise its full vision for the site, bringing the Mayor’s overall contribution to £95 million and the City of London Corporation’s funding to £222 million. The London museum’s new fundraising commitment raises its overall target to £100 million, with almost half of that (£45 million) having already been secured through private donations, sponsors, and philanthropy. The museum will explore green loan opportunities to achieve the remaining £20 million towards its £437 million target.
Substantial restoration efforts and early works in the General Market are already complete and work is underway to frame the internal spaces that will house the museum’s permanent galleries. In 2023, a three-metre-wide glass oculus was craned in to become the centrepiece of the General Market’s dome roof, and the four-year-long restoration of the Poultry Market’s copper roof was successfully completed by hand by coppersmith Chris Johnson (83yrs), an apprentice on the original 1960s build. Having gained vacant possession of the Poultry Market in September 2023, interior restorations are now underway, including work to connect the ground floor and basement levels.
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said: “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. It will attract Londoners and tourists from around the world, generate new jobs and reinforce our position as a global creative capital, as we continue to build a better and fairer London for everyone.”
The ground floor will house two state-of-the-art temporary exhibition spaces, alongside a new learning centre. At basement level, former cold stores will be transformed into a working collections store. A publicly accessible store and display space will offer visitors a unique opportunity to glimpse behind the scenes into the museum’s vast collection.
About London Museum
The Museum tells the ever-changing story of this great world city and its people, from 450,000 BC to the present day. Our galleries, exhibitions, displays and activities seek to inspire a passion for London and provide a sense of the vibrancy that makes the city such a unique place.
A fixture on London’s cultural scene since first opening in 1976, the museum is moving house. It has now closed doors at its London Wall site in preparation for its relocation to a new home at Smithfield, where it will occupy historic market buildings and open up to millions more visitors. The new museum will reopen in 2026 as London Museum.
©2024 Secchi Smith, Atelier 78
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