The London Museum will open its doors at Smithfield's General Market on November 28, following the closure of its London Wall site in 2022. The move to the restored Victorian General Market building in Farringdon marks the culmination of a project first announced in 2015 and costing £437 million.
Decade-long restoration project
The historic market hall, out of public use for more than 30 years, has been transformed over roughly a decade. Funding came through a partnership between the City of London Corporation, the Mayor of London, and other partners. The museum is launching ahead of its 50th anniversary, offering a more spacious and contemporary home for its expanded collection.
The adjacent 1960s Poultry Market is scheduled to open in 2028, featuring two temporary exhibition spaces, a learning centre, and a store for collections.
Free admission and opening times
Like its Docklands branch, which remains open as a long-term venue, the Smithfield location will be free to visit. General admission tickets are free, though paid-for experiences and separate exhibitions are likely to require tickets. Opening times have not yet been announced, but most major London museums operate between 10am and 5pm on weekdays.
Exhibits and experiences
The collection will be spread across three interconnected spaces: Real Time, Our Time, and Past Time. Exhibits include rare Roman mosaics, interactive displays on the Great Fire of London and the 2012 Olympic Games, and 13 installations in the Our Time exhibition, such as the Lord Mayor's Coach and Syd's Coffee Stall. The Goldsmiths' Gallery will display the Cheapside Hoard, a significant collection of Elizabethan and Jacobean jewellery.
Visitors can also look through a six-metre viewing window to watch Thameslink trains pass through Farringdon. The museum will host a weekly tea club, late night DJ sets, and monthly dinner clubs. Guest editors will curate exhibitions, starting with London Tastes, sponsored by Sainsbury's and curated by Great British Bake Off star Ruby Tandoh and food writer Jonathan Nunn.
Project history and Smithfield's future
Plans for the museum were first mooted in 2014, with the City of London Corporation confirming the move to Smithfield in 2015. The renovation was initially pegged at £70 million, later upgraded to £250 million, before reaching £437 million. The original opening date of 2021 was pushed back to 2026 amid renovation issues, and a freshwater spring was discovered under the site in August 2022. Costs are shared by the City of London Corporation, the Mayor of London, and charitable partners including the Goldsmiths' Foundation, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and the Linbury Trust.
Smithfield Market has served as a meat and livestock trading hub for more than 800 years, operating through the night for butchers, restaurants, and caterers. Traders have been told they must vacate the premises by 2028 to complete the museum's expansion. Both the wholesale meat market and fish traders at Billingsgate Market will move to new facilities in the Royal Docks.
