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Life returns to London’s cultural landscape as museums and galleries are waking from their virus imposed slumber and welcoming visitors again.

This will a regularly updated page listing the museums and galleries that have announced their opening dates. Most are now asking you to book timed tickets to go in, even the free museums, as they will need to control visitor numbers.

A recent change to government guidelines also now requires you to wear a face-covering when visiting museums and galleries (they had been exempted).


Open Now

Museum Status Booking details
Apsley House Book here
Barbican Partially opened 13th July Book here
Benjamin Franklin House Reopened for tours Fri-Sun from 10th July Book here
Bentley Priory Museum Reopened 18th July Book here
Bethlem Museum of the Mind Reopened 1st August Book here
Brunel Museum Reopened 10th Aug Book here
Canal Museum Open Fri and Sat only Details here
Charles Dickens Museum Reopened 25th July Book here
Churchill War Rooms Reopened 1st August Book here
Clink Prison Museum Reopened 4th July
Cutty Sark Reopened 20th July Book here
Design Museum Reopened 31st July Book here
Down House Reopened 4th July Book here
Dulwich Picture Gallery Gardens and cafe only open now
Dr Who Museum Open now, to shop customers only
Eltham Palace Gardens only Book here
Florence Nightingale Museum Reopened 1st August
Fashion and Textile Museum Reopened 5th August Book here
Foundling Museum Reopened 8th July Book here
Garden Museum Reopened 4th July Book here
Guildhall Art Gallery Repened 1st Aug weekends only (roman ampitheatre remains shut) Book here
Hampton Court Palace Most of the buildings have now reopened Book here
Headstone Manor Museum Reopened 6th August Details here
Honeywood Museum Reopened 24th July Book here
Horniman Museum Gardens now open – museum opens 30th July Book here
Isokon Gallery Reopened 11th July Book here
Jewel Tower Book here
Keats House Reopened 22nd July Book here
Kensington Palace Reopened 30th July Book here
Kenwood House Gardens now open, and shop reopens 4th July
London Bus Museum Reopened 1st August Book here
Museum of London Reopened 6th August Book here
Museum of London Docklands Reopened 6th August Book here
National Army Museum Reopened 7th July Book here
National Gallery Reopened 8th July Book here
Natural History Museum Reopened 5th August Book here
Old Operating Theatre Museum Reopened 25th July Book here
Old Royal Naval College Reopened 13th July Book here
Osterley Park and House Garden now open Book here
Queen’s Gallery Reopened 23th July Book here
Queen’s House Reopened 10th August Book here
Ranger’s House (Wernher Collection) Reopened 1st August Book here
RAF Museum Reopened 6th July Book here
Royal Academy Reopened 16th July Thur-Sun Book here
Royal Observatory Reopened 3rd August Book here
Somerset House Reopened 16th July Book here
Tate Britain Reopened 27th July Book here
Tate Modern Reopened 27th July Book here
Tower Bridge Reopened 4th July Book here
Tower of London Reopened 10th July Book here
Turners House Reopened 6th August Book here
Twinings Tea Shop & Museum Reopened 17th July
Victoria and Albert Museum Reopened 6th August Book here
Wallace Collection Reopened 15th July Book here
Wellington Arch Book here
Whitechapel Gallery Book here

Opening Soon

Museum Status Booking details
Bank of England Museum Expected to open in August
British Museum Reopens 27th Aug Tickets available from 12th Aug
Brooklands Museum Expected to open in August
Freud Museum Reopens 12th August Book here
Gunnersbury Park Museum Reopening 13th August Details here
Grant Museum of Zoology Reopening late Sept on Saturdays only
Handel & Hendrix Museum Reopening Saturdays only on 22nd August Book here
Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising Reopening 4th Sept Book here
Museum of Richmond Reopening 11th August Book here
Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology Reopening late Sept on Saturdays only
Science Museum Reopens 19th August Book here
Sir John Soane’s Museum Reopening in the Autumn
Wellcome Collection Reopens 7th October

Other venues with known opening dates

Venue Status Booking details
Bletchley Park Reopened 4th July Book here
Epping Ongar Railway Reopened 1st August Book here
Imperial War Museum Reopened 1st August Book here
Kew Gardens Reopened 4th July Book here
London Aquarium Book here
London Eye Book here
London Dungeon Book here
Madame Tussauds Book here
London Zoo Open now for outdoor areas only Book here
Sky Garden Reopened 3rd July Book here
The View from the Shard Reopened 1st August Book here
Westminster Abbey Reopened 11th July (Wed, Fri and Sat only) Book here

Museums and Galleries that remain closed

Museum Notes
18 Stafford Terrace
Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum
Anaesthesia Heritage Centre
Barnet Museum
Battle of Britain Bunker Unlikely to open before Sept.
Brent Museum
British Dental Museum
Bruce Castle Museum
Brunei Gallery, SOAS
Cartoon Museum
Charterhouse
Crystal Palace Museum
Dennis Severs’ House
Dorich House Museum
Dr Johnson’s House
Eastbury Manor House
Fan Museum Unlikely to open until next year.
Guards Museum
Heath Robinson Museum Reopeing 20th August
Heathrow Exhibition
HMS Belfast
Hogarth’s House
House Mill Cafe open on Sundays for takeaways
House of Illustration
Household Cavalry Museum
Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)
Islington Museum Expects to have a limited reopening towards the end of September 2020
Jewish Museum London
Kirkaldy Testing Museum
Leighton House Museum
London Mithraeum
London Museum of Water and Steam Outdoor garden space has reopened
London Transport Museum Acton depot to open in August
Museum of Childhood
Museum of Croydon
Museum of Freemasonry
Museum of Methodism and John Wesley’s House
Museum of the Order of St John
Museum of Wimbledon
Musical Museum
National Maritime Museum
Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery Aims to reopen in early autumn
Postal Museum and Mail Rail
Ragged School Museum
Rainham Hall
Red House
Royal College of Physicians Museum
Royal Institution (inc Faraday Museum)
Royal Pharmaceutical Society Museum
Salvation Army Heritage Centre
Sewing Machine Museum
Sherlock Holmes Museum
Valence House Museum
Vestry House Museum
Whitewebbs Museum of Transport
Wiener Library
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