Gallery access
London, Sugar & Slavery gallery
Wed - Sun, 10am - 5pm
Access via lift
The Museum of London Docklands and The Krios of Sierra Leone display are currently closed. Subscribe to our enewsletter for all the latest updates on when the display will reopen.
Explore the history of the Krio people of Sierra Leone and discover the dress, architecture, language, lifestyle and tradition of their community in the London, Sugar and Slavery gallery’s latest display at the Museum of London Docklands.
The Krios of Sierra Leone includes contemporary objects from the collections of Krio Londoners as well as 19th century objects related to British colonial rule in Sierra Leone from the museum’s collections. Together, this will highlight the diversity of cultures brought to Sierra Leone that became uniquely Krio.
Today’s Krios descend from the first settlers sent to Sierra Leone in the late 18th & 19th century by the British including London’s black poor, black Loyalists freed during the American revolution, Jamaican Maroons and Africans freed from illegal slave ships after the abolition of the slave trade in 1807.
From its origins in transatlantic slavery
through to the involvement of prominent abolitionists, the story of the Krio
ties in to the wider themes of the gallery and is central not just to the story
of the museum’s building and the surrounding docks but to the story of London
itself.
The Krios of Sierra Leone is delivered with the support of Iyamide Thomas of The Krios Dot Com.
The Krios of Sierra Leone is a free display but requires a free timed entry ticket to the museum to be booked in advance. Please note, tickets are available 6 weeks in advance, with more dates being released weekly.
“The story of the Krio people of Sierra Leone has been largely overlooked in the history books but is of huge significance when looking at the story of not only the museum and the surrounding Docks, but of migration and the slave trade in London.”
Melissa Bennett, Programme Manager
London, Sugar & Slavery gallery
Access via lift
The Museum of London and the Museum of London Docklands will continue to be closed to the public for the time being, but we are hoping to reopen on Wednesday 19 May in line with the Government's roadmap for lifting lockdown restrictions.
The health and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and community is of utmost importance to us and we will continue to closely review the advice from the Government and Public Health England around the COVID-19 situation.
While the museum buildings may be closed, we’re still open online with loads of content to keep you entertained. Check our website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @MuseumOfLondon for all the latest news on when the museum doors will be open once more.
Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to welcoming you back soon!