In this section
Press releases
- Plans approved to create new London Museum and regenerate Smithfield
- From DJ sets to late-night cinema Museum of London announces blockbuster festival weekends to close London Wall
- fabric to become world’s first nightclub-in-residence in a Museum
- Major new Museum of London Docklands exhibition uncovers London’s 700 year history of public executions
- 15-year-old Londoner takes over city bus stops as winner announced of Museum of London, BBC 100 & TfL poetry competition
- Museum of London unveils Greatest Hits mural to celebrate 45 years at London Wall
- Museum of London marks 100 days to closure with free event and giveaways for visitors
- Museum of London raises a further £7 million towards its new home at West Smithfield
- Museum of London celebrates 45 years at London Wall as it commences countdown to closure
- Sunil Gupta’s ‘Pretended’ Family Relationships photo series acquired by the Museum of London
- Putin’s Happy – Museum of London acquires Jeremy Deller film revealing a divided country and a city full of protest
- The Museum of London celebrates city's sporting hero with new display on Harry Kane
- The Museum of London presents 'Grime Stories: from the corner to the mainstream', opening 17 June 2022
- Joe Corré, Jordan and Richard Boon to appear in an uncensored, live Punk.London debate
- 300 year old love message embroidered in human hair to go on display at the Museum of London Docklands
- Museum of London begins countdown to West Smithfield relocation
- Douglas Gilmore appointed Managing Director of Museum of London Docklands
- New research to shed fresh light on the impact of industrialisation
- The Prince of Wales becomes Museum of London Patron
- The Clash’s Paul Simonon’s famous Fender Precision bass to go on display
- Behind the Scenes of the Museum of London
- Stanton Williams and Asif Khan to design new Museum of London at West Smithfield
- Museum of London acquires ensemble inspired by the creativity of the Windrush generation
- Feeding Black: Community, Power & Place opening 16 July at Museum of London Docklands
- Museum of London acquires NHS sign from ZSL London Zoo’s Giraffe House as part of Collecting COVID
- Museum of London sites set to reopen 19 May with extensions of Dub London: Bassline of a City and Havering Hoard: A Bronze Age Mystery
- Museum of London acquires Mayor of Lambeth’s homemade ceremonial chain as part of Collecting COVID project
- Museum of London acquires ‘viral’ Tweets for Collecting COVID
- Weavers’ Company donate £100,000 to the Museum of London’s move to Smithfield
- Museum of London receives Trump Baby blimp ahead of the Presidential Inauguration
- Museum of London to collect COVID dreams
- Arsenal’s captain donates Black Lives Matter shirt to the Museum of London
- Dub London: Bassline of a City opening 2 October at the Museum of London
- Public statement October 2020
- London Sugar & Slavery gallery
- New major exhibition Havering Hoard: A Bronze Age Mystery opens 11 September at the Museum of London Docklands
- Robert Milligan statue statement
- Museum of London sites to reopen 6 August with four-week extension of The Clash: London Calling display
- Public statement
- Museum of London releases first ever recorded soundscapes of London alongside new recordings of London in lockdown as part of Collecting COVID project
- Design concepts for new museum at West Smithfield revealed
- The Museum of London collects shared experiences of Ramadan in lockdown as part of Collecting COVID project
- Unheard oral histories are released by the Museum of London to mark Windrush Day
- Collecting Covid: the Museum of London seeks to mark unprecedented pandemic for the future
- Millicent Fawcett’s ‘Steadfastness and Courage’ brooch to go on permanent display for the first time
- Museum of London submits plans to create a new world-class cultural destination in West Smithfield
- King Charles I’s execution vest to go on display in new major exhibition
- Museum of London to celebrate Dub Reggae and its influence on the capital
- East End bastion Syd’s coffee stall to be donated to the Museum of London
- Free exhibit celebrating the making of The Clash’s ground-breaking album ‘London Calling’ now open
- Museum of London acquires extremely rare plate that belonged to Samuel Pepys
- The story of the Krios of Sierra Leone to be told in the Museum of London Docklands’ latest display
- Museum of London to host The Clash: London Calling exclusive free exhibit of over 100 personal items
- The largest ever Bronze Age hoard in London has been discovered
- Designs for Museum of London’s new West Smithfield home revealed
- Smithfield Street Party
- Museum of London hopes to acquire both the Trump Baby Blimp and the Sadiq Khan Blimp as part of their permanent collection
- Secret Rivers
- Beasts of London
- Recently acquired panorama goes on display for the first time at the Museum of London
- Museum of London appoints leading names to Board of Governors
- Earliest skull ever mudlarked from the Thames to go on display at the Museum of London
- Museum of London acquires beautiful panorama of lost Houses of Parliament
- Bengali arts and culture on show at the Museum of London Docklands family festival.
- Bonus Levels: Artist Lawrence Lek invites viewers to re-imagine future London
- Young Londoners to take over Museum of London this March
- The Museum of London hopes to acquire Whitechapel 'fatberg'
- Treasured children’s author Jacqueline Wilson’s latest book Wave Me Goodbye inspires family day at the Museum of London Docklands
- The City is Ours: A Tale of New Cities
- Adventures in Peter Pan’s Neverland at Museum of London Docklands
- Photography of Londoners and their pastimes on show at Museum of London
- Tracking London’s most talked about topics and emojis
- London Nights: Museum of London unveils the city at night in major photography exhibition
- Museum of London Docklands celebrates Chinese New Year this February half term
- Statement on 20 May 2017
- Whitechapel’s famous monster fatberg is coming to the Museum of London
- Museum of London Docklands to showcase rare Roman sarcophagus in first public display
- Malcolm Reading Consultants appointed to run West Smithfield International Design Competition
- 8,000 years of human history on display at the Museum of London Docklands
- An Idea for a Future London open call winner announced
- Five Museum of London apprentices appointed
- London Visions: Hypothetical scenarios of a future London
- “Reputational whitewashing” investigated in latest display at the Museum of London Docklands.
- Rare George Cross medal goes on display at the Museum of London Docklands
- Museum of London displays recently acquired Sutherland drawings in new exhibition of Blitz artwork
- What does the future hold for London and cities around the world?
- Mayor of London and City of London Corporation pledge support for new Museum of London at West Smithfield
- Smithfield street party: Museum of London celebrates 150 years of Smithfield markets
- Museum of London uses Minecraft to recreate the Great Fire of 1666
- Museum of London releases third and final Great Fire 1666 Minecraft map
- Taste not waste: Be inspired by unique recipes using your leftover food for a more sustainable future London
- Museum of London opens most theatrical exhibition ever to mark 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London
- Museum of London acquires 100 menswear items worn by townscape consultant Francis Golding
- Votes for Women programme
- Technology replacing jobs won’t halt our working spirit
- Rare Victoria Cross with mysterious story to go on display at the Museum of London
- New display at the Museum of London traces the capital’s obsession with ice skating
- Rare tools give insight into working lives of Roman Londoners at the Museum of London
- New display reveals complex history of British Army’s West India Regiments
- Historic vessels Knocker White and Varlet set sail to new home at Trinity Buoy Wharf
- Missing Bake Off? Take your taste buds back in time with 17th century gingerbread
- Paddington returns to Museum of London
- Learn how to code like a pro and celebrate digital technology at the Museum of London’s free family festival
- 17th century fire engine restored for Great Fire exhibition
- Museum of London boosts Great Fire collections with mysterious manuscript
- Major new gallery at Museum of London Docklands explores history of the world's largest docks
- Sir Edward Lister joins Museum of London Board of Governors
- West Smithfield Design Competition shortlist announced
- Museum of London bolsters its art collections
- West Smithfield International Design Competition launched
- Another record-breaking year for the Museum of London
- After dark at The Night Museum
- New display about the life of ‘The Royal African’ and the slave trade
- Statue of Robert Milligan joins Museum of London collection
- Our statement on Fabric
- People of Punk bring the year of celebration to an end
- Tunnel: the archaeology of Crossrail
- Museum of London to make 5,000 stories from the capital available to the public for the first time
- The Museum of London Docklands announces major exhibition with public call out to find iconic pieces of fashion history
- Trump Baby Blimp undergoes test inflation
- Museum of London Docklands launches the Dodger family trail, based on BAFTA-winning BBC TV series, Dodger
- Museum of London Docklands announces Indo + Caribbean: The creation of a culture
- Young Londoners push for a more sustainable city in Museum of London report
- Museum of London Docklands announces street party to mark its 20th anniversary, with Vanity Milan, star of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, to headline
- Museum of London formally appoints Sir Robert McAlpine as Construction Management Company on Smithfield project
- Rare Festival of Britain sculpture discovered in London garden will join Museum of London collection
- Jennifer Francis appointed Director of External Affairs at Museum of London
- Museum of London announces acquisition of major sports collecting project, including Wimbledon oral histories
- Coats worn by Princess Diana and Dot Cotton to go on display as part of a major new exhibition
- Bridget Banton and Samir Patel join Museum of London Board of Governors
- Museum of London issues public call for iconic signs from across the capital
- First witness to the Great Fire of London uncovered
- Opening Friday 13 October – Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners shaped global style at Museum of London Docklands
- Foundation stone unveiled for the new London Museum as principal construction works begin
- New research finds Black women of African descent more likely to die of medieval plague
- Rare tie discovered in charity shop goes on display in London fashion exhibition
- Museum of London Docklands launches new display in collaboration with Mind and Taking Shape Association
- Acclaimed Fashion City exhibition extended to 7 July 2024 with free student ticket offer for April and May
Museum of London unveils Greatest Hits mural to celebrate 45 years at London Wall
Monday 26 September 2022 – Museum of London today unveils a new mural from artist Willkay to celebrate key moments from its 45-year history at London Wall and items from its collection.
From Romans to punks, Suffragettes to Olympians, Vikings to The Beatles, the 13-meter wide mural, titled Greatest Hits, captures iconic moments from the capital’s history through items in the museum’s collection. It features illustrations of items from the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 1977, the Donald Trump baby blimp, jewellery from the Cheapside Hoard, the world’s largest Elizabeth and Jacobean collection, an underground station shelter during the Blitz, scenes from Notting Hill Carnival, and a section of a fatberg from London’s sewers, among others.
Willkay, said: “I am very honoured to have been selected to create an original mural for Museum of London, celebrating the city I love. I wanted to offer something to visitors that would make them smile, engage and share an emotional connection to London’s evolution. The mural presents change, freedom and creativity in our great city. Not all memories are great, but I believe it is important to celebrate every part of life and history. I hope it inspires artists all over London and the world.”
Willkay’s previous work includes artwork for #stormzybirthdaybash, a celebration of the artist’s 23rd birthday and brand collaborations with Adidas and G-Star Raw among others. In 2020, he published his first book of poetry, titled Cloned Hallucinations: Thrive, with Oddkingdom.
In addition to the mural, the artist created a panoramic illustration for Grime Stories: from the corner to the mainstream, one of the museum’s headline displays that will close the site. Co-curated by Rooney ‘RiskyRoadz’ Keefe and featuring Grime pioneer Jammer, the exhibition explores grime’s roots in east London and the community at its heart.
Located at the museum’s entrance, the artwork is inspired by objects and photographs from the 7-million-strong collection, showcasing some of the historic and contemporary highlights that visitors can see one last time at London Wall, the museum’s home for over four decades.
The museum’s shop will have a mural-themed offer from today, including a tea towel, a tote bag, and a magnet.
The museum will close at London Wall on Sunday 4 December 2022, in preparation for its move to West Smithfield, where it will open under a new name: The London Museum. The Museum of London Docklands will remain open to visitors with a major exhibition Executions opening on 14 October 2022.
This October, the museum is celebrating Black History Month with a programme of readings, talks, tours, and activities for the entire family.
The programme will spotlight Black British Female history in collaboration with The Heritage & Honour Collection, a creative social enterprise documenting and collecting content on Black British Female History from 1500-1999. Producer and Founder Winnie Imara will be running adult and family workshops on Saturday 15th and Saturday 22nd October about inspiring London-based Black women in history, linked with creative writing and arts and crafts.
A series of short talks, tours and poetry readings will be held at the museum throughout the month, highlighting fascinating individuals and histories, including Dido Belle, Mary Seacole, Windrush stories, the Brixton riots, Punk and more.
The month-long programme will also include a family trail as well as an interactive session on London’s Black sporting history, Follow the Flame!, part of the museum’s October half-term events line-up. Young visitors will be able to follow an Olympic torch bearer as she tells tales of sporting heroes, including Walter Tull, Alice Coachman and Mo Farah.
The museum is also hosting an after-hours curator talks programme, exploring different eras in the city’s history, from Prehistoric times to the present day.
• Senior Curator Francis Marshall will explore the work of Black artists in London from 1980 to the present day, looking at prints, drawings and photographs from the museum’s collections, which respond to events such as the 1981 Brixton riots.
• Senior Curator Rebecca Redfern will investigate how Black people’s presence in Roman London can be made visible, looking at what stories are revealed by studying an object’s creation, origin and use.
On November 2, the museum will host award-winning writer Yomi Sode and poet and director and inaugural young people’s laureate for London Caleb Femi for an evening of poetry readings, a screening and a discussion connecting poetry and grime. The cross-genre conversation will explore how the two art forms inform one another and the communities behind their respective scenes.
The museum’s ongoing programme leading to closure also includes a range of immersive activities for the entire family during the October half-term, a month of school visits in November framed around different themes corresponding to the museum’s collection, and two closing weekend celebration festivals on 26 & 27 November and 2, 3 & 4 December.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Willkay
Willkay is a London-based artist, graphic designer and art director. His work is light-hearted, intricate, bright and playful. Willkay combines photography, illustration and graphic design to create his unique pieces. His natural flair for creativity is illustrated in much of his work, which comprises of modern art that reflects his life, environment and character. www.bywillkay.com
About the Museum of London
The Museum of London 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.
The museum is open Monday - Sunday 10am – 5pm and is FREE to all. You can explore the Museum of London with collections online – home to 90,000 objects with more being added regularly.www.museumoflondon.org.uk.
Museum of London shop mural offer
The mural-themed offer at the museum’s shop includes a tea towel, a tote bag and a magnet, priced at £10, £12 and £4 respectively.
Information for Listings
Bars of Reassurance: Poetry and Grime with Yomi Sode and Caleb Femi
Date: Wednesday 2 November 2022
Time: 7 pm
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Paid advanced booking required: £12 (Concession and Museum of London friends: £10)
Hear from some of London’s most exciting writers as they discuss connections between poetry and music. Join Yomi Ṣode, Caleb Femi and a guest chair as they lead us through the links and lyrics found in poetry and grime. The event will feature poetry readings, an audience Q&A, and a screening of Distant Daily Ijó / YNWA – a short film Yomi and Caleb worked on together to accompany Yomi’s poetry, featuring references to and samples from legendary grime tracks. There will also be an opportunity to explore the display and purchase signed copies of Yomi and Caleb’s work.
Information for Listings: Black History Month
Paving the way: Black women in London from 1500 – 1999 (adult workshop)
Date and time: Saturday 15 October at 1pm and Saturday 22 October at 3:30pm
Duration: 1 hour
Free. Visitors are encouraged to pre-book due to limited capacity.
A workshop for adults (age 16+) consisting of a presentation by Winnie Imara, Producer and Founder of the Heritage and Honour Collection, on inspiring London-based Black women from history, a discussion about the women featured, and a creative writing workshop inspired by the presentation and discussion.
Paving the way: Black women in London from 1500 – 1999 (family workshop)
Date and time: Saturday 15 October 11am and 2:30pm, Saturday 22 October at 11am, 1pm and 2:30pm
Duration: 45 minutes
Free. Visitors are encouraged to pre-book due to limited capacity.
A workshop for families (age 7+, but younger siblings are welcome) consisting of stories of inspiring London-based Black women from history told by Winnie Imara, Producer and Founder of the Heritage and Honour Collection, tailored to younger audiences, followed by an arts and crafts activity inspired by the stories.
Follow the Flame!
Date: 25-27 October 2022
Time: 10:30 am, 12 pm and 2 pm
Duration: 45 minutes
Free drop in, no booking required
Join Big Wheel Theatre Company for a fun interactive journey through London's Black sporting history. Follow our Olympic torch bearer as she tells tales of famous and lesser-known sporting heroes including Walter Tull, Alice Coachman and Mo Farah. This is a promenade-style performance with stops throughout the museum's lower galleries. You can join from the start or you might encounter our actor as part of your visit. Feel free to drop in and out as you please although numbers may be limited at particularly busy times to avoid overcrowding.
Information for Listings: October half-term
Roman London family walk
Date: 26 October 2022
Time: 10:30 am
Duration: 1 hour
Paid advanced booking required
Go back 2,000 years and walk the streets of Roman Londinium! Visit the remains of the Roman city wall, the location of a long lost fort and Londinium’s hidden amphitheatre, where brave gladiators and nimble acrobats entertained the raucous crowds, on this interactive tour for families.
Terrific torches
Date: 24-26 October 2022
Time: 10:30 am and 2 pm
Duration: 30 minutes
Free, no booking required
Light up your day! Make and design your own Olympic torch inspired by the 2012 games in this fun family craft session. Don't forget to head to our London 2012 and World City galleries afterwards to see a real torch, the 2012 cauldron and other memorabilia on display. Please note this is an unticketed drop-in session. You can drop in at any time between 10.30-12.30 or 2-4pm. We expect you'll spend around 30 minutes in the session. Numbers may be limited at busy times.
Play the game family trail
Date: 22-30 October 2022
Time: 10 am
Duration: 1 hour
Free, no booking required
Play your way through the museum galleries to hunt for sporting objects from London’s past with this fun, free trail for all the family. Complete challenges to earn the skills and attributes you need to become a sports superstar!
Move at the museum
Date: 26 & 28 October 2022
Time: 11 am, 1 pm, and 2:30 pm
Duration: 45 minutes
Free, advanced booking required
Get the whole family moving! Join inclusive dance company DashDotDance for a family dance workshop inspired by London's sporting history. Suitable for disabled and non-disabled children and their families, everyone will be encouraged to join in and show off their moves in this accessible creative dance session. Come balance, turn, spring and reach with us - no experience necessary!
Information for Listings: After Hours
After Hours: London Before London
Date: 5 October
Time: 6:30 pm
Duration: 2 hours
Paid advanced booking: £12 (Concession and Museum of London Friends: £10)
Join Curator Kate Sumnall for a talk on prehistoric London. The River Thames winds through the heart of the city today and has played an active role in shaping the place and people, from the earliest hunter-gatherers to Iron Age communities who built large settlements before the Romans arrived. Discover how the natural landscape fits into prehistoric belief systems and the parallels between prehistoric London and the issues we face today. This talk will be followed by an opportunity to enjoy the London before London gallery after-hours, with expert Kate on-hand to guide you.
After-hours gallery talk: London’s Black artists, from 1980 to present day
Date: 19 October 2022
Time: 6:30 pm
Duration: 2 hours
Paid advanced booking: £12 (Concession and Museum of London Friends: £10)
Join Senior Curator Francis Marshall to explore the work of Black artists working in London from the 1980s to the present day. This talk will consider prints, drawings and photographs from the museum’s collections which respond to events such as the 1981 Brixton Riots, alongside works which celebrate Black culture and its contribution to London life. This talk will be followed by an opportunity to enjoy the World City gallery after-hours, with expert guide Francis on-hand to answer questions about Black artists working in London in the late 20th Century.
Date: 2 November 2022
Time: 6:30 pm
Duration: 2 hours
Paid advanced booking: £12 (Concession and Museum of London Friends: £10)
Join researcher, Eliot Benbow for a talk exploring our world-leading collection of everyday objects from the Middle Ages. Discover aspects of trade, domestic life, devotion, play, recreation and childhood in London on display in the museum. This talk will be followed by an opportunity to enjoy the medieval gallery after-hours, with expert guide Eliot on-hand to answer questions about life in the medieval city.
After Hours: Black history in Roman London
Date: 16 November 2022
Time: 6:30 pm
Duration: 2 hours
Paid advanced booking: £12 (Concession and Museum of London Friends: £10)
Join Senior Curator Dr Rebecca Redfern to investigate the evidence for Black people in the Roman Empire. This talk will explore how Black people’s presence in Roman London can be made visible, by looking at what stories are revealed by studying an object’s creation, origin and use. This talk will be followed by an opportunity to enjoy the Roman gallery after-hours, with expert guide Rebecca on-hand to answer questions.