First Look at the Proposed Designs for the new Museum of London

The Museum of London is moving in a few years, in a deal that has long been in the works. They’re moving to the abandoned Smithfield Market, which has been derelict for a few years. It’s going to be an amazing project that will transform an iconic London landmark and save it from demolition. As they begin the planning application process to get approval for the new museum, the Museum of London has released some stunning renderings of what they propose to do to the site.

The museum is due to open in the old West Smithfield market building in 2024, which is quite some time away yet. It’s going to cost £332 million (about $500 million). Most of the funding for it is being provided by the City of London Corporation and a fundraising effort. The old museum, which is one of the worst places to access in London, will be demolished and turned into a new premier concert venue (I don’t think anyone will miss the Brutalist monstrosity).

It looks amazing – check them out below (click or tap them to view larger versions):

Sharon Ament, Director of the Museum of London, said in a statement:

“The new Museum of London will transform what a museum should be as we will become a shared space in the middle of it all, in the middle of London and in the middle of ideas and our shared history. As people will see from our latest design concepts, it will be a totally porous space available night and day to welcome all of London’s visitors. We’ll showcase the London Collection, our 7 million objects, and tell the story of London and Londoners in some of the best examples of British architecture in the city. An integral part of the Culture Mile, the new museum will educate in a world class learning centre, inspire with our high-impact exhibitions and be a space where people come together to relax and reflect in the centre of everything. It’s been remarkable working with such a creative group of architects and designers who have delved deeply into an equally remarkable set of buildings. We’re looking forward to sharing the plans and hearing people’s feedback which we’ll reflect on as we progress into creating more detailed designs in the coming months.”

Personally, I’m very excited about this and can’t wait to check it out in 2024!

Author: jonathan

Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile who launched Anglotopia.net in 2007 to channel his passion for Britain. Londontopia is its sister publication dedicated to everything London.