London Museum Opens in Smithfield

The world’s largest city museum opens its new free permanent galleries in Smithfield’s restored Victorian General Market on 28 November 2026 — the culmination of a decade-long, £437 million (about $586 million) transformation and a landmark moment for London culture. Designed by Stanton Williams and Asif Khan with conservation architects Julian Harrap, the new London Museum unfolds across three interconnected spaces: Real Time (the covered entrance street), Our Time (a vibrant social hub beneath the market’s restored dome) and the subterranean Past Time galleries set at Roman street level.

Highlights include the Cheapside Hoard in its fullest-ever display, the Lord Mayor’s Coach, a chunk of the Whitechapel Fatberg, the vest believed worn by Charles I at his execution, Emmeline Pankhurst’s hunger strike medal, The Clash’s smashed bass from London Calling, and a world-first six-meter window onto live Thameslink trains rumbling past the galleries. Entry to the permanent galleries is free. Opening in time for the museum’s 50th anniversary; a second phase at the adjacent Poultry Market follows in 2028.