The £437million UK attraction set to reopen in 2026 following four-year renovation
A NEW £437million attraction is set to reopen in 2026 – following a huge four-year project.
The free Museum of London first opened in 1976, after combining both the Guildhall Museum which was founded in 1826, and the London Museum.
Previously based at the Barbican, the attraction closed back in December 2022 ahead of it’s relocation.
Since then, the £437million project is taking place to relocate 10,000 objects on display.
This is just a fraction of the seven million objects they have inside, which is the largest urban history collection in the world.
These range from Roman artifacts to Elizabethan and Jacobean jewellery.
More modern pieces including the Trump baby blimp and Whitechapel fatberg.
The new location will be at the nearby Smithfield, which will be expanded from 17,000sqm to 27,000sqm.
The museum’s director Sharon Ament previously said: “Our museum is about London – London’s impact on the world and the world’s impact on London.
“We go back to when early humans started to inhabit the Thames Estuary, and we go right into the future. We are always about people.”
The new museum will reopen in 2026, renamed the London Museum.
It hopes to attract as many as two million visitors, with late-night sessions and longer opening hours.
When it was open, previous guests raved about the museum.
One person said: “One of the kids had been learning about the fire of London, so this was a good opportunity to feed more knowledge to the young minds in the family!”
A second said: “My visit to the Museum of London was a truly amazing experience that left me in awe.
“The museum is vast, and it beautifully tells the story of the world’s most vibrant city.”
A third simple said: “London has some of the best museums in the world and so many of then are free to boot.”
Until it reopens, Brits can still visit the Museum of London Docklands which remains open.
Also free to enter, the latest exhibit is Fashion City, showing the history of the capital’s clothing, as well as a number of free Easter activities.
We’ve rounded up some other attractions reopening across the UK this year.
Perth Museum, Scotland
Perth Museum has undergone a £26.5million renovation which has seen it split from the Perth Art Gallery.
After closing in 2022, it is set to open to the public again this Easter.
Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Birmingham
After closing nearly four years ago, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery reopened last month.
The £32.5million renovation has included restoration of some of the building as well as new lifts and roofing.
Five new water attractions opening in the UK next year
- Therme Manchester will have 25 swimming pools, 25 water slides and an indoor beach.
- Modern Surf Manchester will be a surfing lagoon offering lessons to both beginners and experts.
- Chessington World of Adventures waterpark is set to have wave, infinity and spa pools as well as waterslides and cabanas.
- The Cove Resort, Southport is likely to have a water lagoon and a thermal spa with steam rooms and saunas.
- The Seahive, Deal plans to be the “surfing wellness resort” in the UK.