London Museum has announced it will open the doors to its new permanent galleries in Smithfield’s General Market on 26 November 2026, marking a new chapter for the world’s largest city museum.
At its heart, London Museum has been envisioned as a social space for the city, drawing on the distinctive architecture of the market to unite the museum’s collection and London’s communities, to honour the past and present of this major global capital.
Sir Robert McAlpine was appointed as Construction Manager on the project back in 2023.
Designed by Stanton Williams and Asif Khan, alongside conservation architects Julian Harrap, the museum is located in one of the oldest parts of the capital, the City of London.
The opening completes a decade-long restoration of the Victorian General Market, returning the disused historic building to public use for the first time in over three decades.
The £437m project has been developed through a unique partnership between the City of London Corporation and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, alongside support from a range of philanthropic supporters including Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Goldsmiths’ Foundation, The Linbury Trust and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
It has drawn on expertise from over 70 trades, and since 2023 has given more than 40 apprentices a start in fields ranging from plumbing and electrical engineering to emerging disciplines like sustainable construction management.
The project will be futureproofed for generations to come as a world-leading ‘green museum’. Incorporating cutting-edge sustainability measures – from toilets powered by rainwater to renewable geothermal energy and an industry-first eco-concrete mix – it is set to rank among the top 1% of buildings worldwide with a BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ sustainability rating.
The building’s heritage as a working market is being carefully preserved and celebrated through the work of some of the UK’s leading craftspeople – from the country’s last heritage coppersmiths to master stonemasons and Welsh blacksmiths restoring decorative ironwork.
Sharon Ament, Director, London Museum said: “This has been a long undertaking – not without its challenges but mostly filled with immense joy and hyper-creativity – and now we are counting down the days to welcome our first visitors. I hope our museum is a place where people can come together, feel at home, and find themselves grounded in the lives, treasures, challenges and innovations of this city’s vast history. Above all, I hope we make Londoners proud!”
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The opening of the new London Museum will be a hugely significant moment both for London and internationally. Backed by one of the largest ever cultural investments in our capital, London Museum will attract millions of visitors and Londoners and reinforce our status as the culture capital of the world. London Museum celebrates the past, creates opportunities in the present and will inspire future generations, as we continue to build a better London for everyone.”
