London Museum opens Smithfield site with Banksy piranhas and Whitechapel fatberg among key exhibits
The London Museum will open its new Smithfield site on 28 November, bringing Banksy’s piranhas, the UK’s oldest handwritten document and part of the Whitechapel fatberg into permanent display as the museum moves into the former Victorian General Market building. The relocation follows the closure of the museum’s London Wall site in December 2022 and forms part of a £437 million redevelopment of the Smithfield complex, which has remained unused as a market space in recent years.
Inside the new venue, Thameslink trains will pass directly through basement-level galleries, a feature that physically integrates transport infrastructure with exhibition space. Alongside the permanent collections, the museum will operate as a public space hosting events such as dinner clubs, storytelling sessions and evening programming.
The building has been divided into three main areas that shape how visitors move through the museum. At the entrance, Real Time will present live data reflecting the city as it happens.
The next space, Our Time, will sit beneath the domed roof and host installations and events developed with partners including fabric nightclub and Punchdrunk Enrichment. The museum will also involve guest editors who help shape themes such as taste, sound and clothing, offering different perspectives on contemporary London life.
The lower level, Past Time, will contain permanent galleries that present London’s history through both chronological and thematic displays.
Among the objects on display are Syd’s Coffee Stall, which will operate again as part of the Tuesday Tea Club, the bass guitar smashed by Paul Simonon of The Clash on the cover of London Calling, the Cheapside Hoard jewellery collection, Anna Pavlova’s costume from The Dying Swan and diving trunks worn by Tom Daley at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
A further expansion of the site will see the Poultry Market building incorporated in 2028, following the end of market operations in 2023.
The project has been funded through a partnership between the City of London Corporation and the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, alongside philanthropic support including Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Goldsmiths’ Foundation, The Linbury Trust and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
London’s museums are changing the way the city tells its own story, and Smithfield is now part of that shift. As this new space opens its doors, what do you want to see London preserve for the next generation? Explore more coverage of London’s cultural transformations and museum developments at EyeOnLondon.
Image: Ethan Doyle White
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