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The Museum of London documents the history of London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 from the Prehistoric to the present day. The museum is located close to the Barbican Centre
Barbican Centre

Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts center in Europe. Located in the north of the City of London, England, in the heart of the Barbican Estate, the Centre hosts classical music and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions....
, and a few minutes walk north of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral is the Anglicanism cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century and is generally reckoned to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedr...
, overlooking the remains of the Roman city wall and on the edge of the oldest part of London, known as the City
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
, now the financial district. It is primarily concerned with the social history of London and its inhabitants throughout history.






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The Museum of London documents the history of London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
 from the Prehistoric to the present day. The museum is located close to the Barbican Centre
Barbican Centre

Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts center in Europe. Located in the north of the City of London, England, in the heart of the Barbican Estate, the Centre hosts classical music and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions....
, and a few minutes walk north of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral is the Anglicanism cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. The present building dates from the 17th century and is generally reckoned to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedr...
, overlooking the remains of the Roman city wall and on the edge of the oldest part of London, known as the City
City of London

The City of London is a geographically small city status in the United Kingdom within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which, along with Westminster, the modern conurbation grew....
, now the financial district. It is primarily concerned with the social history of London and its inhabitants throughout history. Admission is free. The museum is a non-departmental public body
Non-departmental public body

In the United Kingdom, a non-departmental public body is a classification applied by the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and Scottish public bodies to certain types of public bodies....
.

Description

Museum of London Interior Lord Mayors Coach
The museum was opened in 1976 as part of the Barbican Estate
Barbican Estate

The 'Barbican Estate' is a residential estate in the City of London, in an area densely packed with commerce and finance. It also contains, or is adjacent to, the Barbican Arts Centre, the Museum of London, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Barbican public library, the City of London School for Girls and a YMCA, forming the Barb...
, utilising collections previously held by the Corporation at the Guildhall
Guildhall, London

The Guildhall is a building in the City of London, off Cheapside and Basinghall Street, in the wards of Bassishaw and Cheap . It has been used as a town hall for several hundred years, and is still the ceremonial and administrative centre of the City of London and its City of London Corporation....
 and also items from other collections, including the London Museum
London Museum

The London Museum was inaugurated on March 21, 1912 by George V of the United Kingdom with Mary of Teck and Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood and Prince George, Duke of Kent at Kensington Palace....
 which was located in Kensington Palace
Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in Kensington Gardens in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. It has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century....
. The architects were Philip Powell
Philip Powell (architect)

Sir Arnold Joseph Philip Powell , usually known as Philip Powell, was a ground-breaking England post-World War II architect.He was educated at Epsom College and then the Architectural Association....
 and Hidalgo Moya
Hidalgo Moya

John Hidalgo Moya , sometimes known as Jacko Moya, was a famous United States-born architect who worked largely in England.He formed the architectural practice Powell & Moya Architect Practice with Philip Powell ....
, who adopted an innovative approach to museum design, whereby the galleries were laid out so that there was only one route through the museum - from the prehistoric period to the modern galleries.

The museum comprises a series of chronological galleries containing original artefacts, models, pictures and diagrams, with a strong emphasis on archaeological discoveries, the built city and urban development and interactive displays and activities for all ages. Fragments of the Roman London Wall
London Wall

London Wall was the defensive wall built by the Ancient Romes around Roman London, their strategically important port town on the River Thames in England....
 can be seen just outside the museum. The museum is currently engaged in a major redevelopment to enrich the experience of visiting the galleries due to be completed in 2010. The prehistoric gallery, "London Before London" and the "Medieval London" gallery have already been updated, and in 2007 a new exhibition on the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London

The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of London, England, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666....
 opened. Star exhibits include the Lord Mayor of the City of London's state coach and a reconstruction of a street from Victorian London - both will return to display when the new galleries open.

Museum of London Docklands

In 2003, Museum of London Docklands
Museum in Docklands

The Museum of London Docklands is a museum on the Isle of Dogs, East London, England that tells the history of London's River Thames and London Docklands....
 (formerly Museum in Docklands) was opened in a 19th-century grade I listed warehouse near Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf is a large business and shopping development in East London, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, centred on the old West India Docks in the London Docklands....
 on the Isle of Dogs
Isle of Dogs

The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is surrounded on three sides by one of the largest meanders in the River Thames....
. Museum of London Docklands charts the history of London as a port, beginning 2000 years ago with the Roman trading post set up on the banks of the Thames and following London's expansion into the biggest port the world had ever known. In November 2007, it opened the capital's first permanent gallery examining London's involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, "London, Sugar & Slavery".

Museum of London Archaeology

Museum of London includes Museum of London Archaeology
Museum of London Archaeology Service

Museum of London Archaeology is a Registered Archaeological Organisation with the Institute of Field Archaeologists and is a self-financing part of the Museum of London Group, providing a wide range of professional archaeological services to clients in London, SE England, the UK and internationally....
, which provides archaeological services in London but also does work elsewhere in the UK and abroad. Archaeological findings made by the service and others working in London are archived at the Museum of London Archaeological Archive.

Structure

Museum of London, Museum of London Docklands and Museum of London Archaeology are all part of the same group. Since 1 April 2008, the Museum has been jointly controlled and funded by the City of London Corporation and the Greater London Authority
Greater London Authority

The Greater London Authority is the region-wide governing body for London, England. It consists of a directly-elected executive Mayor of London, currently Boris Johnson, and an elected 25-member London Assembly with scrutiny powers....
. Prior to this the Museum had been jointly controlled by the City of London and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for English culture and Sport in England in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, for example broadcasting....
. It is headed by a director.

List of directors

  1. Tom Hume
    Tom Hume (museum director)

    Thomas Andrew Hume CBE was the first director of the Museum of London.Born on 21 June 1917, the only son of the late Thomas Hume of Burnfoot, Oxton and Lillias Dodds, Hume was educated at the Heaton Grammar School in Heaton, Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne before attending King's College, Durham University, where he won the Gladstone and Jo...
     (1972 to 1977)
  2. Max Hebditch
    Max Hebditch

    Mark Hebditch, CBE, MA, FSA, FMA, D Litt, was Museum director of the Museum of London. He lives in Taunton and is also a past-president of the Museums Association....
     (1977 to 1997)
  3. Simon Thurley
    Simon Thurley

    Dr. Simon Thurley is an academic and architectural historian, and the present Chief Executive of English Heritage . He now lives in King's Lynn, Norfolk....
     (1997 to 2002)
  4. Professor Jack Lohman (2002 to present)


See also

  • Museum of London Archaeology
    Museum of London Archaeology Service

    Museum of London Archaeology is a Registered Archaeological Organisation with the Institute of Field Archaeologists and is a self-financing part of the Museum of London Group, providing a wide range of professional archaeological services to clients in London, SE England, the UK and internationally....
  • Museum of London Docklands
    Museum in Docklands

    The Museum of London Docklands is a museum on the Isle of Dogs, East London, England that tells the history of London's River Thames and London Docklands....
  • London Museum
    London Museum

    The London Museum was inaugurated on March 21, 1912 by George V of the United Kingdom with Mary of Teck and Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood and Prince George, Duke of Kent at Kensington Palace....


External links

  • website - also run from the Museum of London
  • new community website launched by the Museum of London on November 16, 2006
  • provides a sneak peek into the working life of the Museum of London.