Redbridge Museum

About the museum

Redbridge Museum opened in 2000 on the second floor of Redbridge Central Library in Ilford, as the local museum for the London Borough of Redbridge. Over the following years it staged dozens of exhibitions and family activities and worked with local people and school classes.

After a major redevelopment funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, Art Fund, the Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe and the Friends of Valentines Mansion, a new permanent exhibition opened in August 2024, and the museum was officially opened that autumn. The displays follow the borough from the Ice Age to the digital age, showing how a group of villages grew into a busy London suburb.

Highlights include fossil mammoth remains found at Ilford, Wanstead's Roman villa and some of the borough's oldest buildings, with interactive exhibits and a children's area for under-fives. The Redbridge Heritage Centre, on the same floor, holds the main collection of local and family history resources. The museum is run by Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure and entry is free.

Highlights

• Mammoth fossils from Ilford with a life-size replica skull
• Wanstead's Roman villa and Redbridge's oldest buildings
• Permanent galleries from the Ice Age to the digital age
• Interactive exhibits, puzzles and games
• Under-fives area with dressing up and a London bus to ride in
• Heritage Centre for local and family history on the same floor

Permanent exhibition

• Redbridge Museum permanent galleries – Redeveloped galleries opened in 2024 telling the history of Redbridge over more than 200,000 years, from Ice Age mammoths and a Roman villa to the growth of a London suburb.

Founded

2000

Operated by

Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry to the museum is free.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Playground / play area

The galleries include interactive exhibits, puzzles and games, and a children's area for under-fives with historical role play, dressing up and a London bus to ride in. Family activities and holiday sessions are announced on the What's On page.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on the second floor of Redbridge Central Library, Clements Road, Ilford.

Amenities & dining

• Café

Hardback Cafe is on the ground floor of the library building, below the museum on the second floor.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit