The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Fine Art & Natural History

About the museum

The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities is a privately run museum at 11 Mare Street in Hackney, east London. It belongs to the Last Tuesday Society, a self-styled pataphysical club which its founders say was brought to London in 2006 by Viktor Wynd and David Piper.

In 2008 the Society took over the Mare Street premises. The ground floor housed a fine art gallery and the basement a curiosity shop that grew into a full cabinet of wonders. After a crowdfunding campaign, the premises were converted into a museum, which opened on Halloween 2014. A bar, now called the Absinthe Parlour, occupies the ground floor.

The collection was assembled by Viktor Wynd and focuses on the strange, the macabre and the unusual. It is organised in departments that include a cabinet of animal monsters such as a two-headed kitten and an eight-legged lamb, a room of work by the occultist and artist Austin Osman Spare, magic and ritual objects, mythical creatures from mermaids to fairies, fine art ranging from British Surrealism to Old Master etchings, and a display of the owner’s dead pets.

The museum is reached by a steep spiral staircase and has limited capacity, so tickets are sold for timed visits.

Highlights

• Cabinet of Monsters, billed as the largest public display of animal monsters in the UK
• The Spare Room with a large public display of work by Austin Osman Spare
• Magic and occult objects including scrying tools and a mandrake root
• Mummified fairies, a mermaid skeleton and other mythical creatures
• Fine art from British Surrealism to Old Master etchings
• The Absinthe Parlour bar on the ground floor

Permanent exhibitions

• Cabinet of Monsters – Display of animal oddities, including a two-headed kitten and an eight-legged lamb, billed as the largest public showing of its kind in the UK.
• Austin Osman Spare collection (the Spare Room) – Room of drawings and paintings by the occultist and artist Austin Osman Spare, described by the museum as the largest public display of his work.
• Magick & the Occult – Ritual and traditional magic objects, scrying tools, a mandrake root and the Gnostic Temple of Agape.

Founded

2014

Operated by

The Last Tuesday Society

Admission & discounts

The Absinthe Parlour and its galleries can be entered free of charge; the ticket is for the museum cabinet of curiosities. A museum ticket covers a 30-minute slot and includes a free cup of tea on request. Online tickets can be refunded up to 24 hours before the visit. Patreon members receive free museum tickets.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is entered by descending a steep spiral staircase, and access to the main entrance and the bar is limited because of the historic building. Visitors with questions about access can contact the venue by email. Dogs are not allowed in the museum or the bar.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kids

Under-18s may visit the museum only before 17:00 and only with a parent or guardian, because some exhibits are adult in nature. Children under 16 pay a reduced ticket before 17:00.

Getting there & parking

The website gives only the street address and no directions.

Amenities & dining

The Absinthe Parlour cocktail bar is on the ground floor; it has an 18+ policy after 17:00. An online shop is linked from the website.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties

Private hire and location hire are offered; enquiries go through the contact addresses on the Visit page.

Plan your visit