Vagina Museum

About the museum

The Vagina Museum began in 2017 as a project by Florence Schechter, who found that there was a penis museum in Iceland but no equivalent for the female anatomy. It started with pop-up events and exhibitions, including a first show at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017 and a touring exhibition called "Is Your Vagina Normal?" in 2018. It became a registered charity in 2019.

The first permanent home was in Camden Market from October 2019 until 2021. The museum then spent a year in a former property guardianship in Bethnal Green, which ended in early 2023. After a successful crowdfunding campaign it reopened in November 2023 in two railway arches on Poyser Street in Bethnal Green, where it remains.

The museum aims to reduce stigma around the gynaecological anatomy and to treat it as something to be celebrated. Its three galleries are named after Anarcha, Betsey and Lucy, enslaved women who were subjected to experimental surgery in nineteenth-century Alabama. The permanent exhibition, From A to V, covers anatomy, health, vulva diversity and activism. The museum also runs temporary exhibitions, a community gallery, a programme of talks, performances and workshops, and learning sessions for schools.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition From A to V on anatomy, health, diversity and activism
• Free entry with a suggested £5 donation
• Galleries named after the Mothers of Gynaecology: Anarcha, Betsey and Lucy
• Regular events, talks and a gift shop
• Weekly access mornings: family, quiet and masked

Permanent exhibition

• From A to V – The permanent exhibition in Betsey's Gallery on gynaecological anatomy, health, vulva diversity and activism.

Founded

2017

Operated by

Vagina Museum (registered charity)

Director

Florence Schechter

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation of £5 per person. Booking a free ticket online is recommended, especially for school groups. Some events are ticketed separately.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description

The ground floor is flat and smooth from the street, including the galleries, shop and toilet, and a lift serves the upstairs galleries. There is a single gender-neutral accessible toilet with grab rails and a baby changing bench. A hearing loop is available at reception, all videos are subtitled, and large-print guides and magnifying glasses can be borrowed. Sign language tours and audio description can be requested for events when booking. Guide and assistance animals are welcome. Folding seats are available on request. The museum is in railway arches, so trains can be heard every few minutes, and the space can be cold. A video tour with audio description and a quiet morning each week help with planning.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Baby changing facilities

There is no minimum age for entry to the exhibitions, although some events such as film screenings are age restricted. Wednesday mornings are family mornings, with children of all ages and noise expected and extra nappies available; breastfeeding is welcome anywhere. A guide for teachers, youth workers and parents explains how the permanent exhibition relates to the school curriculum.

Getting there & parking

The museum is outside the congestion zone but inside the LEZ and ULEZ. The entrance what3words address is sizes.influencing.care. The nearest Santander cycle docking station is on Cambridge Heath Road at the corner of Nant Street.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check: not available
• Lockers: not available

Gift shop on site. The museum has no café, but visitors may bring their own food and drink, as long as it is nut-free. There is no cloakroom or lockers, although bulky items can be kept behind the desk. Indoor bicycle racks are available.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

The whole or part of the museum can be hired for parties, launches, screenings, performances, conferences, meetings and filming, with special rates for charities and emerging artists.

Plan your visit