London Museum Docklands

Over het museum

London Museum Docklands opened in 2003, then as the Museum of London Docklands, in No. 1 Warehouse at West India Quay, one of the few surviving buildings of the old docks. The Grade I listed warehouse was built in 1802 to store produce from the West Indies. In 2024 the Museum of London changed its name to London Museum, and the Docklands branch took the new name.

The galleries follow the story of the River Thames, the Port of London and the people who worked there in chronological order, from the early trading port to the redevelopment of Canary Wharf. Much of the collection comes from the archives of the Port of London Authority. The London, Sugar & Slavery gallery, created in 2007, deals with London's part in the slave trade and is one of the few permanent displays in the UK devoted to the subject. Sailortown is a recreated Victorian street in Wapping with a pub and shops, and Docklands at War shows how the docks were bombed in the Blitz and still helped the war effort.

The family gallery Mudlarks is an interactive play area for children under 8. The museum's main site at London Wall closed in December 2022, and a new London Museum in Smithfield is due to open on 28 November 2026; Docklands continues as a separate site with its own opening hours.

Hoogtepunten

• Nine free galleries on about 400 years of the river, port and people of Docklands
• London, Sugar & Slavery gallery on London's role in the slave trade
• Sailortown, a recreated Victorian street with a pub and shops
• Docklands at War gallery on the docks in the Blitz
• Mudlarks interactive play gallery for under-8s
• The Grade I listed No. 1 Warehouse of 1802 itself

Vaste collectie

• London, Sugar & Slavery – A gallery on London's role as one of the world's most important slave-trading ports, with the names of ship captains and owners and the stories of people affected by slavery.
• Sailortown – A recreation of a Victorian Wapping street of the 1840s, with cobbles, pubs and shops where sailors spent their pay.
• Docklands at War – How the docks were bombed in the Blitz but still supported the war effort, from Dunkirk to D-Day.

Opgericht

2003

Beheerder

London Museum

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

De toegang is gratis.

The galleries are free and unticketed, with no need to book. The Mudlarks family gallery is recommended to be booked online in advance. The shop and café accept card and contactless payments only.

Toegankelijkheid

• Rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

Lifts serve every floor. The main entrance on the quayside has some cobbled paving, so visitors with access needs can use the staff entrance on Hertsmere Road by pressing the buzzer by the ramp. Wheelchairs can be borrowed if booked in advance, though the original floorboards are uneven in places. Accessible toilets are on the Ground and Third Floors and a Changing Places toilet is on the First Floor. Assistance dogs are welcome everywhere. A portable induction loop and magnifying glasses are available from the information desk, and thirteen British Sign Language videos guide visitors through the galleries. A visual story and a sensory map can be downloaded, child-sized ear defenders can be borrowed, and the Sailortown gallery is lit more dimly than the others. The public car park on Hertsmere Road has accessible spaces.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations
• Kinderwagenvriendelijk
• Verschoonruimte
• Speeltuin / speelhoek
• Kinderfeestjes

The Mudlarks gallery is an interactive play area for under-8s with soft play, role-play and tunnels; it is listed as running until 28 November 2026 and tickets are best booked online. Families can follow museum trails and use activity sheets, and there are free monthly play sessions for toddlers, school-holiday events and birthday parties in Mudlarks. The café has highchairs, children's meal boxes and a bottle-warming service, and breastfeeding is welcome anywhere. Baby changing is on the Basement, Ground and Third Floors. Prams are welcome and there is a buggy park.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

The museum entrance is on the quayside, which is not accessible by car. Bicycles can be locked to a rack behind the museum on Hertsmere Road, at the owner's risk.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel
• Garderobe
• Kluisjes

Ground-floor café (open 10:00 to 16:30) and gift shop. Lockers cost £1 and take cabin-sized luggage; large luggage is not allowed in the museum. Only card and contactless payments are accepted in the shop and café; cash is accepted for donations and locker coins.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

• Ruimtes te huur
• Privéfeesten
• Zakelijke evenementen
• Bruiloften / trouwceremonies

Tot 1.500 personen.

The Grade I listed building can host conferences, receptions, dinners and weddings, with up to 1,500 guests.

Je bezoek plannen