Objects & Stories
Try these journeys
Browse by borough
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Barking & Dagenham
Greyhound racing, 16th-century witch trials and the 1960s Ford machinists’ strike
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Barnet
Highway robbery, a 15th-century battlefield and the treasured Hampstead Heath
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Bexley
Links to the Gunpowder Plot and Peasants’ Revolt, and home to arguably the world’s most beautiful sewage works
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Brent
Brent’s locals can boast of Wembley Stadium, and almost 150 languages between them
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Bromley
London’s largest borough was once home to Charles Darwin, and the relocated Crystal Palace
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Camden
Best known for its market and music scene, Camden has room for the British Museum too
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City of London
Where it all began, courtesy of the Romans, nearly 2,000 years ago
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City of Westminster
Home to the Houses of Parliament, Chinatown and London’s theatreland
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Croydon
As well as giving us Stormzy, this borough gave Britain its first international airport
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Ealing
The borough where entertainment history collides with suburbia – and some striking architectural landmarks
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Enfield
An arms factory, Adele and the world’s first ATM
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Greenwich
A historic military and maritime hub by the river
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Hackney
Where warehouses and workshops have become studios, galleries, cafes and clubs
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Hammersmith & Fulham
A 16th-century palace, an imposing Victorian prison and a glorious suspension bridge
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Haringey
In the 19th century, Haringey welcomed Alexandra Palace and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club
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Harrow
Harrow’s famous school opened in 1572, while Kodak set up a factory here in 1891
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Havering
Havering’s past includes a Bronze Age hoard and a Tube-driven transformation to suburbia
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Hillingdon
The borough of Heathrow, and Uxbridge’s Second World War air force station
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Hounslow
A borough whose history takes in aristocratic wealth, dangerous highwaymen and rock’n’roll royalty
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Islington
Shaped by waterways, elegant squares and distinctive council estates, Islington is home to cultural icons and radical thinkers
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Kensington & Chelsea
London’s smallest borough packs a big punch with tourist draws like Portobello Road and several world-renowned museums
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Kingston upon Thames
This royal borough’s coat of arms shows three salmon – a sign of its ancient connection to the river
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Lambeth
Culture, industry, a historic cricket ground – Lambeth bears the imprint of many diverse influences
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Lewisham
Taking in areas like New Cross and Sydenham, Lewisham is home to beautiful gardens as well as sites of rebellion and protest
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Merton
An outer London borough with a history of textiles, tobacco and, most famously, tennis
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Newham
A borough shaped by Thameside industry – and the London 2012 Olympics
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Redbridge
One of London’s greenest boroughs, where 40% is open space
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Richmond upon Thames
Famous for its beautiful parks, miles of Thames waterfront and royal connections
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Southwark
An amazing snapshot of London’s history that spans Roman ruins and the gleaming Shard skyscraper
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Sutton
A story of ancient villages swallowed by suburbia
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Tower Hamlets
The heart of London’s East End whose story dates back to Roman times
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Waltham Forest
A borough with a reputation for wildlife, creativity and top-tier footballers
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Wandsworth
Where you’ll find the iconic Battersea Power Station and some of south London’s best-known green spaces
Browse by time period
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Prehistoric (Pre 44)
Before London was London
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Roman (43 – 410)
From the arrival of the Romans to the decline of their empire
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Early Medieval (410 – 1066)
Six hundred years that stretch from the Romans to the Norman conquest of Britain
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Medieval (1066 – 1540)
London in the Middle Ages
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Tudor (1485 – 1603)
The Tudor family’s kings and queens ruled England for over 100 years
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Elizabethan (1558 – 1603)
A period defined by Queen Elizabeth I, the longest-ruling Tudor monarch
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Jacobean (1603 – 1625)
London under King James I
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Stuart (1603 – 1714)
After the Tudors came the Stuarts, including James I, James II, Charles I and Charles II
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Georgian (1714 – 1830)
Life in Georgian London, when Britain was ruled by four kings named George
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Hanoverian (1714 – 1837)
Spanning the reigns of five kings from the House of Hanover, a British royal house with German origins
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Victorian (1837 – 1901)
The era-defining rule of Queen Victoria
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20th century London (1900 – 1999)
A century of enormous and rapid change
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London today (2000+)
From the new millennium to the present day
Delve into the fascinating stories that shaped London
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Fashion & StyleFashion & Style
Who are the pearly kings and queens?
Since the late 1800s, pearlies have donned their button-covered regalia to raise money for charity
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Rights & ActivismRights & Activism
Emmeline Pankhurst: Suffragette icon
Pankurst’s leadership of the militant votes-for-women campaign made her a feminist hero
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Politics & SocietyPolitics & Society
How Charles Booth mapped London poverty
And showed the complexity of social class in the late 19th century
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Death & Disasters
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Fashion & Style
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Death & DisastersDeath & Disasters
The Great Plague of 1665
An estimated 100,000 people died in London’s last major plague epidemic
More about our Collections
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About our collections
Explore the lives and stories of Londoners through more than seven million objects, including the world’s largest archaeological archive
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What we collect
The museum collects objects that help to tell the stories of this diverse, multicultural city of over nine million people
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Collections projects
Partnerships and collaboration with Londoners is at the heart of our work
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Research
Find out about our research projects, collaborations and opportunities
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Collections access & enquiries
We’d love to hear from you if you’d like to enquire about our collections