Quirky London Museums

London is full of hidden gems and eccentric collections. These museums offer an ideal way to discover lesser-known parts of London, and to delve into some the city's quirkier corners.

Looking for more? Take a look at our Smaller London Museums feature.

Fan Museum

This unique museum is home to the world's finest collection of fans, dating from the 11th century to the present day. Housed in a pair of beautifully restored 18th century houses, the Fan Museum also features a Japanese garden and spectacular orangery with a much-admired mural and fascinating gift shop.

Horniman Museum

The purpose-built Horniman museum in Forest Hill houses a remarkably eclectic collection in its striking Arts and Crafts building. The collection ranges from stuffed animals to musical instruments, masks and textiles. The award-winning gardens – all 16 acres of them – are an added attraction. Free Entry

Kew Bridge Steam Museum

The giant beam engines here (the earliest built in 1820) are the largest of their kind in the world. Housed in a Victorian waterworks, these engines pumped London's water for over 100 years. There's a steam railway, waterwheel and horse-gin. The massive steam-pumping engines are working at weekends and Bank Holidays.

London Canal Museum

The London Canal Museum tells the colourful story of London's canals, their people, the cargoes, the boats and their trade. Find out about the horses that pulled the boats and carts on the streets and discover the amazing Victorian trade in natural ice, brought from Norway to keep London cool.

Museum of Brands and Packaging

Featuring more than 12,000 original items from the Robert Opie Collection, the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising in Notting Hill offers a nostalgic journey through childhood toys, fashions, magazines and more from Victorian times, through austerity Britain to the swinging 60s.

Old Operating Theatre

This restored 19th century operating theatre tells the story of surgery and herbal medicine. The Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret is housed on top of a church, and the building provides the central point for a display and collection which tells the story of medicine from the 13th to 19th century.

The Geffrye Museum

One of London's most friendly and charming museums, the Geffrye presents the history of the English domestic interior from 1600 to the present day. The museum is set in delightful 18th-century almshouse buildings with attractive gardens, including a walled herb garden and series of period gardens. Free Entry

The Wellcome Collection

Dedicated to exploring the connections between medicine, life and art, The Wellcome Collection highlights the past, present and future of medicine and our changing relationships with our bodies. Based on the amazing collection of Dr Henry Wellcome, expect to find ancient sex aids, shrunken heads, royal hair and a DNA sequencing robot.