21 weird and quirky museums to visit in London 2025

Step into the dark world of Victorian London and uncover chilling mysteries.

Discover the stories behind London’s most notorious killer at the world’s only dedicated Jack the Ripper Museum. Step back in time to 1888 to learn all about the suspects and the victims of the terrible murders that took place in Victorian London. With displays spanning across six floors, see realistic recreations of scenes connected to the murders along with artefacts never before shown to the public.

Best for: Dark history

Enter one of London’s most unique museums at Horse Guards in Whitehall.

The Household Cavalry Museum celebrates the history and accomplishments of The Household Cavalry since it was formed in 1661 under King Charles II. Get a "behind the scenes" look at the work that goes into guarding the King on ceremonial occasions and royal pageantry. Hear the stories of the troopers and see the working horses in the original 18th-century stables.

Best for: British cavalry history

Experience one of the oldest and most notorious medieval prisons in England.

Step back in time to the dark and eerie days of London's medieval past at the Clink Prison Museum. See photos of the original building upon which the museum is built, explore the themed rooms and discover replica artefacts at this wonderfully weird London museum. Don't miss the gory torture devices that would have been used on the inmates – if you're brave enough!

Best for: Medieval London history

Take a ride through the tunnels of London’s 100-year-old postal railway.

Find out all there is to know about the postal service in the absorbing Postal Museum, as you explore an assortment of stamps, post boxes and post office vehicles on show. Be sure to take the trip underground on the thrilling Mail Rail train, which was once used to transport mail.

Best for: Royal Mail history

Revisit your childhood through the adverts of decades gone by.

Be inspired by The Museum of Brands in Notting Hill, which features more than 12,000 original items from the Robert Opie Collection. Prepare for a nostalgic journey through childhood toys, fashions, magazines and more, taking you on a journey from Victorian times, through austerity Britain and to the swinging 1960s.

Best for: Advertising through the ages

Take a step back to Victorian times and visit Sherlock Holmes’ apartment.

Visit the uncanny Sherlock Holmes Museum, a Grade II-listed lodging house on Baker Street turned into the apartment of Conan Doyle's famous fictional detective and his friend Doctor Watson. The museum features waxworks, Victorian ephemera and a gift shop selling Sherlock Holmes collectibles and fun novelty items.

Best for: Sherlock Holmes fans

Wander around the former house of artist Dennis Severs.

Enter a time capsule in Dennis Severs' House in east London as you wander silently through an 18th-century house lit by fires and candlelight, absorbing the sounds, sights and smells of a "recently abandoned" family home. Step into one of the capital’s most unusual museums in London and gasp at the house's 10 rooms created by the artist Dennis Severs.

Best for: A glimpse into 18th-century life in London

Explore an intriguing collection of eclectic objects.

Ever shared a drink with a lion? Well now's your chance. Join Leonora, the full-sized taxidermy lioness, at her booth for a drink or two, and that's just the beginning of the weird and wonderful adventures of The Last Tuesday Society. Choose from the absinthe-inspired cocktail list (there are plenty of other choices too) before venturing downstairs to the Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, one of the weirdest museums in London, and discover the strange, exotic, shocking and sometimes macabre collections within.

Best for: Quirky objects

Dip into a dazzling collection of British cartoons, comics and animation.

Lover of illustrations? Pencil in a date with The Cartoon Museum, which explores and preserves British cartoons, comics, caricatures and animation. Discover a treasure trove of more than 6,000 original artworks and 8,000 books and comics from the 1800s to the present day.

Best for: Pop art

Delve into the fascinating history of medicine and anaesthesia.

Whether you're an anaesthetist or just curious, make your way to the unusual Anaesthesia Heritage Centre where you'll discover more than 4,500 objects dated from 1846 to the present day –  all of which played a part in historical advancements in medicine, pain relief and resuscitation.

Best for: Medicine

Get a rare insight into the history of operating techniques.

Go back in time as this restored 19th-century operating theatre tells the story of surgery and herbal medicine from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Housed on top of a church, The Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret is one of the most interesting and quirky museums in London and home to fascinating (and slightly creepy!) furniture, surgical instruments and other pharmaceutical objects.

Best for: Medicine

Learn about the Thames tunnel, the oldest section of the London Underground.

On the site of the Thames Tunnel, The Brunel Museum showcases the work of famous engineers Marc Isambard Brunel and his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Examine drawings, watercolours and engravings of the pioneering tunnelling project, the first under a river, and even find artefacts from the Fancy Fairs, which took place at that spot in the past.

Best for: Engineering

Step into the former home of Sigmund Freud and see his famous couch.

Visit the Hampstead-based family home of Sigmund Freud and his family, who came to England in 1938 as refugees from Nazi-occupied Vienna. See Freud's authentic and untouched library and study, including his famous psychoanalytic couch. Then, watch screenings of Freud's home movies and marvel at his huge collection of antiquities.

Best for: The history of psychoanalysis

See fine instruments and explore centuries of creativity and craftsmanship.

Whether you have a musical ear or can't string a tune together, the Royal Academy of Music Museum is the place to go for all things melodic. View numerous instruments, documents, images and musical relics, and explore the collection of rare Cremonese stringed instruments – you may even hear some in action!

Best for: Music lovers

Immerse yourself in the colourful history of London’s canals.

Swing by the Canal Museum to learn the story of London's canals, cargoes, boats and trade. Discover a Victorian ice well and learn about the lives of people who lived and worked on the canal, then have a go at the deliciously entertaining ice-cream-making workshop – all in a waterside former ice warehouse near King's Cross.

Best for: Experiencing life on the water

Take to the wonderful world of the big screen.

Travel through the history of film and cinema as it's brought to life through an awe-inspiring collection of posters, projects and memorabilia at The Cinema Museum. Find more than 17 million feet (five million metres) of film, cinema designs, seats and even samples of carpet at this must-see quirky London museum for cinema fans. By appointment only.

Best for: Cinephiles

Discover a unique museum in London entirely dedicated to fans.

Undoubtedly one of London's most unusual museums, the Fan 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 restored 18th-century houses, this surprising museum features a Japanese garden and spectacular orangery where you can delight in afternoon tea.

Best for: Exquisite fan collections

Explore how science and design solve engineering challenges.

This quirky museum in London is a must for anyone with a love of machines and engineering. Opened in 1874 as David Kirkaldy’s Testing and Experimenting Works, this joyfully weird museum showcases Kirkaldy's 116-ton "universal testing machine" which still works, even after years of use testing materials’ strength for bridges, locomotives, ships, airliners and more.

Best for: Engineering

Get pumped for a water-themed journey through time.

The giant beam engines at the London Museum of Water and Steam (formerly Kew Bridge Steam Museum) are the largest of their kind in the world. Get pumped for a visit to the Victorian waterworks to learn about the engines which pumped London's water for more than 100 years – and see the steam-pumping engines in action.

Best for: London history

Spot some of the magic world's most important memorabilia.

There's more than a rabbit in a hat and never-ending coloured handkerchiefs at The Magic Circle Museum. See some of the magic world's most important memorabilia, including handcuffs used by Harry Houdini and props used by the Prince of Wales during his induction into the mysterious Magic Circle. To visit the museum, guests must book one of the public shows.

Best for: Mystery and magic

Admire hundreds of historic sewing machines at this quirky London museum.

Open on the first Saturday of every month, the London Sewing Machine Museum in Balham houses a fascinating collection of more than 600 antique sewing machines, dating from 1850 to 1950. Highlights include a unique machine bought by Queen Victoria for her daughter, a patent from the Great Exhibition, and the first-ever Singer sewing machine.

Best for: Sewing machine history