What are the opening hours?

Monday 10am - 5:30pm Tuesday 10am - 5:30pm Wednesday 10am - 5:30pm Thursday 10am - 5:30pm Friday 10am - 5:30pm Saturday 10am - 5:30pm Sunday 10am - 5:30pm

Horniman Museum and Gardens

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Horniman Museum and Gardens

An inspiring, surprising, family-friendly, free Museum and Gardens in South London’s Forest Hill.
(3255)

We’ve been open since Victorian times, when Frederick John Horniman first opened his house and extraordinary collection of objects to visitors. Since then, our collection has grown tenfold and includes internationally important collections of anthropology and musical instruments, as well as an acclaimed aquarium and natural history collection. Unusually for such an important museum, you can see ou

r collection up-close and face-to-face. You can even pick up, try on and play with some of our objects. Our visitors come time and again to explore our free Museum, take part in our activities and enjoy our 16-acre Gardens. And they discover something fascinating and mesmerising every time.

- The Museum is open daily, except for Wednesdays.
- The Gardens are open from 7.15am (8am Sundays and Bank Holidays) until Sunset.
- The Butterfly House is open from 10.30am - 4pm (last admission 3.30pm) daily, except Wednesdays. See the website for more details about how to plan your visit: https://www.horniman.ac.uk/plan-your-visit/

17/06/2026

More buzzy bees! 🐝 🐝 🐝 🐝

Bumblebee Conservation Trust's national monitoring scheme, BeeWalk, is brilliant for those looking for a way to get out and monitor wildlife in their area regularly.

Citizen science is the practice of the general public actively participating in scientific research, collecting data to monitor the environment, and increase scientific knowledge on a large scale 📈 📊👨‍🔬

Horniman Volunteer, Daniel Harwood does a monthly Bee Walk through the Nature Trail and the Gardens, recording the bumblebees he observes. This data is then fed into the Bumblebee Conservation Trust's national monitoring scheme. He walks us through his process in this video.

The Horniman is also hosting Bee Buddies, a free summer activity in the Gardens. They’ll point out interesting plants, insects and other pollinators and may have some bee friendly seeds to give away! 💐

Dates are below:

Saturday 27th June 1-3pm (sunken garden) 125 birthday gala
Sunday 26th July 2-4pm (xerophytic beds near the clock tower)
Sunday 23rd August 2-4pm (xerophytic beds near the clock tower)

16/06/2026

As part of the Horniman's 125th anniversary, we are sharing some photos and memories from some of our regular visitors.

Annamaria shared these lovely images of her kids enjoying the Horniman Gardens and its brilliant views:

"We live nearby and the Horniman has been part of our everyday life for years. We love this area, and our children have grown up exploring the Gardens and Museum—picnics on the grass, favourite exhibits, and endless wandering. It’s a place of learning, joy, and community for our family."

Get in touch if you want to share your memories and photos. Email [email protected]. Please send your memories in maximum 50 words and a selection of photos! 📩

15/06/2026

Tony the cat 🤝 the sun 🌞

Tony demonstrating his remarkable ability to get some shut-eye on one of the busiest roads in South London. No magnesium, white noise or eye mask needed 💤

12/06/2026

The Horniman, before it became the Horniman! 🕰️

Ever wondered where the Horniman family lived? And what do we know about their home?

We have a look at the history of the Horniman grounds and the house at Surrey Mount. Follow the link below to find out about the Horniman through the years 🔽 🔽 🔽

11/06/2026

The Horniman Museum and Gardens owes much to the late David Boston, who was Director at the Horniman between 1965 – 1993. Here we remember how he influenced the Museum and Gardens.

Click the link below to discover more about David Boston's legacy, including masks, puppets, and sand paintings! 🔽 🔽 🔽

10/06/2026

Come and celebrate our 125th Birthday on 28 June, with local creators and makers at a special, bumper Sunday market. Enjoy fantastic flavours, pick up unique pieces or get creative at a workshop 🌟 🌟 🌟

Taking place on the bandstand terrace, conservatory and pavilion, you can explore:

🛍️ 50+ Traders – enjoy fantastic flavours from our food traders and pick up unique pieces from our craft traders

🏰 Bouncy castles

✏️ Family craft - Get in the party spirit by making your very own birthday hat. (Free)

🖼️ Creature Collage with photographic artist Liz Gorman – Create a creature inspired by the Horniman’s Natural History collection, (Free, recommended for adults and older children)

🌎️ Terrarium Workshops and Flower Arranging Workshop with Justina Chatukuta of and . Explore your creativity and learn eco-friendly gardening techniques. Link in bio to book tickets for the terrarium workshops. Sign up on the day for the flower arranging workshop

🍄 Nature painting workshop with artist Anna-Maria Pellegrini () – Learn how to create beautiful illustrations, ‘Paint a fairytale toadstool’, ‘Paint a butterfly from the Horniman Butterfly House’ or ‘Paint a wildflower bouquet’. Link in bio for more details and how to book tickets

🐯 Facepainting by

🎨 Get your portrait painted by live portraitist

🚶‍♂️ Join a tour with our knowledgeable staff and volunteers or grab a self-led trail and explore our grounds. Tours and trails available for all ages

All of this and more at a Market that is not to be missed!

09/06/2026

Today is Coral Triangle Day, a day to celebrate and raise awareness of the ocean conservation and protection.

Here are more coral polyp close-ups for your timeline ✨️

Micromussa lordhowensis is a large polyp stony coral often found in coastal Australia. They are popular for their psychedelic neon colours, thriving in dark conditions and lighting up sand beds. These juveniles were spawned and reared behind the scenes at the Horniman Aquarium. Like many corals, they contain fluorescent proteins that show up under blue light. In the wild, these proteins are thought to have an array of functions including protection from the sun's rays, boosting photosynthesis and even attracting prey.

Photos by Felicity Kinsella using a UV torch and an underwater camera behind-the-scenes at the Horniman aquarium 🔦 📸

08/06/2026

Today is World Ocean’s Day, a day for collective action seeking a healthy ocean and a stable climate 🌎️

Aquarist Oliver tells us about the reef star, which currently sits in our Fijian reef tank. Oliver demonstrates its typical usage on a replica that we keep for educational purposes behind the scenes at the Horniman Aquarium ⭐️

The reef star is designed to combat blast-fishing, which is a destructive fishing technique that causes explosions on the reef bed so that fish rise to the surface, making them easier to catch. This has a catastrophic impact on coral reefs and coral reproduction. The blasts demolish adult corals, whilst the rubble left behind crushes any juveniles that attempt to repopulate. The reef star elevates coral off the seabed, making regeneration possible in areas impacted by blast fishing 🌊

05/06/2026

In response to our Meeting Mohini exhibition, we invite you to an evening in the Horniman Gardens celebrating South Asian q***r and trans culture, with community and allies! 🌈

Connect with Horniman's Gardens and immerse yourself in the power of nature to support our well being, health and happiness. It's a free event, but booking tickets is advised 🥳

You can expect music, food, workshops and celebration, including:

🎶 DJ Ritu Khurana

💃 Dancers Bolly-Illusion & Dosa Cat

🚶‍♂️ Nature Walk with Jazmeen Isa Qureshi and Errol Reuben Fernandes

🚶 Nature Walk with Swagatham

🌿 Garland making workshop with Sharan Dhaliwal

🙏 Affirmation Workshop with Sabah Choudhury

🖼️ Exhibition Tour with Navjot Mangat (Horniman Senior Curator of Social Practice)

🍛 Food by En Root

Poster design by Soofiya

Curated by . Tickets to book can be found by following the link in the comments! 🔽 🔽 🔽

04/06/2026

All Eyes on Her!/ ! كل العيون عليها: Community Stewardship for Institutional Change has won a coveted Museums + Heritage Award! 🤩

All Eyes on Her!/ ! كل العيون عليها is a community stewardship programme shaped with Egyptian women, artists, educators, cultural workers, social welfare initiatives, feminist networks, filmmakers, publishers, translators, designers, community collectives and diaspora groups in Egypt and the UK in partnership with the Horniman.

A huge congratulations to all involved! You can read more about the award by following the link below 🔽 🔽 🔽

Address

100 London Road
London
SE233PQ

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 5:30pm
Tuesday	10am - 5:30pm
Wednesday	10am - 5:30pm
Thursday	10am - 5:30pm
Friday	10am - 5:30pm
Saturday	10am - 5:30pm
Sunday	10am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+442086991872

Website

https://www.horniman.ac.uk/

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