Museum of London lodges application for Smithfield Market move

The Museum of London has submitted its plans to relocate to Smithfield Market, claiming that the new site could become one of the capital’s top-10 tourist attractions.

The move would be a part of the wider project to move the historic Smithfield meat market, along with New Spitafields fruit and vegetable market and Billingsgate fish market, to Dagenham Docks.

The Smithfield site would then become home to a new public space, which would house shops, event spaces and the Museum of London.

The designs, submitted today to the City of London Corporation, largely preserve the historic facade of the building, while the building’s “cavernous and atmospheric spaces” will be used for displays, exhibitions and events.

Only minor changes will be made to the building’s structure, dating back to the Victorian era, to restore parts that “have fallen into disrepair”.

Museum of London director Sharon Ament believes the move to Smithfield, from its current home at the Barbican, could attract 2 million visitors a year and become one of London’s top-10 tourist attractions

The plans are expected to be deliberated on by the City of London’s planning committee later this year.

Museum of London director Sharon Ament believes the move to Smithfield, from its current home at the Barbican, could attract 2 million visitors a year and become one of London’s top-10 tourist attractions.

“It has been four years of hard work by a dedicated and talented project team in order to get here,” she said.

“While we still have a while to go and money to raise before we open the doors to the new museum, this is nevertheless a significant step forward to turning our vision into reality.”

Paul Williams OBE, principal director at the project’s lead architect Stanton Williams, added: “The opportunity to help reinvent, reimagine and transform a group of existing market buildings into a 21st century museum is an extraordinary opportunity – especially in an area of London so rich in history.

“Smithfield is a perfect location for the Museum of London, the place itself has so many stories to be told, and traces of the past to engage with.”

The relocation of the museum is expected to cost £337m, with the City of London Corporation so far contributing £197m.” 

A further £70m has been pledged by the mayor of London. 

This leaves £70m for the Museum of London to raise in order for the project to go ahead. 

The museum has so far raised £28m toward the relocation, with the help of large donations by trade guild the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, the Linbury Trust and he National Lottery Heritage Fund.