Horniman Museum

In the 1860s the Victorian tea trader Frederick John Horniman began collecting natural history specimens, cultural artefacts and musical instruments from around the World in his family home. His idea was to bring the world to Forest Hill. Eventually, his collection grew too big to still be contained in just the family home, therefore the Horniman Museum was commissioned in 1898; it opened three years later. Charles Harrison Townsend designed the museum in the Arts and Crafts style.

In 1911 a new building (following a donation by Frederick's son Emslie) was added to the original museum. Since 1996, the Horniman Museum contains the CUE (Centre for Understanding the Environment) building which was designed by local architects Archetype. Constructed from sustainable materials, the CUE building has a grass roof and incorporates passive ventilation.

In 1999 the museum was closed for redevelopment - some of the old buildings were demolished and a new extension and several associated spaces were created, reopening in June 2002.

The museum is open daily from 10.30am to 5.30pm; the gardens are open from Monday to Saturday from 7.30am (8am on Sunday) until sunset. The entrance to the Museum and Gardens is free, although for some major temporary exhibitions a small charge may be made.