We are delighted to report that the Horniman Museum is reopening this week on Thursday 30 July.

Visitors (including Members) will need to pre-book for a free, timed entry slot. Social distancing and other safety measures will be in place, including hand sanitisation stations, an enhanced cleaning regime, updated signage and a one-way visitor route. Some attractions including the Aquarium and Butterfly House will remain closed initially, and some interactive exhibits have been removed or covered up.

Free, advance booking required – horniman.ac.uk.

Exhibitions and Displays

Permian Monsters: Life Before the Dinosaurs

Extended to 3 January 2021

252 million years ago, in a period called the Permian, life on Earth was dominated by extraordinary creatures. It was a time of fearsome sabre-toothed predators, giant insects and bizarre-looking sharks. The Permian ended with a mass extinction that destroyed 90% of all life, paving the way for the Earth’s next great rulers… the dinosaurs.

In this fascinating, family-friendly exhibition, which is travelling to the UK for the first time, you can discover more about this mysterious time period. On display will be fossil skeletons as well as full-size models and animatronics that bring the Permian back to life.

Permian Monsters: Life Before the Dinosaurs is a travelling exhibition produced by Gondwana Studios.

Tickets*: Child £5, Adult £9, Family (up to two adults and two children) £20. Horniman Members and Benefactors enjoy free, unlimited entry. *Prices include a voluntary Gift Aid donation which helps support the work of the Horniman.

See horniman.ac.uk for more information and to book tickets.

As I Live and Breathe

Until 30 August 2020

Award-winning, internationally exhibited visual artist Claire Morgan has created stunning new pieces for the Horniman, including a dramatic installation in Gallery Square. Claire’s thought-provoking work draws on the theme of waste and the impact that humans have on their surroundings. Her pieces include thousands of fragments of colourful waste polythene frozen in time.

Free – included in pre-booked, free museum visit, book at horniman.ac.uk

 Turn It Up: On Paradoxes
Extended until 4 October 2020

Jide Odukoya’s photographic series shows a contrasting Nigeria through the lens of traditional weddings, highlighting how moments of extravagant celebration are an important part of Nigerian cultural identity because of the fragile wealth that supports it.

Free – included in pre-booked, free museum visit, book at horniman.ac.uk

Bee Garden

Open year round

Newly created during lockdown, the Bee Garden is helping bees to thrive by the side of one of London’s busiest roads, the South Circular. The Bee Garden features hexagonal planters filled with bee-friendly flowers, bee hotels set within in mini-meadows of wildflowers and a central sculpture – Flower Girl, by Jasmine Pradissitto – made of pollution-absorbing material.

Free, no pre-booking required.

Grasslands Garden

Open year round

Wander through wild landscapes in the Grasslands Garden, featuring spectacular plants from North American prairie and South African grasslands. Celebrating critically threatened wild landscapes, during the winter months visitors will be able to see beautiful architectural seed head heads and fading flower spikes.

Linked to the World Gallery, the naturalistic planting scheme was devised by Olympic Park designer James Hitchmough.
Free, no pre-booking required.

Green Turtle

Until May 2021

A magnificent taxidermy mount of a male Green Turtle, Chelonia mydas, on loan from the Natural History Museum is on display in the Natural History Gallery. Over 100 years old, this impressive animal was collected off the coast of Nicaragua in Central America and presented to the Natural History Museum in 1906. This small display will showcase the challenges facing Green Turtles and other marine life today and what we can do to protect it.

Free – included in pre-booked, free museum visit, book at horniman.ac.uk

Regular Family Activities

Plonk Golf

Daily, 11am to 5.30pm

Grab a (sanitised) golf club and test your wits against a socially-distanced course featuring bonkers ball runs, loop-the-loops, heroic hills, balancing-beams, and some Horniman-themed specials. And for those who have fallen in love with the epic Horniman Walrus, meet Plonk’s very own Gerald the Crazy Golf Walrus.

Tickets: Child £4, Adult £6, Family (two adults and two children, or one adult and three children) £16. Book in advance on Plonk’s website or pay on the day (card payments only).

 Horniman Market 

Every Sunday, 10am–3pm

The Horniman Market is open every Sunday to pick-up your weekly essentials including fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, bread and meat, direct from independent and local producers. Follow @HornimanMarket or visit the website to find out more horniman.ac.uk.

Free entry, no pre-booking required. Traders are currently accepting card payments only.

Café and Shop

Café

Daily, 9am to 5.30pm

As well as the Café kiosks in the Gardens, the main Café will be open throughout August, offering takeaway meals, snacks, drinks and ice cream. Outdoor seating only.

No pre-booking required. Please note there is no access between the museum and the Café – please use the separate Café entrance.

Shop

Daily, 10am to 5.30pm

Visit the Horniman’s pop-up gift shop at the end of your pre-booked visit, for a range of beautiful gifts, treats and memories to treasure.

The shop can only be accessed as part of a pre-booked, free museum visit. Book at horniman.ac.uk