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Statement on the transfer of Museum of London from DCMS to GLA

4 April 2008

From 6 April governance of the Museum of London will be shared equally by the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the City of London Corporation. The GLA will take over responsibilities previously held by the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS), including funding and the appointment of members to the Board of Governors of the Museum.
The arrangements are part of the wider transfer of powers to local government through the GLA Act which received Royal Assent in October 2007. A consultation process was held by DCMS in July 2006 and addressed issues around funding and governance. The Museum of London Board of Governors supported the transfer.

Professor Jack Lohman, Director of the Museum of London says:

'The move to the GLA allows the Museum of London to tune in to the beating heart of London and be part of London's core identity. It will give us a stronger platform from which to develop the Museum in years to come and will provide better synergy with tourism, marketing and promotion. This is vital for us not only in the run up to the Olympics but also for the years to come.
‘The Museum needs to be the face of the city and a close synergy will allow us to do this.  The Museum has also now wider responsibilities as part of the Renaissance London programme to support the non-national museums in the capital.’
To mark the transfer, the Museum will host an exhibition on its role in the capital in July and August at City Hall. The Museum is already working with the GLA on a number of cultural initiatives including a photographic exhibition in Beijing to coincide with the 2008 Olympic Games.

Notes to editors

  1. For more information or images, please contact Clea Relly on 020 7814 5503
  2. Museum of London is one of the largest urban museums in the world. It is currently redeveloping its lower galleries to retell the story of London and Londoners from 1666 to the present day. The £20.5 million project will revitalize the galleries and create a glass window overlooking London Wall. The new galleries will open in 2010 with significantly increased access to the Museum’s collections, both in the galleries and online, and will also include a new Clore Learning Centre, a theatre and The Sackler Hall containing an information and coffee point. Find out more about supporting this project

    Throughout the redevelopment work, visitors will continue to be able to discover the city's many incarnations in the London before London, Roman London, and Medieval London galleries, together with London's Burning, the Great Fire of London 1666, and a series of topical exhibitions. A full programme of activities and events for all ages, bringing London's past and present to life, will continue.
  3. Museum in Docklands explores London's connections with the world through the 2000 year history of the river, port and people. Across four floors of interactive displays the Museum’s unique collection takes you on a journey through stories of the Thames and surrounding areas from Roman settlement, the transatlantic slave trade and war to 21st century urban regeneration. A changing programme of activities caters for visitors of all ages and includes gallery tours, storytelling, drama, talks by historians, films and guided walks through Docklands. The Museum opened in 2003 and is a short walk along West India Quay from the Docklands Light Railway or ten minutes from Canary Wharf underground station on the Jubilee Line.
  4. Museum of London Archaeology Service has been providing professional archaeological services to the property industry and academic community for the past 30 years, as an independent division of Museum of London, one of the world’s largest museums of urban history. The Archaeology Service meets the requirements of the planning process efficiently and cost-effectively, whilst also designing innovative projects that lead to a greater understanding of our past. At any one time Museum of London may have around a dozen excavations going on across London.
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