Horniman Museum and Gardens
The Horniman has a unique range of exhibitions, events and activities which illustrate the cultural and natural world. Our collections of anthropology, natural history and musical instruments provide the inspiration for our programme of permanent and temporary exhibitions and events and activities. A full range of events and activities take place for different audiences including storytelling and art and craft sessions for children, and courses and workshops for adults.
This museum has Designated Collections of national importance.
Venue Type:
Museum, Garden, parklands or rural site
Additional info
Our library is open to the public by appointment only.
The Ethnography and Music collections are Designated Collections of national importance.
The Museum holds in total some 350,000 objects and related items. The Horniman has three main collections, World Cultures (Ethnography) comprising 80,000 objects, Natural History with 250,000 specimens, and Music with over 7,000 instruments plus 1,000 archive documents. There is also a parallel education handling collection which has over 3,700 objects drawn from all three main disciplines and a library collection with texts and related items covering the main collection areas.
The Museum also has an active collecting policy with regular fieldwork to acquire new objects and to find out more about existing ones carried out by curators. Over 90% of the collections of Ethnography and Music have been acquired since the original bequest by Frederick Horniman in 1901. Most objects not currently on display are held in storage at the Museum's Study Collection Centre in Greenwich, while the Museum also loans objects to other institutions for exhibitions.
Collection details
World Cultures, Weapons and War, Social History, Science and Technology, Photography, Performing Arts, Natural Sciences, Music, Decorative and Applied Art, Costume and Textiles, Coins and Medals, Archives, Archaeology
Key artists and exhibits
- Designated Collection
Coral: Fabric of the Reef
- 9 December 2017 — 9 September 2018 *on now
Inspired by the Museum’s Aquarium and Natural History collection, artist Karen Dodd uses woollen fabric – dyed and sculpted, and intricately bound and stitched – to draw attention to coral and coral reefs, simultaneously celebrating their beauty and raising awareness of their vulnerability in the face of increasing environmental change.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
Admission
Free
Website
http://www.horniman.ac.uk/visit/upcoming-exhibitions/coral-fabric-of-the-reef#image-1
Colour: The Rainbow Revealed
- 10 February — 28 October 2018 *on now
Be dazzled by how colours are made and perceived, discover how animals use colour to attract and hide, and look into how different colours mean many different things for people across the planet.
The exhibition is also full of family-friendly displays and interactive games including an Art Machine for you to create your own vibrant masterpiece, a Mood Room with multi-coloured lights, and a Colour Café to learn why only certain colours tempt our taste buds.
Suitable for
- Family friendly
Admission
Ticket prices: Child £4.40; Adult £7.70: Family (2 adults, 2 children) £18.70.
Prices include voluntary 10% Gift Aid donation. Horniman Members and Benefactors enjoy free, unlimited visits to the exhibition.
Website
https://www.horniman.ac.uk/visit/upcoming-exhibitions/colour-the-rainbow-revealed#image-1
Under the Sea Late
- 17 May 2018 6:30-9:30pm
Join us for a special celebration of all things coral reef related, as we dive down deep beneath the waves to take a closer look at this threatened underwater world. Enjoy exclusive installations, performances and films, face-painting and craft workshops.
Project Coral
Join us for Q&A sessions with the team behind Project Coral, Horniman’s pioneering coral spawning research.
Coral: Fabric of the Reef
Visit Karen Dodd’s Coral: Fabric of the Reef display, meet the artist, see sample materials, experiments and get a visual insight into her practice and working processes.
Cabinet of Living Cinema
Hear live film scores from The Cabinet of Living Cinema as they take you on an audio-visual journey from the British coastline to the surreal world of French filmmaker Jean Painlevé.
Installation by Abby and Alice
Installation artists and set designers Abby and Alice submerge the Horniman under the sea with specially commissioned set dressing, built using recycled and sustainable material.
Planet Ocean: Science Fiction and the Sea
Join Dr. Dan Byrne-Smith on an illustrated presentation on the history of undersea worlds in science fiction, from Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to Arthur C Clarke’s vision of undersea farming in The Deep Range, to the arrival of aliens off the coast of Nigeria in Nnedi Okorafar’s Lagoon.
Dan will be creating an ambient soundscape to create an immersive and atmospheric encounter.
Performances
Experience newly created dance performances from University of the Arts London undergraduate students.
Face painting and craft workshop
Have your face painted with reef inspired designs before dropping into our workshop and create a coral reef corsage to take away!
The Under the Sea Late is proud to be a part of International Year of the Reef and Museums at Night.
Suitable for
- 18+
Admission
£5
Horniman Museum and Gardens
100 London Road
Forest Hill
London
Greater London
SE23 3PQ
England
Website
Telephone
020 8699 1872
Fax
020 8291 5506
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