Exhibitions currently running:

Copper and Silk: new prints by Keith Coventry - Coventry is an artist at the centre of London’s contemporary art world. The prints in the Copper and Silk portfolio, with their reliance on simple geometric shapes, call to mind the work of the early-20th century Modernist painters, such as the Futurists and Vorticists. But Coventry’s approach is ironic and ambiguous. The Modernists idealized the metropolis with its tower blocks, motorways, and machine-age dynamism. Keith Coventry collides their Utopian vision of efficient, streamlined designs for living – as exemplified in post-war housing-estates – with the real social problems which results from living in such an environment. Until 7 October.

Tudor and early Stuart London - London 1558 to 1666 - During the formative period from 1485 to 1666, London expanded beyond the bounds of the Roman city wall and, through the enterprise of trading companies, began its transformation into a truly world-class city. Rich displays of artefacts and documents enliven the key events of the period: the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the palace-building of Henry VIII, the Civil Wars and the execution of King Charles I. Permanent.

Roman London - It was the Romans who first built a city where London stands today, bridged the river Thames and constructed a road network to connect Londinium with the rest of the country. From around AD50 to AD410 – a period as long as that which separates Queen Elizabeth I from our present Queen – this was the largest city in Britannia. Londinium was pre-eminent as a port, and goods were imported from all over the known world. The galleries contain hundreds of craft tools, pottery and glass vessels. Reconstructed rooms and models show how people lived, worked and were entertained. The marble sculptures from the Temple of Mithras are among the finest works of art ever found in Roman Britain. Permanent.

Medieval London - Journey across more than a thousand years – from Anglo-Saxon settlement in the 5th century, through Viking raids and the Norman Conquest of 1066, to the splendour and bustle of England’s 16th-century capital, and the dramatic results of Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries. Find out about famous Londoners, such as Chaucer and Becket, about medieval crafts and guilds, merchants and overseas trade. Explore the world of the medieval pilgrim by admiring the intricate pewter badges brought back from Canterbury or Compostella. Permanent.

Roman gold - A hidden treasure - For the first time, a hoard of Roman gold coins has been discovered in London. At Plantation Place in the City of London, Museum of London archaeologists excavated 43 coins from a possible masonry-lined deposit box under the floor of a substantial Roman London residence. The coins were probably held in a textile or leather purse inside a small wooden box. The Romans introduced a currency system into Britain based on three metals: the aureus of gold, the denarius of silver and lower denominations of copper alloy. This valuable hoard consists solely of gold aurei, coins never in everyday circulation but used by administrators, bankers or rich merchants. Although it spans more than 100 years (from AD65-174), the hoard is thought to be a random selection of coins likely to represent the owner's savings, deposited in a safe place but never retrieved. Permanent.

London Before London - Almost 500 objects will reflect its role as source for food and cooking, an altar and the last resting place for the dead. Permanent. Please telephone 0207 600 3699 to learn more.

World City Galleries - Film footage, photography, oral history recordings and over 3,000 objects, from Queen Victoria`s parliamentary robes and Queen Mary`s dolls house to one of the earliest motorised taxis. Summoning up the atmosphere of the nineteenth century.

Museum of London history:

Despite London`s long pedigree, very few of its ancient structures are now standing, thanks to the Great Fire, the Blitz and urban developers. However, numerous Roman, Saxon and Elizabethan remains have been discovered during the City`s various rebuilding and many of these finds are now displayed inside. The museum`s permanent exhibition is basically an educational trot through London`s history from prehistory to the present day. For more information please visit www.museumoflondon.org.uk