London Museum has been given its largest ever private donation, of £20m, as it prepares to reopen next year.
The charity, whose flagship museum closed in December 2022, has also received its largest ever gift of archaeological material – a collection of Roman artefacts uncovered on the site of Bloomberg's European headquarters in the City of London.
It is moving from its former London Wall location, where it was based for 45 years and called the Museum of London, to a new site across two Smithfield’s market buildings in 2026.
The overall budget for the new museum is £437m, with further support coming from the City of London Corporation, the Greater London Authority, a range of private foundations, sponsors and private philanthropists.
When open, the museum is expected to attract two million visitors each year and contribute an estimated £565m in gross value added within 10 years.
The Museum of London has been a charity since 2010 and also hosts London Museum Docklands.
Its income rose to almost £100m in the year to March 2024, £69.7m of which came from government grants.
Mayor: ‘Generous donation’
Sharon Ament, director of London Museum, said: “We are hugely ambitious for this project – from setting high standards in sustainability, to creating new apprenticeships for young people; moving the dial on digital opportunities to involving a record number of Londoners in the making of the museum.
“This will be a place truly of and for the city that we hope Londoners will be proud of. We want to thank Mike Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies for supporting our vision and for being generous champions of London’s culture.”
London mayor Sadiq Khan said: “The generous donation of these wonderful Roman artefacts will be a great addition to the London Museum’s collections and the investment provides a major boost to what is one of the biggest cultural projects in Europe.
“Bloomberg has been a huge cultural champion for London, and this is a great example of public and private sectors working together to help realise bold plans for our capital's future. I want to thank Mike for his continued commitment to London.
“The London Museum will be a significant addition to our capital, transforming the Smithfield area and using the power of culture to drive economic improvement, as we build a better London for everyone.”
Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg and former mayor of New York City, said: “These remarkable artefacts offer a unique window into the past, connecting us directly to the voices of its ancient inhabitants.
“As someone who considers London my second home, I’m honoured that our company will be able to help bring these stories to life while strengthening the city’s future.”
Artifacts available for first time
The Bloomberg Collection includes more than 14,000 Roman artefacts uncovered by Museum of London Archaeology archaeologists during the construction of Bloomberg’s European headquarters in the City of London between 2012 and 2014.
Known internationally as home to a 3rd century AD temple to the Roman god Mithras, discoveries on the Bloomberg site include Britain’s largest, earliest and most significant collection of Roman writing tablets, which reveal the earliest surviving voices of Roman Londoners, including the first written reference to London.
While some of the artifacts have been on display at the London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE since 2017, many will available to the public for the first time at London Museum next year.
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