London Transport Museum

Step into the Heart of London’s Transit History

Nestled in Covent Garden, the London Transport Museum invites you to explore the vast heritage of the city's movement. Housed within a striking Victorian iron and glass building—originally designed as a flower market by William Rogers in 1871—the site offers an immersive journey through time. From the moment you enter from the Covent Garden Piazza, you are surrounded by the evolution of London's streets and rails, where the collection preserves the history of buses, trams, trolleybuses, and rail vehicles from the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Evolution of the Collection

You can trace the growth of London's transport network through a collection that has been meticulously curated since the early 20th century. Originally gathered by the London General Omnibus Company to preserve retiring buses, the collection expanded as it moved into the hands of successive transport authorities up to today’s Transport for London (TfL). Inside the gallery, you can see:

• The first underground electric train, dating back to 1890.
• A wide array of historical buses and trams.
• Original works of art including posters, signs, photographs, and uniforms.
• Artifacts detailing the marketing of passenger services and the social impact of the growing transport network on London's population.

Beyond the Main Gallery

For a deeper dive into the city's hidden layers, you can participate in the Hidden London program. These guided tours take you beneath the surface to parts of the underground typically closed to the public. You can explore disused stations such as Aldwych and Down Street, see secret sections of Piccadilly Circus, Charing Cross, and Euston, or visit a wartime deep-level shelter in Clapham South.

For those seeking a more interactive experience, the museum offers several unique features:

• Simulator experiences, including an Elizabeth line simulator and a 1938 stock simulator featuring a "deadman's handle."
• An interactive area for children featuring an Optare bus.
• The All Aboard play-zone specifically designed for children aged 0–7.

Hidden Depots and Wider Reach

While the Covent Garden site is your primary destination, the museum's scope extends to a massive storage and conservation facility in Acton. Known as the London Transport Museum Depot, this site houses over 370,000 items, including larger vehicles like a complete 1938 stock tube train and early locomotives from the first sub-surface and deep-level lines. While not regularly open to the public, it hosts scheduled visitor days and special events where you can see some of the largest pieces of history that cannot fit within the city center's walls.