South London’s Horniman Museum is 125 years old – and will be having a free birthday party in June to mark the occasion.
The museum was founded in 1901 by Frederick John Horniman. Frederick had inherited his father’s Horniman’s Tea business, which by 1891 had become the world’s largest tea-trading business. The proceeds from the business allowed Horniman to indulge his lifelong passion for collecting, and after travelling extensively, he had amassed some 30,000 items across his collections, covering natural history, cultural artefacts, and musical instruments.
The museum, based in Forest Hill, opened on 29th June 1901 on some 15 acres of land donated by FJ Horniman MP to the London County Council, along with his collection, and he spent £40,000 on top of that to build the museum. In its first five months (July to November), it welcomed 165,234 visitors, though it now averages around 820,000 a year.
Now, the museum’s quasquicentennial takes place on Monday 29th June 2026, which is awkward, so the birthday party will take place on Saturday 27th June 2026 instead.
The birthday party is more of a garden fete rather than any sort of behind-the-scenes tours and the like, but it’s free, and tickets are available from here.
The 125th anniversary party will take place from 12pm to 5pm on Saturday 27th June 2026.
The Horniman Museum is about a 10 minute walk from Forest Hill station on the London Overground’s Windrush line.
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