Museums

From the world's most visited museum to quirky little known collections, Camden is London's cultural hub.  Word class institutions such as the British Museum and the British Library are clustered together to the south of the borough, meaning you easily visit more than one in an afternoon or just pop in while in central London.  Other lesser known treasures include the Freud Museum in Finchley and Kenwood House, where you can find original Rembrandts set amongst the sweeping hills of Hampstead Heath.

• The British Museum - learn about the world at the most popular tourist attraction in the UK. 
• The Charles Dickens Museum - visit the only surviving residence of the man who gave the world Oliver Twist, Pickwick Papers and Nicholas Nickleby, to see a collection of his papers, manuscripts and paintings.
• The Cartoon Museum - whether you see the cartoon as a satirical statement of modern life or you just enjoy a good belly laugh, this vibrant museum is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.  h.
• Kenwood House - set in tranquil parkland with panoramic views over London, Kenwood House boasts sumptuous interiors and important paintings by many great artists. 
• The Wellcome Collection  – a unique mix of galleries and events on the development of medicine through the ages and across cultures. 
• The Freud Museum - visit Freud's London residence and view his collection of antiquities, library and the original ‘shrinks couch’ where his patients reclined.

Keen to discover more? You can find a complete list of museums in Camden here.


The Museum Mile web site provides a map and details of 13 of the city’s most extraordinary museums and galleries and their equally diverse collections, found either in Camden or just over border.   

Movies, movies, movies.

Jack Nicholson, Judi Dench and Michael Caine are just some of the stars that have been on location in Camden. 

As far back as the 1955 classic The Ladykillers, where Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers haplessly tried to rob banks, places like King's Cross have lit up the big screen.

The 1980s saw Richard E Grant stumbling his way around Camden in Withnail and I, while modern hits to have shot in the borough include About a Boy and Notes on a scandal.

Our guide on Google Maps marks locations around Camden Town, Finchley Road, Hampstead, Marchmont Street and Bloomsbury, Kilburn, Kentish Town and West Hampstead.

Galleries

Find the best exhibitions from both international and local artists in Camden's numerous gallery spaces, which range from converted garages to church crypts. Here are just a few to explore:  
 

• Gagosian Gallery -   discover some of the best contemporary British and modernist American art at this 1,400 sq metre independent gallery in King’s Cross. 
• Camden Arts Centre - an unexpected treat, worthy of its billing as the most exciting arts centre in North London, its contemporary exhibitions and the majority of events here are free. 
• Swiss Cottage library - inside this light and airy library is the Swiss Cottage gallery, which prioritises local artists.
• Proud Camden  - a modern photographic gallery that exhibits some of the most exciting, contemporary images around.
• The Crypt Gallery - located beneath St Pancras Church, the crypt is a hidden and atmospheric gallery space. 
• 176 / Zabludowicz Collection - a former Methodist Church turned exhibition centre, home to nearly 2,000 works by over 600 artists.
• Paul Stolper -  contemporary exhibitions including painting, sculpture and print. 
• Rokeby Gallery - an independent commercial gallery for contemporary art, exhibiting work by emerging artists from the UK and beyond.