The Cuming Museum

Home to the rich and unusual collection of the Cuming family and the museum of Southwark's history

About the Museum

The Cuming Museum is the home of the worldwide collection of the Cuming Family and the museum of Southwark’s history. It houses a diverse collection that includes archeology, ethnography, social history and natural history. A mix of permanent and changing exhibitions tells the story of the Cuming family, and the history of Southwark, from Roman times to the diverse communities of today.

The Cuming Museum is the result of over 100 years of collecting by father and son, Richard and Henry Cuming. When the Cuming family collection was left by Henry Cuming to the people of the parish of St Mary Newington (now the Borough of Southwark), money was also left for the building of a gallery to house the collection.

The Cuming Museum was opened to the public in 1906 in the gallery located at the back of Newington Library. In 2006, on the museum's centenary, the museum moved to its present location in the Old Walworth Town Hall, next door to the original museum.

Visitor information

The Cuming Museum is open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 10am to 5pm. Admission is free.

For more information on getting to the museum and accessibility see our Visitor Information page.

Exhibitions

The museum is divided into three sections.

• The first gallery tells the story of the Cuming family and their collection.
• The second gallery focuses on the history of Southwark and is split into three areas, settling here, a place to visit and world connections. The Southwark gallery looks at the people who have lived and worked here from Roman times to today.
• The third gallery in the museum is the temporary exhibition gallery. Our exhibitions change every four to six months.

The three galleries at the Cuming Museum contain a variety of hands on activities for younger visitors, including craft activities, trails, games and costumes to try on.

For more information on our permanent , temporary and touring exhibitions at the Cuming Museum see the Exhibitions page. 

What's on

The museum also runs events and activities for adults and families throughout the year. During half term, spring and summer school holiday periods we have a changing program of family activities. There are also special events and activities arranged in connection with our latest temporary exhibition.

For updated information on events on offer at the Cuming Museum see the What's on page.

Education and learning

The Cuming Museum runs a varied education and learning program for everyone to come along and find out something new. Visit the Education and Learning page for information about learning opportunities for schools, families, adults, young people, students and researchers.

Collections

For more information about the history of the Cuming collection, how to see more of the collection, and information on making donations to the museum see the Southwark Collections page. You may also view the collection online at the Southwark Collections website: www.southwarkcollections.org.uk.

Contact us

The Cuming Museum
Tel: 020 7525 2332
Fax: 020 7525 2345
cuming.museum@southwark.gov.uk 
Old Walworth Town Hall
151 Walworth Road
London
SE17 1RY