Permanent exhibitions

Cuming family gallery

Discover the history of the family and their curious collection. Why did the family collect so much? Explore objects from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas and Oceania. The objects on display include natural history, a selection from the Lovett collection of London superstitions, fakes and forgeries, objects connected with royalty and celebrities.

There is a case featuring some of the collection from ancient Egypt, which includes objects collected by early Egyptologists. A room in the Cuming family home is recreated showing the wide range of objects they collected.

This exhibition includes trails and activities for children, information in six of Southwark's languages and a basic audio guide.

Southwark gallery

The new Southwark gallery explores the story of Southwark from Roman times to today. The exhibition explores three themes, Settling Here, Visiting Southwark, and World Connections.

As well as exploring Southwark's past, the exhibition reveals stories from Southwark's communities today.

The permanent exhibition includes trails and activities for children, information in six of Southwark's languages and a basic audio guide.  

 

Related information

• History of Southwark - find out more about some of the famous people and events connected to London's most historic borough.
• Slave trade - a new timeline and walk telling the story of Southwark's connection with the translatlantic slave trade and its abolition in 1807 is now available.  
• Southwark local history library - guidance on how to research family history.
• Temporary exhibitions - find out about the current temporary exhibition on show.
• Cuming collections - find out more about the Cuming collection on display in the galleries and the Southwark Collections web site.