London Transport Museum is the world’s leading museum of urban transport and an award-winning day out.
We explore the powerful link between transport and the growth of London, its culture and society since 1800. By sharing this story of innovation, ingenuity, creativity and design, we ignite curiosity about the world around us and how to shape its future.
Our collection is Designated Outstanding by Arts Council England. It includes more than 500,000 objects, from locomotives which powered the world’s first underground railway, to one of the most important collections of 20th century poster art.
The History of London Transport Museum
Discover the history of London’s transport at London Transport Museum. Our exhibitions and displays explore the heritage, the people, the stories and the future through art and design, interactive exhibits and inspiring vehicles.
Our collection originates in the 1920s, when the London General Omnibus Company decided to preserve two Victorian horse buses and an early motorbus for future generations.
Over the years, the Museum has had a several homes: as part of the Museum of British Transport, housed in an old bus garage in Clapham during the 1960s and at Syon Park in west London in 1973 as the London Transport Collection.
The collection moved into the Flower Market building in Covent Garden in 1980, being officially opened by Princess Anne.
Poster Power
Our poster collection contains some of the best examples of posters as an art form anywhere in the world, with over 5,000 unique posters and 15,000 records online.
The tradition of employing both established and emerging artistic talent to promoting public transport was started by Frank Pick in 1908. Since then, posters have played a key role in the wider vision of corporate transport design and have helped to inform, educate, reassure, entertain and inspire the millions of passengers who see them.