Wellcome Collection

Wellcome is a global charitable foundation that supports scientific research into life, health and wellbeing, with the aim to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. The organisation is taking on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate.

The Wellcome Collection was opened in 2017 and is another of London’s free museums. Inside, you’ll find immersive and interactive displays of the work of the charitable organisation, as well as a library.

Permanent exhibitions: 

Medicine Man: See a small part of Sir Henry Wellcome’s huge collection of books, paintings and objects from around the world that tell a global story of health and medicine.

Being Human: Explore what it means to be human in the 21st century. Reflect on our hopes and fears about new forms of medical knowledge, and our changing relationships with ourselves, each other and the world.

To 29 Aug 2022: Rooted Beings. Discover the world of plants and fungi. Botanical archived from Wellcome Collection and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, are displayed alongside works by artists.

To 16 Oct 2022: In the Air. Exploring the relationship between the air and earth, from 3.5-billion-year-old fossilised bacteria that first introduced oxygen into the atmosphere to the history of pollution activism. Features immersive film installations.

Please note: the galleries are closed on Mondays. The library and café remain open daily.