Leave a Legacy

If you love the Horniman, imagine what your legacy could do to inspire generations to come – grandchildren, local residents and visitors from far and wide.

The Horniman owes its presence today to the gift of its founder, tea trader and philanthropist, Frederick Horniman. When the Horniman opened in 1901, his gift of an extraordinary collection of objects and estate was made available to ‘the people in perpetuity’.

Since then, generations of families from London and beyond have grown up with the Horniman as a constant delight, inspiration and resource for life-long learning.

By leaving a Legacy gift to the Horniman in your will, you can have the confidence of knowing the Horniman will continue to thrive at the very heart of our community for generations to come.

How your gift can help

Your legacy could help maintain our important collections and stunning displays; it could help us put on exciting exhibitions and events throughout the year and fund our work to support access for some of south London’s most disadvantaged schoolchildren and marginalised groups.

The Horniman is the only museum in London in which nature and culture can be seen side by side and your gift could also help us achieve our aims of placing environmental sustainability and fighting the climate emergency at our heart.

Tailoring your gift

No matter what size the gift, from the very small to the very large, your support will help us to continue our work.

Your legacy can specify an amount of money or a percentage of your estate and can reflect your particular interests and passions by being directed to specific areas of the Horniman’s work, such as vital collections care, acquisitions, research activities and learning and community programmes.

The Horniman has full charitable status (charity number: 802725), so leaving a legacy is a tax-efficient way of supporting the Horniman, reducing the inheritance tax burden on your family.

The Horniman has been part of our lives for more than 40 years - a place we've enjoyed good times with family and friends and found some peace in the gardens when times were challenging. The Horniman deserves our support and we want it to be able to offer future generations as much as it has given us so we have included a legacy in our wills.
Steve and Kris, Horniman Supporters and Forest Hill Residents