Getting here
We encourage everyone who visits to do so by public transport. There’s a bus stop just outside our Museum gates that can take you straight to our front door from Lewisham, Brixton, and even central London.
Alternatively, we’re a 10-15 minute walk uphill from Forest Hill Overground station.
Once you get to the Horniman the first thing you’ll do is step inside our Gardens. These can be an oasis of calm, a playground, or a picnic location. Home to family raves and day festivals, the Gardens are a haven for birds bees and all sorts of wildlife.
The Gardens
We have 16.5 acres of Gardens, stretching over hills and including the Horniman Nature Trail.
Explore the Grasslands Garden which features spectacular plants from North American prairie and South African grasslands. This garden has interesting colours and textures to look at all year round.
Beyond the Grasslands Garden is the Sunken Garden. This was built in 1936 originally but has recently been redeveloped to ensure it is sustainable and can support a greater diversity of wildlife.
Surrounding the sunken garden are beds like the material garden, medicinal garden and dye garden. These all contain flowers and plants that have uses beyond their time in our gardens.
The Animal Walk
There are lots of pockets of the gardens to explore, including the Animal Walk. This free space is home to animals including alpacas, sheep, goats and chickens. It’s been open since 2013 and its residents are much loved.
Right next to the Animal Walk you’ll find more live animals – inside the Butterfly House.
Butterfly House
Charged for
The Butterfly House is a specially planted habitat where butterflies free-fly all around you. You can learn about the life cycle of a butterfly, what they eat and how they live, or you can just watch as they fly around the house.
Make sure to check your back in the mirror when you leave so that none of the butterflies leave with you!
Inside the Museum
There are lots of exciting things to see inside the Museum itself.
World Gallery
Our World Gallery features over 3,000 objects from our anthropology collection and is dedicated to giving you a great understanding of peoples, places and cultures.
In the Gallery, you can encounter cultures from across the continents, and leave your wish on the Clootie Tree.
Music Gallery
Did you know – that the Horniman’s Music Gallery is the largest number of musical instruments on display in the UK?
Explore the huge range of instruments and then listen to what they sound like when played on our interactive sound tables.
Aquarium
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Take a journey through rivers, seas and oceans in our Aquarium. Nestled away in the basement the Aquarium is home to fish, frogs, jellyfish, and our pioneering Project Coral.
Café and Conservatory terrace
After all that fun you’ll no doubt need a pitstop. Our main cafe is located next to the Museum entrance and serves coffee, cakes, sandwiches, hot food and more.
Next to the cafe, you can also find the Conservatory, which was originally located at the home of Frederick Horniman’s parents. The Grade II listed Victorian Conservatory is a beautiful and surprising sight in the Gardens.
