Cartoon Museum set to re-open on 1st July

Great news for all fans of comics and cartooning in general...the Cartoon Museum (formerly based just by the British Museum) have been in touch to announce the opening date for their brand new venue, this is what they've had to say... 

Photo: Will Potter


The new Cartoon Museum will open to the public on Monday 1^st July 2019 at its new home on Wells Street near Oxford Circus.

A short walk north of busy Oxford St, a new London must see destination is preparing to open its doors. London’s Cartoon Museum has been a fixture of the UK Cartoon and Comics world since 2006. After raising over £1 million and a six month fit-out the Central London venue is due to re-open in July. 

The Museum has been designed by celebrated architect Sam Jacob who has created a vibrant and playful space that celebrates the language of cartoons and comic art. With cartoony smashed windows, desks with feet, a stairwell decorated with icons from over a century of cartoon characters, word balloons and tiger-striped flooring, the Museum will provide a vibrant and welcoming experience.

The move to Wells Street is pivotal giving the museum a permanent home for the next 25 years in Fitzrovia. The flexible and accessible new space includes two main gallery areas – one for the Museums permanent collection, and another for changing special exhibitions, a new Clore Learning Studio, and destination shop.

London’s popular Cartoon Museum has recorded over 400,000 visitors since it opened in 2006 and will be even more diverse, engaging and entertaining than before, with the new display curated by Cartoon Museum Trustee and political cartoonist Steve Bell. We aim to tell the story of the history of cartoon and comic art with superb examples from the museum’s 6,000 strong nationally important collection, and which features work by over 300 artists.

HLF funding has allowed the museum to add to its considerable archives of British original comic artwork and the opening exhibition aims to make the most of this, featuring more than a century’s worth of British comic creators and original artwork from The Dandy, The Beezer, Judy, Jane Bond, 2000AD, V for Vendetta, Roy of the Rovers and Watchmen and many more, including many works that have never previously been on public display.

The Cartoon Museum team are busy planning an exciting and dynamic programme of exhibitions and events that will continue to animate and add humour to London’s cultural landscape through 2019 and beyond. Watch this space!

‘Moving to a permanent home just off Oxford Street is very exciting for The Cartoon Museum. With important collections of cartoons, caricatures and comics, the collection is an important part of Britain’s heritage. Sam Jacob’s unique style has helped us to design a creative and fun museum space from scratch - right in the heart of the city.’
Oliver Preston, Chairman

‘The new Cartoon Museum will build on the success of the past 12 years, enable us to bring our amazing collection to life and share it with wider audiences.  We intend to provide a fantastic visitor experience and there will be something for everyone to enjoy, young and old’.

Becky Jefcoate, Museum Director

'Cartooning is a peculiarly urban artform, particularly as practiced in London from the early 18th century onwards. So it makes complete sense for the Cartoon Museum’s new home to be just as firmly entrenched in the heart of the metropolis as our old place. This is a unique opportunity to build on the extraordinary richness of Cartoon history to create something entirely new for the future.’
Martin Rowson, Political Cartoonist and Trustee