Migration Museum

Name: Migration Museum
Address: Lewisham Shopping Centre, London, SE137HB, GB
Telephone: +2034884508

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Building the UK’s Missing Museum. We explore how the movement of people to and from the UK has made us who we are.

Community guidelines → https://www.migrationmuseum.org/community-guidelines/ Migration is a pressing contemporary issue and is at the centre of polarised political and online debate. But there’s an underlying story of comings and goings stretching back many centuries. And this story goes to the heart of who we are today. Britain has thousands of museums, but none comprehensively focused on this important theme that connects us all. The time is right for a highly relevant, accessible visitor attraction that shines a light on who we are, where we come from and where we are going. From our current home in the heart of Lewisham Shopping Centre, we stage engaging exhibitions and dynamic events, alongside a far-reaching education programme for primary, secondary, university and adult learners. Our museum is reopening to the public in May 2021. We have a growing digital presence and convene a knowledge-sharing Migration Network of museums and galleries across the UK. From February 14 2020, we'll be staging exhibitions,
events and education workshops from our new venue in the heart of Lewisham Shopping Centre.

07/10/2026

Do you know the story behind the UK's first Black-owned multi-million pound business? 💈✨

In 1965, Len D**e and Dudley Dryden set up a small shop in Tottenham, north London, selling imported records and hair products to serve the growing Caribbean community. Joined a few years later by Tony Wade, they expanded into creating their own range, becoming the first company in Europe to manufacture Black hair products.

Even after reaching a million-pound turnover, they faced racism and bank rejections, including being denied a £5,000 overdraft for being deemed "high risk". Yet they overcame discrimination and American competition to become the industry leader.

In 1983, inspired by a trip to a Black hair show in Atlanta, sales and marketing manager Rudi Page helped launch the Afro Hair and Beauty Expo (later HairEx). The show brought together British hairdressers, beauticians, fashion designers, and musicians, creating a platform that made Black creativity and business visible like never before.

D**e & Dryden was sold to an American competitor in the 1990s, but paved the way for generations of Black-owned D**e & Dryden paved the way for generations of Black-owned hair and beauty businesses across the UK.

D**e & Dryden features in our Taking Care of Business exhibition. Explore the digital exhibition: https://takingcareofbusiness.migrationmuseum.org/

🗣️ Which Black-owned businesses inspire you this Black History Month? Tag them below! 👇

📸 ©️Courtesy Rudi Page Archive

02/10/2026

Is the Bayeux Tapestry England’s ultimate hidden migration story? 🧵✨

With the famous 11th-century embroidery coming to the British Museum, most people are focusing on the drama of the 1066 Battle of Hastings. But behind the famous battle between William the Conqueror and Harold Godwinson lies a story of cultural transformation, settlement, and cross-channel movement.

When the French-speaking Normans settled in England, they brought a wave of cultural migration.

⭐Language: Around 30% of modern English comes directly from French, including words like justice and fashion.

🐂 Food Culture: From bringing pork into the mainstream diet to introducing table etiquette.

🏰 Landscape: Transforming England through building new castles – a way of William claiming the land and marking his territory.

⚖️ Laws: Establishing centralised royal law, starting with William’s declaration that all land belonged to the Crown, leasing it out in exchange for loyalty and service. He also commissioned the famous 1086 Domesday Book (a big survey that helped him track taxes)

Plus, the artwork itself is a story of migration: most likely stitched in England by Anglo-Saxon female embroiderers, exported to Normandy, and now back in London, almost 1000 years later.

Was it 70 metres of honest history or 11th-century propaganda? We might never know for sure. 🗞️ What we do know is that this artwork isn’t just about a single battle, it’s a visual record of cultural shift brought by the movement of people across the Channel.

Swipe through the carousel to explore more of the story!

💬 Are you planning to visit the exhibition at the British Museum? What surprised you most about the Norman influence on culture this side of the Channel? Drop your thoughts below!

Image Credits:
Bayeux Tapestry, Scenes 5, 21, 36, 43, 4, 22, 45
By Université de Caen Normandie via Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

Page from the Domesday Book for Warwickshire, including listing of Birmingham via Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

01/10/2026

“Yeah, right!” 😅

Imagine sitting on a train, laughing off a guy claiming to be a famous footballer, only to open the newspaper the next day and realise you actually did meet George Best. ⚽️📰

That’s just one of the incredible family stories shared by Muna, a member of our Young People’s Panel, reflecting on her grandparents’ journeys from Ireland and Palestine via Kuwait to England.

At the Migration Museum, we’re dedicated to embedding young voices into everything we create — giving young people real-world experience, skills, and creative opportunities. Muna (14) has been involved with the Museum for four years, from our Moving Stories competition to our Young People’s Panel, generously funded by .

🎧 Turn your sound on to listen to Muna share her family’s migration story!
👉 Head to the link in our bio to read the full Q&A with Muna and learn more about our skills-building work.

29/09/2026

📢 We're Hiring: Contemporary Art Curator! (London)

Are you an experienced curator passionate about multidisciplinary storytelling with personal experiences at its heart?

Join our curatorial team at the Migration Museum for a unique opportunity to shape our inaugural temporary exhibitions programme. In this role, you will lead artist commissions, develop and deliver a contemporary arts strategy, build key relationships across the UK art sector, support fundraising, and ensure our programming meets the needs of our broad audiences.

✨Collaborate with our Artistic Director to refine and deliver a strategy for a temporary exhibitions programme, research and develop exhibitions, and support core museum programming.
✨Lead artist commissioning, negotiate loans/contracts, and cultivate strong partnerships across commercial galleries, visual artists, filmmakers, and performers.
✨Translate complex concepts into accessible public exhibitions, proposals and gallery text.
✨Manage project budgets, and assist Development with fundraising proposals and funder reporting.

📅Deadline: Sunday 18 October 2026 (11.59pm)
💼Salary: £24,000 p.a. (£40,000 FTE equivalent) + matched 5% pension contribution
🖋️Contract type: Part-time (3 days/week) | 1-year contract
📍Location: City of London, On-site / In-person required

📄 Swipe for more details and visit the link in our bio to view the full job description. Apply now to help shape meaningful conversations around migration.

📸 .works

16/09/2026

Have you added your migration story to the Migration Museum collection yet? ✍️✨

We’re excited to join The National Archives for a day celebrating family history!

Join us for a chance to add your voice to the Migration Museum’s collection of over 10,000 personal stories gathered over the last decade. Our Story Disc pop-up acts as a living archive; a space where you can browse the personal journeys that have shaped our communities, or add your own story to the collection.

Here’s what else you can look forward to...
🎤 Inspiring talks with specialists like Mel
and Paul Crooks | Caribbean Ancestry
📜 Discovering original documents to help your own research
🔍 Meeting experts from partner organisations like Findmypast and Ancestry to help piece together your family tree

And don’t forget that every disc you share helps document a more complete picture of the UK’s migration history and heritage. Swipe through to read some stories of discovery shared by our visitors.

⏱️ When is this on: Sunday 11 October | 11am – 4pm
🏛️ Where to find us: The National Archives, Bessant Drive, Kew TW9 4DU
🎟️ Tickets: £15 | Book via the link in our bio.

10/09/2026

Do you have a story to share?

Have you experienced migration or displacement and want to see your story told, remembered or written down? Or perhaps you want to explore or share stories of migration within your family?

Co-organised with Migration Museum and Royal Museums Greenwich join us at Queen’s House for TIDES: (Intertidal) Festival of Migration – a day of creative, intergenerational, and participatory workshops.

Throughout the day, you can add your voice to Migration Museum’s living archive of over 10,000 personal migration stories through our interactive story discs pop-up – and explore other elements of their work.

Across the site, we’ll be running creative workshops and talks exploring how we can build solidarity with one another, including a panel moderated by Dr. Daria Valova-Lynch, Research Fellow at the Migration Museum. You’ll also find activities that invite you to reflect on your own stories, histories and experiences of migration.

Whether you’re coming with family, friends or on your own, we look forward to making, sharing, listening and learning with you on the day.

📍 Queen’s House, London SE10 9NF
📅 Saturday 3 October 2026
🌊 Free – all welcome and no booking needed

🔗 Explore the full programme via the link in our bio.

Photos:
📷 A selection of photos from the Being Human Festival the Albany | South East London's Leading Arts Centre
📷 A selection of photos from the Inside/Outside community-curated exhibition panel event, 2025
📷 Dr. Daria Valova-Lynch introducing the Beyond Borders Migration Network event, 2025

09/09/2026

“I found for the first time what it means to be part of a community and to be able to give back...”
— Sabrina Chan, People’s Panel member

Sabrina arrived in the UK from Hong Kong in 2019 on a student visa. She is now on the British National (Overseas) visa – a route that she notes is shared by many from her generation who have moved to the UK from Hong Kong.

She hasn’t always been as community-minded as she is today. But after joining a local women’s group that helps refugees and asylum seekers, she found the power of community.

Sabrina’s story is just one of many that make up the complex past, present and future collective story of the UK.

👀 Keep an eye out for more introductions from our People’s Panel!
🔗 Hit the link in our bio to see how panel members are helping us shape the future of our museum.

Photos courtesy Sabrina Chan...

🎞️ Sabrina (right) and her mother (left), both pictured here at around 2 years old.
🏬 Sabrina with cousins in a shopping mall, 2001
🧺 Hong Kong slice of life
🇭🇰 Protests in Hong Kong in June 2019 – the year Sabrina arrived in the UK
🖊️ Pro-democracy post-it notes on wall outside of Sabrina’s high school
🎓 Family pictures on shelf
🪟 The view from Sabrina’s first student dorm in the UK
💟 Sabrina with her two very best friends from uni days, Sophie and Sarah
🍲 Nigerian cooking at the Hackney Centre, where Sabrina works with the local women’s group
🧶 Pom pom making art class at the Hackney Centre

03/09/2026

As the music and colour fades after another incredible Notting Hill Carnival weekend, we’re reflecting on how this world-famous celebration began. What started in response to the hostility of the 1958 race riots, days of racially motivated attacks on Black residents, was transformed by West London’s Caribbean community into a triumphant showcase of joy, culture, and togetherness.

Since first taking to the streets in 1966, Notting Hill Carnival has grown into the second largest street festival in the world, behind only Rio de Janeiro. While the festival itself is now a massive event enjoyed by millions of people, its roots are built on the everyday resilience of the people who lived through that era.

One of those people was Egbert Cornwall, whose daughter Liz Maginn shared his story with us for our Room To Breathe exhibition. to read his story.

📸Courtesy of the Cornwall family, © Gary Manhine

26/08/2026

It’s a kinda chic life
✨ 💅🪞💄☕🍿🗝️

Discover more stories of migration behind your high street in our online exhibition Taking Care of Business: link in bio

Photos:
M&S Aberdeen, 1982, © M&S archive
Odeon, © Historic England
Rimmel, © The Advertising Archives
Costa exhibition with Head Sales Rep Elio and family, courtesy of the Costa family
Kui Eng Lau (Doris Lau) courtesy of Jenny Lau
DJ Radical Sista, Bradford, 1990 © Tim Smith

21/08/2026

Phase 1 of our Young People’s Panel: COMPLETE 💥

From gallery visits and City walking tours to architectural drawing with the Royal Institute of British Architects and an exclusive talk from the National Archives, our incredible panel has been hard at work shaping the future of the Migration Museum.

So far, they’ve:
✨ Drafted a manifesto for how we work with & for young people
🎪 Started curating a brand-new youth event
💡 Challenged us to think about different ways of being a more inclusive, welcoming, and inspiring space for young people

Out of nearly 300 applicants, selecting just 11 was tough, but this group is already bringing so much energy. Next up? Bringing their event to life, mastering event marketing, and running the show. We can’t wait to see what they build!

A massive thank you to our 11 panel members and to City Bridge Foundation for funding this programme.

Address

Lewisham Shopping Centre
London
SE137HB

Telephone

+2034884508

Website

http://www.migrationmuseum.org/

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