Museum of Croydon

What Museum of Croydon does

The Museum of Croydon is a publicly funded cultural institution operated by the London Borough of Croydon since 1989 (rebranded and reopened at the Croydon Clocktower in September 2006). It serves local residents, schools, community groups, and specific demographics including people living with dementia, young people aged 14-25, and asylum seekers through a combination of permanent galleries, temporary exhibitions, community wellbeing programmes, and educational resources. Core assets include the Riesco Gallery of 200+ Chinese ceramics, the Croydon Art Collection of 2,000+ works, 500+ oral histories, a 600-object handling collection, and the borough archive of 1,200+ unique collections (138k+ items). Temporary exhibition spaces include SEG1, SEG2, and the Atrium, with SEG1 booked through end-2028 and Atrium through Spring 2027.

The museum operates as a non-commercial cultural service under local government authority. Its core funding comes from the London Borough of Croydon, supplemented by project grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, UK Shared Prosperity Fund, The National Archives, and other heritage bodies. Earned income is marginal and consists of venue hire (Atrium at approximately £550/month with 2-month minimum, SEG1 by arrangement), ticketed workshops and events (£5-£15 per person), and free general admission. Distribution is primarily physical (single Clocktower location, open Wednesdays-Saturdays) supplemented by a digital footprint including podcasts, online exhibitions, a Substack newsletter, and social media channels (@museumofcroydon, @croydonlibs).

The institution partners with the National Portrait Gallery, Crafts Council, Good Wolf People, Play for Progress, Storytime London, Croydon Lacemakers, Maya Productions, and the David Lean Cinema to deliver exhibitions and programmes. Recent strategic activity includes the Dementia, Art & Joy programme (launched September 2024 with Good Wolf People), the Young Archivists programme (March 2024-May 2025), the Citizen UK Caribbean Influencers exhibition (April 2023), and three major 2026 exhibitions: Forever We Can Be Full (May 2026), Creative Health (June 2026), and the Essex House Tapestries — Grayson Perry's first London public museum showing (July-September 2026). The museum employs 11 staff and serves the borough of Croydon, which has the largest under-18 population in London.

Name

Museum of Croydon

Legal name

Museum of Croydon

Website

https://museumofcroydon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Museum of Croydon is a publicly funded cultural institution operated by the London Borough of Croydon since 1989, offering free admission to permanent galleries, rotating exhibitions, and community programmes for Croydon residents, schools, people with dementia, young people, and asylum seekers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage Museum Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

History Museums (THAJADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Art Museums (THAJADAA), Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

Keywords

• Local heritage museum
• Community art exhibitions
• Cultural archive services
• Heritage education programmes
• Museum venue hire

Headquarters

HQ city

Croydon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Core operational funding provided by the London Borough of Croydon (Croydon Council) to run the museum service.
2. Grant Funding: Project-based funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund, UK Shared Prosperity Fund, The National Archives, and other heritage/cultural funding bodies.
3. Venue Hire: Revenue from hiring temporary exhibition spaces including Atrium (approximately £550/month) and SEG1 gallery space.
4. Event Tickets: Ticket sales for workshops, talks, and special events ranging from £5-£15 per person.
5. Admission Fees: General museum admission is free; some special exhibitions may have resident discount pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Museum of Croydon operates a free-admission local heritage museum within the Croydon Clocktower, presenting permanent galleries (notably the Riesco Collection of Chinese ceramics) alongside three rotating temporary exhibition spaces. It runs a schools learning programme, community wellbeing programmes (including Dementia, Art & Joy), a paid Young Archivists programme, a regular events calendar of talks, workshops and storytelling nights, and a venue hire service for external exhibitions. It also maintains and provides public research access to the Croydon Borough Archive of more than 138,000 items, with supporting digital content via podcasts and online exhibitions.

Product overview

The Museum of Croydon operates as a cultural institution within Croydon Clocktower, offering a combination of permanent collections and rotating exhibitions, educational programmes, and community outreach initiatives. Its core offerings include the permanent Riesco Gallery showcasing Chinese ceramics, the Borough Archive with over 1,200 collections, the Handling Collection with 600+ objects for educational use, and the Croydon Art Collection of 2,000+ artworks. The museum complements these with temporary exhibitions (such as the upcoming Essex House Tapestries and Creative Health), community wellbeing programmes like Dementia Art & Joy, youth engagement through the Young Archivists initiative, and a regular events schedule of workshops, talks, and creative activities. Digital presence includes podcasts and online exhibitions, while venue hire facilities are available for external exhibitions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Essex House Tapestries: The Life of Julie Cope Exhibition Special exhibition in the Special Exhibition Gallery showcasing Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry's Essex House Tapestries, loaned from the Crafts Council, available to Croydon residents and general visitors.
• Creative Health Exhibition Interactive Special Exhibition Gallery exhibition exploring Creative Health practice in Croydon and evidence on impacts to physical and mental health, wellbeing and social connectedness, for general visitors.
• Forever We Can Be Full Exhibition Atrium Gallery multimedia exhibition with Play for Progress celebrating 10 years of work with unaccompanied young asylum seekers, including original artwork, photography, textiles, music and poetry, plus free public arts and music workshops.
• Dementia, Art & Joy Programme Series of fortnightly free creative art sessions for people living with dementia and their carers, inspired by the Croydon Art Collection, delivered with Good Wolf People to provide joy and wellbeing through art-making.
• Young Archivists Programme Paid, co-designed programme for 14-18 year olds exploring diverse experiences of young people and underrepresented histories in Croydon through archives and heritage projects, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
• Schools Learning Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 young people supported through Play for Progress partnership
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Good Wolf PeoplecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024Good Wolf People partnered with Museum of Croydon to launch the Dementia, Art and Joy (DAJ) project in September 2024. The partnership delivers fortnightly creative sessions for people living with dementia and their carers, influenced by participants' ideas of joy and using the Croydon Art Collection. Good Wolf People provides creative therapy facilitators.
• Maya ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Maya Productions partnered with Museum of Croydon for 'Routes to Roots: A South Asian Heritage Exhibition' exploring themes of migration, heritage, family, home and cultural identity with South Asian communities in Croydon, Bradford and Sheffield.
• National Portrait GallerycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023Museum of Croydon partnered with National Portrait Gallery for 'Citizen UK: Croydon's Caribbean Influencers' exhibition as part of the Gallery's transformational Inspiring People project funded by National Heritage Lottery Fund and Art Fund. Partnership explored Caribbean community stories through portraits, archive material, and poetry.
• Crafts CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Crafts Council loaned the Grayson Perry Essex House Tapestries to the Museum of Croydon for exhibition from July-September 2026. This is the first time the tapestries have been on display in a London public museum, providing Croydon residents and visitors opportunity to experience work by Turner Prize-winning artist Grayson Perry.
• Play for ProgresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCroydon-based charity Play for Progress partnered with Museum of Croydon for 'Forever We Can Be Full' exhibition celebrating 10 years of creative, therapeutic work with unaccompanied young asylum seekers. Museum hosts exhibition and workshops as part of the partnership. Play for Progress has supported over 1,000 young people aged 13-25 from more than 20 countries.
• David Lean CinemacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDavid Lean Cinema is located within Croydon Clocktower and programmed by a local friends group. Partnership includes joint cinema events with the museum including screenings of 'In Fabric' and 'Made in Dagenham' as part of exhibition event series. Museum opens late for pre-film exhibition viewing.
• Croydon LacemakersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCroydon Lacemakers conduct monthly bobbin lacemaking workshops at the museum on the second Wednesday of each month. Each workshop covers beginner-friendly techniques with materials provided.
• Storytime LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLondon's storytelling collective partnered with Museum of Croydon for live storytelling night events inspired by exhibitions. Storytime London brings together writers, poets, musicians, and storytellers for evening events.
• Music Relief FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic Relief Foundation provides professional musicians including Thrive Choir for the Creative Health Takeover Day. Their Thrive Singalong sessions offer fun, no-pressure singing guided through songs new and old.
• London Borough of CroydoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMuseum established by and under management of London Borough of Croydon since 1989. The museum service is part of Croydon Council's cultural offerings, sharing the Clocktower building with Croydon Archives (under Croydon Libraries management).
• Clocktower CaféminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorClocktower Café located within the Croydon Clocktower building. Referenced for catering arrangements for museum events; contact [email protected] for event catering.
• Richard Allen EstateminorOthersEstate of artist Richard Allen granted permission to use artwork 'Diacrosse' in Dementia, Art and Joy project marketing materials.
• ADi SolutionsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerADi Solutions provided and built the atrium display walls/panels and clip rail hanging system. Can undertake re-decoration and art hanging projects and supply additional panels on hire basis.
• OCS (Security Services)minorOthersOCS provides security guard services for museum events at approximately £22/hour with 8-hour minimum booking. External contractor for venue hire security requirements.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wandsworth Heritage Service: London Borough of Wandsworth's heritage service, operating local museums, archives, and education programmes — directly comparable as a London borough museum service.
• Lambeth Heritage Service: Lambeth Council's heritage service delivering archives, exhibitions, and community programmes for a diverse London borough — structurally and operationally similar.
• Sutton Heritage Service: London borough heritage service operating local history museums, archives, and community programmes from a local-government base — a same-size peer within the London local-authority museum network.
• Museum of the Home: Formerly the Geffrye Museum, a London borough museum focused on domestic and social history with free admission, handling collections, and community engagement — highly comparable in mission and operating model.
• Bromley Museum and Heritage Service: Operated by the London Borough of Bromley as a free local heritage service with small staff and borough-focused collections — directly comparable in funding model and scale.
• Horniman Museum: Another London borough-run museum with free admission, mixed collections (natural history, anthropology, music), and strong community programming — directly comparable as a London local-authority museum at similar scale.
• Brent Museum and Archives: A London borough museum and archive service operating under local authority management with borough-specific collections and community programmes — a close structural peer.
• Museum of London Docklands: A London local-authority museum telling the social and economic history of a specific borough/area with free admission and rotating exhibitions, comparable in scope and target audience to the Museum of Croydon.

Broad incumbents

• V&A East (Young V&A): National museum operating a free borough-level site in Tower Hamlets focused on young audiences, design, and creativity — comparable audience strategy but with much larger institutional backing.
• Tate Modern: A major London free-admission museum with rotating exhibitions and significant arts programming; useful as a benchmark for what borough-level institutions might aspire to in audience reach, though operating at vastly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/museumofcroydon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/museum-of-croydon
• Instagraminstagram.com/museumofcroydon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Museum of Croydon