Images have been released showing the proposed new home for the Museum of London in Smithfield, near Farringdon station.
It’s one of the joys of very big planning applications involving old buildings that an awful of research is needed to support the application, and lots of computer renders need to be made to show how the old building will be adapted to its new use.
The images are often not just informative, but works of art in themselves.
The application hasn’t been approved yet, and will take a few years to be built if it is, but this gives us an idea of what to look forward to.
The following is a selection from the planning application.
Click on the images to enlarge (if viewing on a big screen).
The Past
The site as seen in 1949
What it looked like – probably for a presentation – inside the meat market
Plans showing the railway running under the market
The Present
The isolated triangle building
Over the rooftops
The Future
Model of the new museum site
Side view of the two main museum buildings
Proposed view inside the 1960s Poultry market
Side view of the Poultry market building
Plan of the new museum site
Proposed elevation from the North
Section of the Victorian meat market building, showing undercroft and railway tunnel
Inside view of the Victorian meat market building
The basement undercroft where the permanent collection will be displayed
Another side view of the Poultry market
The soon to be pedestrianised road between the meat and poultry markets
The proposed main entrance
The Museum of London at night
All images are copyright Museum of London and sourced from the planning documentation.
For some photos of the building site as it is right now, go here.
I can’t wait for this to open. I’m a big fan of the existing museum but it would be wonderful to see Smithfield market brought to life again. I also think that whole area of Farringdon could do with a bit more to see and do.
Hmm. Well, I guess it was the only practical way to retain the buildings in any form, but I’m not really seeing much in the way of ‘spirit’ here. It’s basically a new building that incorporates some of the pretty bits of an old one. I don’t have any objection to a new museum here, I’m sure it will be good as a museum, but let’s not kid ourselves we’re ‘preserving’ anything.
I’m getting on a bit now and i would love to be around for it’s opening,it should be a wonderful addition and attraction for this part of London.The whole project looks to be really exciting,and most of the exterior fabric will be retained.
An exciting project giving new life to a historic place. Looking forward to organizing an outing for the Bourne Society once it is up and running.
The photo captions for”Meat Market” should read “General Market”. The meat market (further along) is not moving (yet). Presumably the images in the planning application are correctly titled?
I think it is sad to see the Museum move – in it’s current location it has the Roman/Medieval walls and walking distance to the amphitheatre. It was a purpose built museum and I think if they have £337 million “to spare” then there are far more uses than simply moving (albeit that the new site does look excellent)
Not the best use of the money I feel and whilst Faringdon may need some ‘refurbishment’ moving the Museum is probably not the best solution. The refurbishment of Faringdon area is another problem/question altogether different from moving the Museum of London