Updated for 2023 here.
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If you know someone who loves a museum, why not offer them the gift of free entry to its exhibitions, special offers, and even access to a private members room?
Now’s also a good time to think about supporting London’s cultural centres, and one of the best ways is through their membership schemes.
Museum membership not only supports the museums financially, but members also get a lot of benefits back in kind – from free entry to exhibitions, early ticket offers, discounts, private events, and some even offer private members rooms to relax in.
I’ve trawled around looking at the venues I am aware of and seeing which have a Friends Society and listed them below.
Most of the venues below have specific processes for people buying a membership as a gift – the others can usually transfer membership names as a gift purchase.
A museum membership is a present that lasts all year long.
| Venue | Cost | Key Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Barbican | £59 | Discounts on events and cinema and no booking fees, priority booking, along with options for private views of galleries. |
| Benjamin Franklin House | £25 | Free entry to the house, 2 guest tickets and discounts on events. |
| British Film Institute | £37 | Priority ticket bookings, no booking fees, discounts in their shops, special events and previews. |
| British Library | £80 | Free entry for you and a guest to paid exhibitions, priority booking to events, and up to 4 free event tickets per year. Access to the members’ only room. |
| British Museum | £64 | Free entry to exhibitions and private members events. A members room in the museum and discount in the shops/cafe. |
| Brooklands Museum | £47 | Free entry to the motoring museum, and special members only events. |
| Brunel Museum | ||
| Burgh House and Hampstead Museum |
£20 | Discounted admission to special events and private views, along with the quarterly magazine. |
| Carshalton Water Tower | £7 | Free entry to the tower, private views of exhibitions and friends only social events. |
| Cartoon Museum | £35 | Free entry to the museum, exhibition previews and discounts on events. |
| Charles Dickens Museum | £20 | Free entry for you and a guest and discounts in the shop and events. |
| Chelsea Physic Garden | £40 | Free entry with a guest, free entry to partner gardens, and invites to special events. |
| Design Museum | £65 | Free entry to paid exhibitions, priority booking and invitations to members previews. |
| Dulwich Gallery | £43 | Free entry to exhibitions, and invites to private viewings, plus discounts on events. |
| Foundling Museum | £35 | Free admission to the museum. A wide range of activities each year, including private views, concerts and talks led by Museum experts. |
| Freemasons Museum | £30 | Invites to private exhibition views and events. |
| Freud Museum | £45 | Free entry to the museum for you and a guest, discounts on events and invites to private views. |
| Georgian Group | £50 | Rregular magazine and access to exclusive activities that include visits to private houses not open to the public. |
| Grant Museum | £20 | Adoption of a specimen animal, special trips and invites to the events. |
| Guildhall Art Gallery | £25 | Free entry to paid exhibitions, plus free entry to Tower Bridge, Monument and Keats House, and special events. |
| Handel House | £40 | Priority booking for events and invites to private viewings. |
| Heath Robinson Museum | £35 | Free entry to the museum, members events and priority booking. |
| Headstone Manor Museum | £6 | Social events, visits and regular news updates |
| Honeywood Museum | £10 | Priority booking and discounts for talks and events. |
| Horniman Museum | £36 | Free entry to Aquarium, Butterfly House, and exhibitions, 10% discount at the shop, and invitations to exclusive members’ events and offers. |
| Imperial War Museum | £35 | Free entry to all IWM museums, private views and members events. |
| Jewish Museum | £35 | Free entry to the museum, invitation to private views of new exhibitions and curator tours |
| London Museum of Water & Steam | £25 | Unlimited free visits, members-only events, free entry to the nearby Musical Museum. |
| Kew Gardens | £71 | Free entry for you and a guest to Kew Gardens and Wakehurst, priority booking to events, and a range of member events. |
| London Transport Museum | £30 | Free entry to Museum at Covent Garden during all normal opening hours, plus one free entry to Acton Depot Open Weekend each year. Friends’ visits to transport and other venues. |
| London Zoo | £105 | Unlimited entry to London and Whipsnade zoos, discounts in the shops, queue jump at the entry barriers, plus members events.
Note – gift memberships bought before 4th Jan 2021 are the same price as the cheaper direct debit membership fees. |
| Museum of London | £40 | Free entry to special exhibitions, along with special events exclusive to Friends. An invitation for you and a guest to Friends private views of exhibitions. |
| Museum of the Home (formerly Geffrye Museum) | £30 | Friends previews for special exhibitions, advance booking for events, and discounts. |
| National Archives | £25 | Friends only events and tours, and discounts in the book shop and at paid events. |
| National Gallery | £60 | Free entry to paid exhibitions, and invites to members events. |
| National Portrait Gallery | £55 | Free entry to paid exhibitions, private viewings and discounts in the shops – membership is for 3 years as the gallery is closed at the moment. |
| Natural History Museum | £62 | Free entry to paid exhibitions, priority entry to the museum, private events, private members room. |
| Petrie Museum | £25 | Special events and tours, plus seminars and regular news. |
| Pitzhanger | £35 | Free entry to the gallery, exclusive events and discounts in the shop. |
| Postal Museum | £45 | Free entry to the museum, 3 rides on the mail rail per year, invitations to private events and priority booking to public events. |
| Royal Greenwich Museums | £50 | Free entry to the three museums, private views of galleries, and fast track entry. |
| Royal Institution of Great Britain | £77 | Free tickets to lectures. Entry to members-only events, along with quarterly newsletters and discounts on purchases. |
| Sadlers Wells | £70 | Priority booking and 20% off tickets. |
| Sir John Soane’s Museum | £40 | Discounts in the shop, plus invites to special events. |
| Southbank Centre | £79 | Priority booking and no booking fees. Free entry to all exhibitions at The Hayward Gallery, plus access to the private Members Bar for you and a guest.Note, the venue is currently closed, but membership gift packs defer their start date to when the venue reopens |
| Strawberry Hill House | £45 | Free entry to Strawberry Hill, invites to the summer party, discounts in the shop and events. |
| Tate | £78 | Free entry to all paid exhibitions, private viewings, and members rooms |
| The Royal Academy of Arts | £131 | Free entry to exhibitions for you and a family member. Visit each exhibition before it’s open to the public. A private members room, and quarterly newsletter. |
| V&A Museum | £70 | Free entry to exhibitions and previews, special members events and private members room. |
| Wallace Collection | £45 | Free entry to paid exhibitions, exclusive member events, discount in the shop and the restaurant. |
| Westminster Abbey | £40 | Queue jump and free entry to the Abbey, private evening entry to the Abbey and exclusive lectures. |
| Whitechapel Gallery | £50 | Free entry to paid exhibitions, private views, priority booking to events and discounts in the shop. |
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| The National Groups | ||
| National Art Pass | £73 | Discounted entry to art galleries across the UK. |
| Historic Royal Palaces | £55 | Unlimited access to the six palaces throughout the year, a range of member events and discounts in the shops. |
| National Trust | £72 | Free entry and parking at more than 300 historic houses and gardens. |
| English Heritage | £63 | Free entry and parking at more than 400 historic houses and gardens. |
| Landmark Trust | £48 | Priority booking to buildings and invites to events. |
| Historic Houses Association | £56 | Free entry to hundreds of privately-owned houses, castles and gardens |
Great effort: inspiring, timely and a shot in the arm for us and them too. Thanks.