The Museum of London has received three major donations totalling £7m towards the creation of its new home at West Smithfield's General Market.
Donations of £5m from The Garfield Weston Foundation, £1m from The Schroder Foundation and Family and £1m from the Wolfson Foundation brings the museum close to its initial £40m fundraising target.
The three donations come as the museum finishes restoration work on the external facades of the almost 150-year-old General Market, which will host a festival curated by Londoners in 2025, before the museum opens in 2026.
Internal works to the General Market building are also progressing, with excavation completed on the site’s former Salt Stores and Vaults to create trenches for ventilation and services.
“We are marching forward at pace to create a fantastic new museum for the city – one that tells the story of London and its people in all its complicated and colourful glory,” London Museum Director Sharon Ament said.