Natural History Museum, Science Museum and V&A to reopen in August with social distancing measures
South Kensington’s Museum Quarter will re-open next month with new measures to ensure social distancing.
The Natural History Museum will be the first to open its doors on August 5, initially opening only Wednesdays to Sunday with reduced hours.
The V&A will open the day after, welcoming visitors Thursday to Sunday with its galleries opening in phases.
The Science Museum will fully reopen its doors seven days a week to the public on 19 August.
The three museums are staggering opening dates and times to reduce footfall on Exhibition Road and avoid overcrowding at nearby underground stations.
They said they were working with local authorities, local businesses and other cultural institutions to improve provision for cyclists and pedestrians to ensure visitor safety.
Visitors to all three will be required to book a free, timed ticket to ensure social distancing and will receive safety information before arrival.
Measures such as enhanced cleaning regimes, protective screens, and payment by contactless e-scanners will be commonplace throughout the institutions.
On August 5, the vast majority of the Natural History Museum’s galleries will be open alongside its five-acre gardens. Its Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is planned to open in October, as is the museum’s Ice Rink.
The major new exhibition, Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature, making a creative partnership between the museum, the BBC and Warner Bros that will showcase creatures from the natural and mythical worlds, as well as the Wizarding World, is set to open by the end of the year.
Director of the Natural History Museum, Sir Michael Dixon, said: “The nation has reconnected with the natural world during lockdown and there is no better place to discover all it has to offer than our museum.”
Meanwhile at the V&A, visitors will able to wander the ground and lower ground floor collection galleries including the Medieval & Renaissance Gallery, the Cast Courts, the The Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art, the Fashion Gallery and the Europe 1600–1815 gallery from the 6 August. The first and second floor collection galleries will reopen on 27 August.
The critically acclaimed exhibition Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, which closed just two weeks into its run, has been extended and will reopen on the August bank holiday weekend and run until the end of October.
Director of the V&A, Tristram Hunt, said: “The V&A has ample space for social distancing, and all safety measures are in place for our visitors to enjoy 5,000 years of ingenuity in art, design and performance.”
All spaces in the Science Museum will open on August 19. Its new autumn schedule will include touring exhibition Brass, Steel & Fire and a special commemoration of the Hubble Space Telescope’s 30th anniversary.
Director of the Science Museum Group, Sir Ian Blatchford, said: “After four months of closure we cannot wait to open our doors. This pandemic reminds us of the importance of reflecting on the world around us, and our impact on it.”
