28 Apr Project Update: Museum of London West Smithfield

Museum of London West Smithfield

In the summer of 2024, PAD Contracts revealed its involvement in London’s Smithfield General Market and Poultry Market renovation scheme. The site will be the new home of the relocated London Museum (formerly The Museum of London) which is expected to be a top London attraction where around two million people will visit each year.

The Project

This monumental project, led by architects Stanton Williams, with Asif Khan and conservation architect Julian Harrap, is due for completion in 2026, ten years after the contracts for the transformation work were awarded. This is predominantly a conservation project in which 70% of the fabric will be preserved. It is considered to be one of Europe’s largest and most significant cultural schemes.

London Museum will use both the General Market and Poultry Market buildings on the West Smithfield site which cover almost 10 acres. The General Market is a Victorian building that had fallen into disrepair. The 1960s built Poultry Market is the only listed building on the West Smithfield site.

Image ref: London Museum Planning Image – Aerial © Secchi Smith

The total spend on the London Museum project is anticipated to be £437 million by the time the General Market site opens in 2026. The General Market will house permanent galleries and have the unique feature of a live train line running alongside the underground gallery space. A window will allow visitors to see the trains go by, while passengers can peer inside.

London Museum galleries will be split between three time zones. Real Time will be a welcome area for visitors with a café and access to the General Market and Poultry Market buildings. Our Time will be located on the ground floor of the General Market where there will be a restaurant, bookshop and displays on London within living memory. This space will also be used for events. Past Time will be below ground with permanent galleries for exploring 10,000 years of London history.

With the restoration works complete on the General Market, work is now ongoing to frame the spaces that will house the permanent galleries, which is where PAD Contracts have been commissioned. The colossal work of transporting the museum’s artefacts and collections from the existing site will then begin.

The Poultry Market is expected to open in 2028 to house the learning centre, temporary exhibition spaces and collection stores. There will be a canopied street between the two buildings which will be owned by London Museum.

Image Ref: London Museum Planning Image – Proposed General Market Interior Concept 2 © Asif Khan Studio Mir.jpg & Image Ref: London Museum Planning Image – Proposed West Poultry Avenue © Atelier 78

PAD Contracts Architectural Metalwork for the West Smithfield Site

PAD Contracts’ architectural metalwork engineers were delighted to be commissioned to work on such a prestigious project.

While the restoration work and renovations have been taking place on site, we have been producing architectural metalwork stairways and balustrades in our workshops, ready to be installed. Our bespoke metalwork structures are authentic to the historical site to ensure a cohesive integration. The two buildings offer different aesthetics; the General Market has traditional stone with red brick walls, while the design of the Poultry Market incorporates modern concrete, glass and copper. Our architectural metalwork designs for the stairways and balustrades in each building are based on complementing these aesthetics.

PAD Contracts has also designed metal wall linings which will provide a smooth surface and enhance the thermal and acoustic insulation.

For the gallery space in the General Market, we have created a bespoke lighting tray. To do this, we produced a die to create the exact shape for the extrusion. This was tested and a mock-up was made for sign-off. We have now been given the go-ahead to produce almost a kilometre of extrusion.

This is an ongoing project. Check back to see images of our finished bespoke architectural metalwork installations.

Are you looking for bespoke architectural metalwork for an upcoming project?

Speak to the team at PAD Contracts to find out more about our work.