You will not find a single, permanent Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in London. The famous one sits on the Cornish coast, in Boscastle. What London has instead is spread across the city, witch bottles in a Docklands archive, an occult cabinet of curiosities in Hackney, a stage magic collection near Euston, and centuries of herb lore above an old operating theatre. Strung together, they make one of London’s best weird-museum days, an offbeat and slightly spooky afternoon, the kind we love mapping out at VayCay Couple. This is where to go, what you actually see, and how to fit it into a single afternoon. Last reviewed July 2026.
So is there a Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in London?
Not a permanent one. The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, home to more than 3,000 objects, is in Boscastle in Cornwall and opens seasonally. It has sent the odd exhibition to London over the years, but the collection lives in Cornwall, so treat it as a day trip rather than a city stop. Inside London you are looking at a handful of smaller venues, each covering a different corner of magic, the occult and folk medicine.
The witchy stops at a glance
| Place | Area | What you see | Entry |
| London Museum Docklands | Docklands | Witch bottles and folk charms from the 1500s and 1600s | Free |
| Viktor Wynd Museum | Hackney | Occult cabinet of curiosities, plus a bar | Small charge, check ahead |
| The Magic Circle Museum | Euston | Stage magic history, opens for events only | Event ticket |
| Old Operating Theatre and Herb Garret | London Bridge | Herb lore and pre-anaesthetic surgery | Small charge |
| Science Museum, Wellcome galleries | South Kensington | 500 years of healing, science and belief | Free |
Where can you see witchcraft and the occult in London?
London Museum Docklands, the witch bottles
This is the place to start if you want the real, archaeological history rather than theatre. The London Museum holds witch bottles from the 1500s and 1600s, small stoneware jugs packed with bent pins, nails and other bits and buried under thresholds to turn a curse back on whoever sent it. They are a vivid record of how ordinary Londoners thought about protection and bad luck. Entry to the Docklands site is free, and it is worth knowing the main London Museum is mid-move, so Docklands is the reliable one to visit right now. You can read the object stories on the London Museum site before you go.
Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities, Hackney
If you want somewhere that feels genuinely witchy, this basement cabinet of curiosities is it. Taxidermy, occult objects and oddities are crammed into every corner, including a room given over to the artist and occultist Austin Osman Spare, and the programming often leans into magic and the occult. There is a bar upstairs, and at weekends it stays open into the evening, so it works well as the last stop of the day paired with a drink and dinner nearby.
The Magic Circle Museum, Euston
Tucked inside the Magic Circle’s headquarters, this small museum only opens during public events such as talks and shows, so you need to book one to get in. Once you are inside there are posters, props and the stories of famous stage magicians. It is performance magic rather than witchcraft, but that contrast is part of what makes a magic-themed day in London interesting.
The Old Operating Theatre and Herb Garret, London Bridge
This is Europe’s oldest surviving operating theatre, hidden in the roof space of an old church above an apothecary’s herb garret. It is the spot where medicine and herb lore blur into what people once dismissed as witchcraft, with drying herbs, old remedies and a surgical theatre from before anaesthetic. Be warned, you reach it up a narrow, steep spiral staircase, which makes it hard going for anyone with mobility issues.
The Science Museum and the Wellcome galleries, South Kensington
The Wellcome galleries are the largest medical galleries in the world, and they trace how people have tried to heal for 500 years, by science and by belief. That mix of charms, faith and early medicine is a good way to see where the line between medicine and magic actually sat, and kept moving. Entry is free, so it is an easy add-on and a solid rainy-afternoon option.
Where can you find occult bookshops and libraries in London?
A few long-standing shops and libraries round out the theme, and most sit close to the British Museum in Bloomsbury.
- Treadwell’s Books in Bloomsbury is London’s best-known esoteric bookshop, with tarot readings, author talks and regular classes.
- The Atlantis Bookshop on Museum Street has traded since 1922 and is woven into British occult history, including Gerald Gardner, and is a good place to hunt for rare titles.
- The College of Psychic Studies in South Kensington is a historic venue with exhibitions, events and an occult-leaning library for a more scholarly slant.
Which witchcraft museums are worth a trip from London?
The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle, Cornwall is the UK’s flagship, with over 3,000 objects spanning folk magic, ritual and modern practice, and it is the one most overseas visitors mean when they search for the museum of witchcraft. Check the official site for seasonal opening times before you travel.
- The Museum of Magic, Fortune Telling and Witchcraft on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile is a small, artifact-rich space, a strong option if you are heading to Scotland rather than Cornwall.
- Essex has no dedicated museum yet, though a project is fundraising to build one, and in the meantime Colchester Castle covers the county’s witch-trial history well.
How do you spend a day exploring witchcraft in London?
To do the lot in a day, the stops sit a short Tube ride apart across London, and this order keeps the travel sensible.
- Morning, London Museum Docklands for the witch bottles, free and quiet early on.
- Midday, cross to London Bridge for the Old Operating Theatre. Book ahead and mind the staircase.
- Afternoon, South Kensington for the Wellcome medical galleries, or browse Treadwell’s and the Atlantis Bookshop around Bloomsbury.
- Evening, finish in Hackney at the Viktor Wynd Museum, which opens late at weekends, and stay for a drink at the bar.
Making a day of it
None of these is a grand, purpose-built witchcraft museum, and that is half the appeal. You end up piecing the story together yourself, a jar of bent pins in Docklands, a stuffed crocodile in Hackney, a loft of drying herbs above an old operating theatre. Pick the three or four that appeal most, book whatever needs reserving, and do not try to cram all of them into one day. For more offbeat days out there are the city’s rock and roll museums and its dog-friendly museums, and for a longer break, romantic weekend getaways in the UK. Been to any of these, or know a corner of occult London we have missed? Leave a comment below.
FAQs
Not a permanent one. The dedicated Museum of Witchcraft and Magic is in Boscastle, Cornwall. In London you can see witch bottles at London Museum Docklands, occult cabinets at the Viktor Wynd Museum, stage magic at the Magic Circle, and herb lore at the Old Operating Theatre. Between them they cover most of what visitors are looking for.
Start at London Museum Docklands, where witch bottles from the 1500s and 1600s show how ordinary Londoners tried to ward off curses. Then add the Wellcome medical galleries at the Science Museum to see how ideas about healing, charms and belief shifted over 500 years. Both are free, which makes them an easy pairing for a single trip.
Boscastle’s Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Cornwall is the standout, with more than 3,000 objects, although it is a long way from London and opens seasonally, so check the dates first. If you are heading to Scotland instead, the Museum of Magic, Fortune Telling and Witchcraft on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile is a good smaller alternative.
Yes. The Atlantis Bookshop on Museum Street has traded since 1922 and is steeped in British occult history. Treadwell’s, a short walk away in Bloomsbury, runs tarot readings, classes and author talks. Both sit near the British Museum, so they slot neatly into a day spent around Bloomsbury.
