Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology
What Visitors Say
I liked this small museum, staff are lovely, welcoming and helpful. The collection is interesting and has some fantastic pieces such as the linen clothes and wide range of statues, necklaces and fragments. Only loses one star as toilets were trek but they were being painted due to summer, so this is not normally an issue. It's inside some gates so I missed it and had to go back. Well worth a look.
The Petrie Museum has become one of my personal favourites in London. It was so much larger than I imagined, with an incredible collection of all things ancient Egypt. I feel like you could visit a dozen times and still find new things. I will definitely be back and highly recommend visiting!
An interesting old school museum that is slightly off the beaten track. Much easier to see artefacts without the huge crowds of the British Museum. I loved the oldest textiles on display, it was a highlight of my trip.
The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology truly is a hidden gem. It’s a small intimate space that contains a wealth of fascinating artefacts. Many of these items paint a picture of the day to day lives of ordinary ancient Egyptians. I found it quite moving to see these items up close in such a quiet setting. These artefacts include amulets, beaded necklaces, clothing, sandals, make up pots and children’s games amongst many more curiosities. I have been to many ancient Egyptian exhibitions but saw items here that I’d never seen before and were truly unique and fascinating! I’d encourage anyone with even a passing interest in ancient Egypt or archaeology to visit here. A very belated thanks to Flinders Petrie and Amelia Edwards for making this collection available today!
They have a lot of ancient Egypt things like wallart, sculpture. We can learn about the history in the 16th century from an archaeological perspective when Petrie discovered these kind of stuff.
Highlights
Tarkhan Dress
Oldest surviving woven garmentA linen shirt from c. 3000 BC—creases and hems from a life once lived, not a pharaoh’s tomb.
Early Egypt cases, textiles section
Fayum Portraits
Ancient naturalism that stares backLifelike encaustic faces that once wrapped mummies—individuals, not icons.
Roman Egypt gallery
Tools & Everyday Tech
How civilisation is built: one tool at a timeFrom flint blades to copper chisels—micro-innovations that made pyramids possible.
Predynastic to New Kingdom cases
Amulets & Faience
Belief made portableHippos, scarabs, and protective deities mass-produced in glittering blue-green faience.
Small finds cases
Opening Hours
Fun Facts
The museum’s linen ‘Tarkhan Dress’ is over 5,000 years old—the world’s oldest tailored garment with seams and a fitted neck.
Sir Flinders Petrie pioneered ‘sequence dating’—using pottery styles to date sites—foundations of modern archaeological method.
Only around 10% of the Petrie collection is on display at any time, yet it still feels densely packed.
