The Fan Museum
The Fan Museum
4.5
11:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 4:30 PM
About
The UK's only Museum devoted to the history of fans and the craft of fan making. Nestled in the heart of historic Greenwich, The Fan Museum is home to a diverse collection of fans from around the world, dating from the 12th century to the present day. Please note afternoon tea is no longer served to the public and the Orangery is indefinitely closed as a tearoom.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Greenwich
Greenwich Mean Time starts here, so to speak, as the very concept of global time was established at Royal Observatory, just one of several buildings of architectural interest in Greenwich. Indeed, the whole of Greenwich's historic town center, its Royal Park and a number of related buildings (and one world famous ship, the Cutty Sark) make up the UNESCO World Heritage site known as Maritime Greenwich. Today a laser beam is shot out across the night sky from the Observatory to mark the location of the Prime Meridian. Other bold (some say brash) 21st century additions to the area include landmarks such as The O2 entertainment complex (previously known as the Millennium Dome) and the Air Line cable cars, which offer scenic transport across the Thames between North Greenwich and the Royal Docks.
Reach out directly
See what travellers are saying
  • pumpkinqueen2018
    14 contributions
    Don't dismiss it, give fans a try!
    My first visit but definitely not my last - a charming museum that held far more varied work than I was expecting. There is a lot more to fans than Victorian lace models. My favourite by far was the 13th century Japanese artwork (look for the framed scroll at the top of the staircase.) Don't miss the mural in the conservatory downstairs either. The nicest team of people I've ever met, a true credit to the museum.
    Visited March 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 30 March 2023
  • DunelmArts
    Aberdeen, United Kingdom1,130 contributions
    For fan fans
    This is a small museum (2 rooms) dedicated to fans. It won't take you very long to look round, and is really mainly of interest to visitors who have an enthuisam for fans. Admission £5 for adults. Small gift shop.
    Visited May 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written 30 May 2023
  • helgre2016
    Chelmsford, United Kingdom141 contributions
    Fan of the fan
    A museum with a difference. Beautiful building. Lovely straight forward audio system to explain the cabinets. Some fabulous fan examples, video of how it all came to be an a changing exhibition. A real treat for a change of museum.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 31 July 2023
  • amberfrances92
    Portsmouth, United Kingdom85 contributions
    Little gem of a museum
    This little museum in Greenwich is a wee gem. Small exhibits but beautifully presented and they give you little audio guides that are narrated by the museum curator and offer further explanations. The building itself if beautiful and the staff are all very friendly and lovely. Small entrance fee that you can purchase online or on the day.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 2 August 2023
  • Getaway725709
    29 contributions
    Lovely small specialist museum with venue attached
    I visited the museum out of general interest in all things C18. It’s a lovely little collection in a C18 townhouse in the heart of Greenwich. I noticed the pretty Orangery at the back which can be booked for events and the whole family and friends returned for a Ruby Wedding lunch. The staff and outside catering were excellent and our visitors could tour the museum as well. The audio guides were v popular with small (5 and 8) grandchildren
    Visited August 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 11 August 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

4.5
284 reviews
Excellent
169
Very good
82
Average
25
Poor
7
Terrible
1

Getaway725709
29 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
I visited the museum out of general interest in all things C18. It’s a lovely little collection in a C18 townhouse in the heart of Greenwich. I noticed the pretty Orangery at the back which can be booked for events and the whole family and friends returned for a Ruby Wedding lunch. The staff and outside catering were excellent and our visitors could tour the museum as well. The audio guides were v popular with small (5 and 8) grandchildren
Written 11 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Martha Patricia de Bruxelles
Wiltshire, UK1,591 contributions
Aug 2023 • Friends
I love the friendly and cosy atmosphere of this museum. They have a fantastic selection and explanation of their amazing collection. The shop is small but had a beautiful selection of gifts available to purchase.
Written 6 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

amberfrances92
Portsmouth, UK85 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
This little museum in Greenwich is a wee gem. Small exhibits but beautifully presented and they give you little audio guides that are narrated by the museum curator and offer further explanations.
The building itself if beautiful and the staff are all very friendly and lovely.
Small entrance fee that you can purchase online or on the day.
Written 2 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

helgre2016
Chelmsford, UK141 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
A museum with a difference. Beautiful building. Lovely straight forward audio system to explain the cabinets. Some fabulous fan examples, video of how it all came to be an a changing exhibition. A real treat for a change of museum.
Written 31 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Crazy_Jim_83
London, UK1,161 contributions
Jun 2023 • Solo
Only £5 a head. Museum comprises of two small rooms and an exhibition. The exhibits are reasonable and there was an audio guide. It was just all a bit meh as not much to say about fans. Not a gripping or wildly interesting topic.
Written 10 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

DunelmArts
Aberdeen, UK1,130 contributions
May 2023 • Solo
This is a small museum (2 rooms) dedicated to fans. It won't take you very long to look round, and is really mainly of interest to visitors who have an enthuisam for fans. Admission £5 for adults. Small gift shop.
Written 30 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

pumpkinqueen2018
14 contributions
Mar 2023 • Solo
My first visit but definitely not my last - a charming museum that held far more varied work than I was expecting. There is a lot more to fans than Victorian lace models. My favourite by far was the 13th century Japanese artwork (look for the framed scroll at the top of the staircase.) Don't miss the mural in the conservatory downstairs either. The nicest team of people I've ever met, a true credit to the museum.
Written 30 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Beverly
21 contributions
Nov 2022
A friend told me about this gem of a small museum several years ago. Although I live in London I only got there for the first time yesterday and was thoroughly impressed.

I was charmed by everything about it, from the lovely building and interesting, stunning fans on display to the friendly and helpful staff and volunteers. It's only a few minutes' walk off the well-worn tourist route around Greenwich and well worth taking a detour. I live on the other side of London so it took me longer to get there than it takes to go around the exhibitions, but it was well worth the effort.

Equally engaging is the back story of the woman who fell in love with collecting fans and established the museum.

As some other review says, the modest £3 entry fee is a bargain, but it's even more of a bargain if you are over 60 and it's free on Wednesdays.
Written 3 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SJC94
Ashford, UK194 contributions
Aug 2022 • Friends
Having been aware of this museum for many years, we visited for the first time. Lovely building and staff very pleasant in a very British upper middle class way.
Reasonable pricing with free audio guide. Though they tell you about how fans are made and show a selection of fans, we felt it had missed extending its remit by covering the language of fans and the use of fans in dance. There seemed more they could explore.
Written 7 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

27rennie
Belmont, MA107 contributions
Jun 2022
I have loved fans since I was a small child. There is something very romantic about them, as well as practical. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. Also the staff is very knowledgable, if you want to ask questions.
Written 13 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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