WHAT’S ON at
museum of homelessness
current exhibition:
CRIMINAL:
AN UNTOLD HISTORY OF HOMELESSNESS, RESISTANCE AND SURVIVAL
run extended to october 31st, open thursday, friday and saturday
A historical exhibition exploring 400 years of criminalisation of homelessness featuring new work from 10Foot, Gemma Lees, Matt Bonner, Spelling Mistakes Cost Lives, and Surfing Sofas.
NOW EXTENDED DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND
Open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays 12.30 - 4.30pm no need to book just show up.
press for criminal
"The new mostly alfresco exhibition expertly unpicks how homeless and nomadic people have been persecuted for centuries" 4 star review from The Guardian
"Shines a light on the creative cultures that have emerged from exclusion. Taken together, their collective spirit of bricolaged defiance reads like an alternative design history of Britain" World of Interiors.
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The exhibition, staged in an English perennial meadow at the museum’s site in Finsbury Park, will show that how we think about homelessness today comes from ideas that were created long ago. When people talk about the criminalisation of homelessness, it’s usually the Vagrancy Act of 1824 that is the focus. But there is much more to this story.
Researchers at Museum of Homelessness have identified the Homelessness Big Bang in the early 1600s and the exhibition starts there. Criminal explores the intertwined histories of people made homeless and transported from England, Ireland and Africa to the early plantations. Visitors will be taken on a journey exploring land enclosure, rebellion in the colonies, Elizabethan Rogue literature, Victorian institutions, resistance movements and modern-day disinformation.
The museum’s interior will be transformed into a space of resistance, with Surfing Sofas Publishing House offering people an alternative to social media. Examples of how people are challenging homelessness and housing injustice today will provide inspiration.
The rise of the far right all over the world is being matched by increasing rates of homelessness. This exhibition matters today because criminalisation as a ‘solution’ to homelessness has never gone away. Right now, in 2026, it is ramping up in many places on earth. In 2025, Fox News host Brian Kilmeade advocated for homeless people to be executed via involuntary lethal injection. We have put this exhibition on as a cautionary tale and an act of resistance.
Crucially, we will also look at how people have resisted these criminalisation. Featuring some of the UK’s foremost activists and artists, Criminal will give both the facts and the feelings and will tell you what is really going on both in the past and now.
Exhibition Design:
The crew, Matt Bonner, Studio Boloz, Puck Studio
With thanks to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, The Linbury Trust and Oak Foundation for making this work possible
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Criminal: An Untold History of Homelessness, Resistance and Survival will be open on:
→ Thursdays 12:30 - 16:30
→ Fridays 12:30 - 16:30
→ Saturdays 12:30 - 16:30
The exhibition is free to attend, with no booking required for individuals or groups of less than 8 people.
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We have two ways to see the show as a group:
Option 1:
Thursday, Friday, Saturday during open season
Visiting the museum during our summer season opening hours (Thursday-Saturday 12:30 - 16:30) is free. However for groups of 8 or more we do require you to pre-book, so that we can manage visitor flow.
“Spending time with MoH is a balm for the soul.” - Visitor, 2026
MOH does not take government funding, and we rely on the support of individuals and trusts and foundations to keep our independent research and community action work going. Anyone can donate online, or can donate whilst on-site at MOH.
To book for a group for the new exhibition during our Summer open season 2026 please reply to this email, or contact bookings@museumofhomelessness.org.
Option 2:
Mondays, Wednesdays or Sundays during our open summer season - special booking
The whole experience: the museum is available to reserve for private group bookings for up to 20 people to experience the new exhibition and a 1 hour session, where one of our cherished storytellers will share objects from the Museum’s collection.
This option works well for away days or student groups. You get the benefit of a deeper dive into the collection and stories of homelessness that centre lived experience.
“A highly original and moving cultural experience, using seemingly mundane objects to share authentic and moving stories of tough lives” - Visitor, 2025
To book for a group for the whole MoH experience and find out more about pricing, please reply to this email, or contact bookings@museumofhomelessness.org.
press for criminal
"The new mostly alfresco exhibition expertly unpicks how homeless and nomadic people have been persecuted for centuries" 4 star review from The Guardian
"Shines a light on the creative cultures that have emerged from exclusion. Taken together, their collective spirit of bricolaged defiance reads like an alternative design history of Britain" World of Interiors.
UPCOMING EVENTS AT MUSEUM OF HOMELESSNESS
Our programme to accompany criminal: an untold history of homelessness, resistance and survival
Our events programme for summer 2026 salutes the tactics and tools used by communities to find joy and survival in dark times.
The programme includes special events on legal rights, a sponsored night-walk through London, creative workshops to lose yourself in, and the launch of our inaugural Street Legends Chess Cup.
The What’s On will be updated regularly, now that we have extended our exhibition until the end of October we will be announcing more events in due course.
on-site events at museum of homelessness
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![chess-at-museum-of-homelessness]()
Street Legends Chess Cup & Abolitionist chess club
Street Legends Chess Cup: 17th and 18th July, 11am-5.30pm
Abolitionist Chess Club: Fridays, 12.30pm - 4.30pm
Honouring the chess champs who have honed their skills in the shelters, prison and on the streets we are hosting the Street Legends Chess Cup in July. Each Friday - to tie in with the exhibition - we are also hosting a chess meetup & social. Come along and play.
Click below for full info
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![Community Tuesday at Museum of Homelessness]()
Community Tuesdays
Every Tuesday, 11am - 3pm!
Art! Gardening! Supplies
A delicious meal at 1pm
if you are homeless
We run a lot of activity on site which is for our community of people experiencing homelessness.
If you are experiencing homelessness or struggling, (by which we mean street homelessness, squatting, temporary accommodation, hostels, shelters, living in cars, boats, vans, or any other form of homelessness, poverty, or addiction) drop in any Tuesday after 11am and before 3pm and get involved from there.
You can have free tickets for any of our exhibitions or events and we have a load of stuff you can get involved in, as well as supplies available from our solidarity cupboard.
ACCESS INFORMATION
Visually Impaired and Low Sighted Access
We have audio description recordings available at the access station. We have created some multi sensory elements - such as our scent chambers - that will be available at the entrance to the site. We have sun glasses available at the access station on-site. We don’t have braille available.
Neurodivergent and Mental Health Access
We have fidget toys, quiet spaces, noise defenders, ear plugs, and resting places across site. We also have multi sensory elements such as our scent chambers and our sensory planting schemes across the garden. We are aware that some content in this exhibition is heavy, however, we have also included inspiring and uplifting content throughout. We encourage everyone to engage at their own pace and speak to a volunteer or duty manager if you need any support.
We have a quiet room where people can take time out if feeling overwhelmed and we welcome everyone to express themselves, move their bodies or respond to the world around them as they feel comfortable. Museum of Homelessness events and exhibitions usually have a qualified trauma conscious coach on the crew, please ask the Duty Manager if you need support.
Please let us know if we can do anything to make your visit more comfortable. You can contact samuel@museumofhomelessness.org with any access requirements.
Wheelchair and Mobility Access
Our outdoor and indoor spaces are accessible for wheelchair and powerchair users. Due to the narrow construction of the 1860s entrance the interior is not accessible for larger mobility scooters.
The path around the site is laid with hoggin, and is a little bumpy, but relatively easy to navigate in a wheelchair and is 1 metre wide. There is a slight incline towards the end of the meadow to the north of the site. The hoggin path is accessible for wheelchairs and powerchairs, but is not currently accessible to mobility scooters. There is seating scattered throughout the outdoor area, a hammock and a swing as places you can rest.
Gemma Lees’s Cold Comfort/Kushti Shillow is in a caravan that has a high entry with a step and narrow door. It won't be possible to go inside the caravan if you are a wheelchair user. For people with some but limited mobility it may be possible to go inside the caravan, and there will be a step up to the entrance. If you need help please do ask a volunteer or member of staff. The artwork is visible from outside the caravan through the door and windows also.
We have an accessible toilet and level access on the ground floor for all activities.
D/deaf and hard of hearing access
The exhibition is static with text panels and visual art. We will have captioning for group bookings and BSL interpretation available for group bookings on prior request.
Covid Safety and Precautions
A lot of the exhibition is outdoors. Inside, all rooms in the museum have HEPA grade air filters which operate at any time the site is in use, to reduce the risk of airborne infections. At our access station, there will be masks available to use and unscented hand sanitiser, if people wish to use them.
how to find museum of homelessness
Deliveries:
Please use the Endymion Road entrance to the park (contractors gate) and drive through the park with your hazards on at 12mph.
Email us: mail@museumofhomelessness.org
Parking:
There is unfortunately no on-site parking at the Museum. There is pay and display on-street parking in the residential streets surrounding Manor House between 08:30 and 18:30.