If your child is learning about ancient Egypt in school, you might be wondering how you can bring those incredible lessons to life. Well, London might not have its own pyramids, but what it does have are a number of ways to help bring ancient Egyptian history to life for your child. London isn’t just red buses and military pageantry, it’s also home to mummies, sarcophagi and a range of Egyptian artefacts and history. In this post, we provide you with a list of things to do in London with kids who are learning about ancient Egypt in school, helping you to support and encourage their learning.
Permanent things to see and do
The British Museum’s Egyptian collection
The British Museum houses, amongst other things, a large collection of impressive ancient Egyptian artefacts. The superstar here is the Rosetta Stone – the key that helped scholars crack the code of Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Amongst their other treasures are wall paintings from Nebamun’s tomb that bring ancient Egyptian daily life to colourful life, real mummies, coffins, funerary masks, and objects that were buried with ancient Egyptians.
The British Museum’s Egyptian galleries are extensive and provide insights into ancient Egyptian culture, including exhibits on daily life, religious practices, and burial customs.
The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology
If you are looking for the best bang for your buck (or Egyptian pound), then the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology is the place to get it. This small museum was set up as a teaching resource for the Department of Egyptian Archaeology and Philology at University College London but their collection contains over 80,000 Egyptian artefacts. Although a university museum, it is open to the general public.
The collection includes the world’s oldest dress, the first worked iron beads in Egypt, and a collection of stunning mummy portraits. It is one of the largest collections of Egyptian antiquities outside of Egypt.
Sir John Soane’s Museum
The Sir John Soane’s Museum in Holborn isn’t your ordinary museum – it’s a house (well, three really) packed with thousands of amazing treasures, including some very cool Egyptian artefacts, including the sarcophagus of Pharaoh Seti I, which Is John Soane collected during his travels.
As a famous architect and passionate collector, Soane transformed his own home into a museum.He was so dedicated to sharing knowledge that in 1833, he actually got a law passed to ensure his incredible collection would be preserved exactly as he arranged it, and kept free for people to visit and be inspired.
Today, over 100,000 people each year explore this unique space, stepping into a world where ancient Egyptian treasures sit alongside architectural models and artwork in creatively arranged rooms.
Cleopatra’s Needle and sphinxes
Situated on Victoria Embankment, just across from Victoria Embankment Gardens and flanked by two sphinxes is Cleopatra’s Needle. This obelisk is one of a pair of obelisks that were made in what is now Cairo between the 16th and 11th Century BC. It and its twin (which is now located in New York’s Central Park, just outside the main building of the Metropolitan Museum of Art) stood in Alexandria for almost two millennia before being moved to their current locations.
The London needle was presented to the United Kingdom in 1819 as a gift and it was transported in 1877 to London, where it was placed on the newly completed Victoria Embankment.
The pedestal upon which the obelisk is sat, and the right hand Sphinx were damaged by fragments of a bomb that was dropped during World War I in the first air raid on London by German planes, which took place just before midnight on 4 September 1917.
Top tip: Take a look at the benches on the Victoria Embankment. Those in the City of Westminster feature sphinxes, while those in the City of London are in the design of camels.
Temporary things to see and do
Making Egypt at the Young V&A
Open from Saturday 15 February 2025, the Making Egypt exhibition at the Young V&A will take you on a journey through the ancient past to modern day, exploring how stories and images of ancient Egypt continue to influence art, design and popular culture today.
Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition
Tutankhamun: The Immersive Exhibition will run from 28 March – 29 June 2025.
This new exhibition features a number of rooms, combining virtual and augmented reality metaverse experiences with Egyptian artefacts.
Expect wall and floor visuals of ancient Egyptian civilisation and the story of Tutankhamun, a world-premiere hologram showcasing the mummification process, and an augmented reality walk through of the valley of the kings, exploring Howard Carter’s base camp and reliving the moment of the 1922 discovery in its full glory.
If you have experienced ancient Egypt in London, let us know what you did and how you found it!
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