London Cartoon Museum move to Wells Street gets underway

By John Freeman on December 7, 2018

The Cartoon Museum’s Russell Street premises has now been emptied as the move begins to its new, permanent location in Wells Street. Image: Cartoon Museum

After 12 years at 35 Little Russell Street, London’s Cartoon Museum is moving to brand new premises at 63 Wells Street, London WC1 – very near Oxford Circus.

We previously reported on the reasons behind the move, which include a significant saving in terms of rent as well as more space. The Wells Street location is currently being transformed into a fully-formed museum, with galleries, a larger learning space and a larger shop, so the museum’s entire contents are being kept in storage nearby.

A design for the new Cartoon Museum in Wells Street, London

Plans for the new Cartoon Museum in Wells Street, London

“We hope to have everything ready for a grand opening in April 2019,” said a spokesperson for the Museum. “Our first headline exhibition will be ‘Comic Creators’, displaying a massive selection of the work we’ve acquired with our Heritage Lottery funding over the last four years – some of it exhibited for the very first time.

“And, of course, there will be a wide range of cartoon art on show in the rest of the new museum.”

Meanwhile the Cartoon Museum’s web presence is full operational, including its terrific Comic Creators Project UK site and Cartoon Museum blog, which has recently posted a timely two-part feature on Peanuts creator Charles M. Schultz here and here, given the exhibition of his works, Good Grief, Charlie Brown! currently at Somerset House, which runs until 3rd March 2019.

Cartoon Museum Online: www.cartoonmuseum.org | Facebook | Twitter | Comic Creators Project UK | Cartoon Museum blog

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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.