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The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration opens in London and it’s a dream day out for book-loving families

The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration opens in London and it’s a dream day out for book-loving families

The UK’s first museum dedicated to illustration has opened in Clerkenwell, with galleries, gardens and a free library.

Photograph: Benedict Johnson, 2026

Ruairidh Pritchard

Published: June 4, 2026 at 11:01 AM

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London has a brand new cultural gem for families who grew up on Roald Dahl, Moomins and beautifully illustrated bedtime stories. The Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration has officially opened in Clerkenwell, becoming the UK’s first permanent public home dedicated entirely to illustration.

More than 20 years in the making, the Centre is the world’s largest space devoted to illustration. Alongside three exhibition galleries, there’s a free public library, landscaped gardens, a café and community spaces, making it an inspiring day out whether you have a toddler in tow or a big kid who loves to draw.

Here’s what parents need to know before planning a visit.

What is the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration?

Set within a restored 18th and 19th century waterworks at New River Head, the Centre blends historic architecture with bright, welcoming spaces. The redevelopment, led by Tim Ronalds Architects, keeps much of the site’s industrial character.

The former Engine House is now home to the UK’s first dedicated public illustration library. The Boiler House has been transformed into a light-filled café overlooking newly landscaped gardens.

It’s designed to be more than a traditional museum. As well as ticketed exhibitions, there are free areas for families to explore, including reading spaces and outdoor spots for children to stretch their legs. From 2027, the Centre also plans to resume touring exhibitions across the UK, alongside programmes for schools and community groups.

A free illustration library families will love

One of the biggest draws for parents is the public library, which is completely free to enter. It’s stocked with more than 1,000 picture books, graphic novels and zines.

You’ll find Quentin Blake’s own much-loved titles alongside classics such as Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are and Tove Jansson’s Moomin stories. There are also works by contemporary illustrators from around the world, making it a brilliant place to introduce children to new artists.

A rotating display of original artworks highlights contemporary illustration, with printmaker Sophy Hollington the first featured artist.

For rainy half-term afternoons, it could quickly become a go-to London hideaway.

Don’t miss Quentin Blake’s new mural

The on-site café is operated by east London favourite Deeney’s and opens onto a south-facing terrace overlooking the gardens, ideal for a post-gallery hot chocolate.

Inside, you’ll find Blake’s new mural, A Bridge to the Past (2026), stretching almost five metres across one wall. The work imagines a bridge across the New River, populated by figures from different eras.

Speaking about the imagined structure, Blake said: “It does not actually exist, but I needed one to act as a bridge to the past.”

It does not actually exist, but I needed one to act as a bridge to the past.

Quentin Blake

It’s a lovely visual metaphor for parents sharing the stories they grew up with, now passed down to a new generation.

What exhibitions can you see?

There are three paid exhibitions launching the Centre, each offering something slightly different for families with older children and teens.

Quentin Blake: Performance

Running until April 2027, Performance explores how theatre has shaped Blake’s nearly 80-year career. The exhibition features more than 100 original works, many never previously displayed.

Highlights include Blake’s opening-night sketches of Laurence Olivier in The Entertainer, illustrations of Shakespeare and Samuel Beckett, and original drawings for The Enormous Crocodile. That famously toothy character was inspired by the crocodile in Victorian Punch and Judy shows.

Parents who have read Blake’s books countless times will enjoy seeing preparatory sketches, pasted-up layouts and watercolour studies that reveal how his stories came together behind the scenes.

MURUGIAH: Ever Feel Like…

Until 31 August 2026, the Centre’s lower gallery hosts the first solo exhibition by British-Sri Lankan artist MURUGIAH.

A riot of colour, the show brings together paintings, sculptures, animations and commercial commissions inspired by his Sri Lankan heritage, Welsh upbringing and childhood spent playing Nintendo and listening to pop-punk.

It’s bold, energetic and likely to resonate with teens and creative tweens.

Queer as Comics

Occupying the largest exhibition space until 4 October 2026, Queer as Comics is the UK’s first major exhibition on queer comic-making.

Spanning more than 70 years of LGBTQIA+ storytelling, it features work from Tove Jansson’s Moomin strips to Tom of Finland's Initiation into the Brotherhood (1946), alongside material from influential comics anthologies including Tits & Clits, Gay Heartthrobs and Dyke's Delight.

For parents of older children, it offers an opportunity to explore how illustration has shaped cultural conversations over decades.

Is it suitable for younger children?

While some exhibitions are better suited to older kids, the wider Centre has plenty to offer families with younger ones. The free library, gardens and welcoming café make it an easy cultural stop without the pressure of a full museum visit.

The landscaped outdoor spaces connect different parts of the site, including the Windmill Base, London’s oldest surviving windmill, which will host changing displays created in collaboration with illustrators and local communities.

Whether you’re rediscovering the books you loved as a child or introducing Quentin Blake to your own little readers for the first time, this new London opening feels like a joyful celebration of storytelling in all its forms.

Authors

Ruairidh PritchardDigital Growth Lead

Ruairidh is the Digital Lead on MadeForMums. He works with a team of fantastically talented content creators and subject-matter experts on MadeForMums.