Over the next decade, we will be creating new gallery spaces and new ways for you to explore our unique collections. Our transformation has already begun with the closure of the museum until 29 July 2013. On partially reopening our redevelopment continues through to 2014 – the 100-year anniversary of the start of the First World War.

Claiming the lives of over 16 million people across the globe, the First World War changed the world forever and we live with its consequences today and to mark this landmark anniversary our redevelopment will transform the museum.

Using the latest historical research and our exceptional collections we will open new world-class First World War Galleries which will offer new stories, new perspectives and new ways of looking at the ‘Great War’. Our redesigned atrium will stretch over six floors. We will display the most iconic and unusual of our objects in this dramatic space to explore aspects of war from the First World War through to the present day. We are also opening new shops and a brand new café, which will open directly onto Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park.