Fan Museum

Opened in 1991, the Fan Museum is the first museum in the world dedicated to the hand fan. There are over 4,000 fans in the museum’s collection with an extensive collection of 18th and 19th-century European fans and the museum’s oldest fan dates back to the 10th century.

What to see at the Fan Museum

The museum’s permanent exhibitions occupy two rooms on the ground floor of the museum and give you a good introduction to the hand fan with displays about the history of fans, how they are made and the various types of fans. These displays include unmounted and extended European fans from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Temporary exhibitions at the Fan Museum

The museum also hosts a programme of temporary exhibitions that focus on a particular aspect of fans. Previous temporary exhibitions have included themed displays such as animals or birds and exhibitions of fans from specific historical periods.

Current and planned exhibitions include:

Birds of a Feather
This exhibition (until 13 September 2025) explores how birds have been used in fan design and construction. It includes fans featuring swallows, ducks, macaws and hummingbirds. The display also considers the craft of feather fan making and its ethical context. Highlights include an Argus Pheasant fan, several Ostrich feather fans and an 11th-century Peruvian example. Fixed fans with preserved birds are on loan from the Booth Museum of Natural History.

Visiting the Fan Museum

The Fan Museum is in a Georgian townhouse close to the centre of Greenwich, just a seven-minute walk to both Cutty Sark DLR station and Greenwich railway station (which has trains every 10 minutes from London Cannon Street and London Bridge stations).

There is free museum entry if you hold a valid London Pass or National Art Pass.