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:

In Performance: Fans of Theatre, Music and Dance
This exhibition (4 February–31 May 2025) showcases fans related to the performing arts. The theatre section highlights the popularity of Commedia dell’Arte, a 16th-century Italian theatre form with characters like Harlequin, Colombine and Pierrot. The dance section explores fans as dance accessories, instructional tools or souvenirs from various global dance forms. The music section features fans with musical themes, where instruments appear as motifs on the fan leaf or carved into the sticks. The exhibition blends diverse objects to create a thought-provoking display.

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.