Sir Richard Allison designed the building now housing the museum. Construction of the East Block began in 1913 and was halted by World War I. It was the first building of a larger project that was never realized, and its galleries opened to the public in stages from 1919 to 1928. The Centre Block was completed in 1961 to 1963.
The Lower and Upper Wellcome Galleries were built in 1980, along with the infill of the East Block. The Wellcome Wing opened in 2000, and the museum now extends to Queen's Gate. The article names no architect for the wing. Visitors enter the main building from Exhibition Road.
The ground-floor Energy Hall holds steam engines, including the oldest surviving James Watt beam engine, and leads to the Wellcome Wing. The museum had 2,817,852 visitors in 2025. Admission is free, with a suggested donation, though temporary exhibitions may charge.
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