The group comprises; the Museum of London at London Wall in the City of London; the Museum in Docklands on West India Quay, near Canary Wharf, just to the east of the City; the Museum of London Archaeology Service (MoLAS); and the London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre, (LAARC) located in Mortimer Wheeler House in Hackney.

The Museum of London was established in 1975, by the merger of the London Museum and the Guildhall Museum. The Museum is jointly funded by the Greater London Authority (as of 6 April 2008) and the City of London Corporation. It is governed by the Museum of London Acts, 1965 and 1986.

The Museum is recognised as an exempt charity under the provisions of Schedule 2 of the Charities Act 1993.