Africa’s largest mask, George Washington’s false teeth, a marine iguana from Darwin’s expedition to the Galapagos Islands and the purse of the suffragette who threw herself under King George V’s horse. There are all in London and from tomorrow just a train ride away.

10 museums and galleries have joined forces to form CultureLine celebrating the linking of the East End communities via the new extended London Overground Line. Events are taking place throughout the weekend.

The East London Line which connects Dalston to New Cross and West Croydon will eventually form a new orbital route around the capital via Clapham Junction. The new line officially opens tomorrow.

Visitor numbers are expected to rise with the added accessibility making previously obscure out of the way galleries and attractions just walking distance from a stop.

Lesser known treasures like The Women’s Library, Museum of Croydon and The Royal Hospital Museum offer Londoners a rich alternative to the traditional city central tourist traps, Wesley's Chapel in Shoreditch for example, or the Crystal Palace Museum.

"The East London Line is a great opportunity for the museums in Hackney to share the stories of past and present with new visitors,” says Kim Wright Corporate Director for Community Services at Hackney Council.

It also gives our regular visitors a much easier journey to visit some of the real gems of history along the line.” 

"The venues also range from the family-friendly exhibitions and gardens of the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill to elegant English domestic interiors at the Geffrye Museum in Shoreditch and an international programme of contemporary and 20th century art at the Whitechapel Gallery.

Thanks to the new line, travel from the Geffrye Museum to the Horniman Museum now takes less than 30 minutes.

"The Line has opened up the Horniman to new communities and we look forward to welcoming many new visitors”, says Janet Vitmayer, Chief Executive of the Horniman Museum. "Frederick Horniman sought to bring the world to Forest Hill and the opening of the Culture Line brings visitors from all over the world closer to the Horniman”.

Click here to see the full programme of events http://www.cultureline.org.uk/