A new permanent, interactive exhibition that has been designed to celebrate Britain's rock and pop music heritage has opened at The O2 in Greenwich, London.

London mayor Boris Johnson officially unveiled the British Music Experience (BME), which will open to the public today (9 March) and has taken four years to develop. The attraction will occupy a 22,000sq ft (2,044sq m) space on the top floor of the The O2's exhibition space, known as the The O2 bubble, offering visitors the chance to view more than 500 pieces of British music memorabilia, including Noel Gallagher's Epiphone Union Jack guitar, Roger Daltrey's Woodstock outfit and David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust costume.

In addition, visitors will be able to download music directly from the BME archive, while the fully-intergrated Gibson Interactive Studio will enable people to play various Gibson guitars, Baldwin pianos and Slingerland drums. The new attraction will use radio-frequency identification (RFID) that will enable visitors to use a 'smarticket' to access interactive content, as well as to register further interest in specific features.

An independent board of trustees, chaired by promoter Harvey Goldsmith, will manage the BME, which is sponsored by Gibson Guitars, Sennheiser, Getty Images, BBC Worldwide and PRS for Music. Paul Lilley has been appointed as the attraction's curator, while executive curator Bob Santelli has previously worked on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, US, and the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.

Goldsmith said: "In America they have a hall of fame for all their sports and entertainment. We don't have anything, until today, that reflects the rich history of fantastic talent that we continue to spawn, that's conquered the world. That's the prime reason we built the British Music Experience."