Museum of Richmond

Museum of Richmond

Established	1988;37 years ago (1988)
Location	Old Town Hall, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond, London
Type	Local history museum
Collection size	More than 5000 objects
Founder	John Cloake
Chair of Trustees	Dr Nicola Mann
Curator	Gary Enstone
Public transit access	Richmond
Website	www.museumofrichmond.com

The museum is located at the Old Town Hall, Richmond.

A model of Richmond Palace is on permanent display at the museum.

This window glass fragment from Richmond Palace is in the museum's permanent display.

One of the museum's highlights is The Terrace and View from Richmond Hill, Surrey by Dutch draughtsman and painter Leonard Knyff (1650–1722).

The Museum of Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is located in Richmond's Old Town Hall, ^[1] close to Richmond Bridge. ^[2] It was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 28 October 1988. ^[3]

An independent museum and a registered charity, ^{[nb 1]} it is supported by Richmond upon Thames Borough Council. Dr Nicola Mann, who heads the Department of Communications & The Arts at Richmond American University London, chairs the board of trustees; John Lee, Baron Lee of Trafford, is deputy chair. ^[4] Gary Enstone is the museum's Curator and Executive Officer.

The museum's permanent displays, from medieval times to the present day, relate to the history of Richmond, Kew, Petersham and Ham which, until local government boundary changes in 1965, formed the Municipal Borough of Richmond (Surrey). Its temporary exhibitions, ^[5] education activities and resources, ^[6] and a programme of events (including events for families and children) ^{[7] [8] [9]} cover the whole of the modern borough. The museum's highlights include: 16th-century glass from Richmond Palace; a model of Richmond Palace; ^[10] and a painting, The Terrace and View from Richmond Hill, Surrey by Dutch draughtsman and painter Leonard Knyff (1650–1722), which is part of the Richmond upon Thames Borough Art Collection. ^[11]

The museum organises a programme of talks. ^{[7] [12]} Admission to the museum, which is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays, is free. ^[13]

History

The museum was created in 1983 by local residents led by local historian John Cloake (who was the museum's first chairman). ^{[3] [14] [15] [16] [17]} Its first curator (from 1987 to 1989) was Kate Thaxton. ^[18]

Exhibitions

The museum's current exhibition, which opened in July 2024 and is scheduled to continue until March 2025, is Wish You Were Here: From Horace Walpole to Ted Lasso. ^[19]

The museum's previous exhibitions include:

2020s

• 2023–24 Artificial Silk: From Kew to the World ^[20]
• 2022–23 Richmond Remembers: 100 Years of the Poppy Factory ^[21]
• 2021–22 OT50 – Fifty Years of the Orange Tree Theatre . ^{[22] [23] [24]} Extracts from oral histories that accompanied the exhibition are available online.
• 2021 The King's Observatory: Richmond's Science Story, about the history of the King's Observatory in Old Deer Park. ^[22] An extended version of the exhibition is available online.
• 2020–21 Queen's Road: 500 Years of History, about Queen's Road, Richmond, a historic road that runs from Sheen Road to the top of Richmond Hill. ^[25] As physical access to the museum was affected by government restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, a digital version was also produced. ^[26] The online version is still available.

2010s

• 2019–20 Celebrating 800 years of St. Mary Magdalene at the heart of Richmond, about Richmond's historic parish church ^[27]
• 2018–19 Museum of Richmond 30th anniversary exhibition: 30 years, 30 people, 30 objects ^{[28] [29]}
• 2018 Archaeology: Richmond's Prehistory ^[30]
• 2017–18 Poverty ^[31]
• 2017 Old Palace Lane: Medieval to Modern Richmond ^[32]
• 2016–17 The Royal Star & Garter: 100 Years of Care, marking the centenary of the founding, in Richmond, of the first Star and Garter Home ^{[33] [34]}
• 2015–16 The Battle of Britain 75 years on – Richmond Remembers the Second World War ^[22]
• 2014–15 1914–1918 Richmond at Home and at War: Local stories and their international links, Richmond's experience of the First World War ^{[35] [36]}
• 2014 Encountering the Unchartered and back – Three explorers: Ball, Vancouver and Burton, ^[17] telling the story of explorers Henry Lidgbird Ball, George Vancouver and Richard Burton and their connections with Richmond ^[37]
• 2013 Living and Dying in 19th Century Richmond, exploring the lives of some of Richmond's 19th-century residents ^{[2] [38]}
• 2012–13 The Building of a Borough, showcasing building plans held in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames’ Local Studies Collection
• 2012 Royal Minstrels to Rock and Roll: 500 years of music-making in Richmond ^{[39] [40]}
• 2012 Happy and Glorious: popular Royal celebration and commemoration in Richmond ^[41]
• 2010–11 Richmond Theatre: Through the Stages ^{[22] [42]}
• 2010 How the Vote Was Won: Art, Theatre and Women's Suffrage ^[43]

2000s

• 2009–10 Richmond – From Page to Screen ^[44]
• 2009 From Henry VII to Henry VIII, marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry VII at Richmond Palace and the accession to the throne of his son Henry VIII ^[45]
• 2007 The Two Richmonds – A Celebration of their Twinning, marking the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown and the twinning relationship of Richmond, Surrey and Richmond, Virginia ^[46]
• 2007 Trading in Human Lives: The Richmond Connection, on Richmond and the slave trade ^{[47] [48]}
• 2006–07 Men Remade: Paul Drury's War in Richmond, ^[22] featuring the work of the 20th-century artist and printmaker Paul Drury
• 2006 A Rich Heritage, featuring items from the borough's Local Studies Collection ^[5]
• 2005–06 Turner-Upon-Thames, focusing on the period when the artist J. M. W. Turner lived in Isleworth and in Twickenham ^[22]
• 2005 Barnes & Mortlake Past, celebrating 50 years of the founding of Barnes and Mortlake History Society ^{[18] [49]}
• 2004–05 Britflicks-on-Thames: Film Studios of the Borough and Beyond ^[50]

Mary Braddon

• 2004 The Sensational Miss Braddon, about the author Mary Braddon who lived and died in Richmond and is best known for her 1862 sensation novel Lady Audley's Secret ^[51]
• 2003 Without Exception, a selection of original prints by Thomas Rowlandson of "The English Dance of Death" (1815–1816) ^[52]
• 2003 The Virgin Queen in Richmond, marking the 400th anniversary of the death, at Richmond Palace, of Elizabeth I ^[53]
• 2002 The Fight To Save The View, marking the 100th anniversary of the Richmond, Petersham and Ham Open Spaces Act which has protected the view from Richmond Hill
• 2002 Stage by Stage: Richmond's Theatrical Heritage, ^[54] looking at theatres in Richmond since the Elizabethan era
• 2001–02 Richmond's River: Pictures of and inspired by the Thames in Richmond ^[55]
• 2000 From Canvas to Camera: George Hilditch 1803–1857 ^[18]

1990s

Self-portrait of the artist Arthur Hughes

• 1998–99 Arthur Hughes: The Last Pre-Raphaelite, ^{[22] [56]} about the Pre-Raphaelite artist Arthur Hughes, who died at his house on Kew Green in 1915 and is buried in Richmond Cemetery ^[57]
• 1997–98 Richmond Women Face to Face, famous women who lived in Richmond ^[58]
• 1997 The Henry Doulton Legacy: 120 Years of Royal Doulton ^[59]
• 1997 The Best Years of Our Lives? Going to school in Richmond – reminiscences of Richmond school days ^[59]
• 1996–97 Spencer Gore in Richmond, about the artist Spencer Gore who lived in Richmond and died there in 1914 ^{[60] [61]}
• 1995–96 Past & Present: The Changing Face of Richmond ^[62]
• 1995 Going Shopping! ^[62]
• 1995 The Artist's Inspiration: Views of Richmond upon Thames ^[62]

The Poppy Factory's headquarters in Richmond

Self-portrait of the artist Spencer Gore

• 1994–95 The Factory of Remembrance: The Poppy & the Royal British Legion Poppy Factory ^[22]
• 1994 Father & Son: The Art of Roland & Bernard Batchelor
• 1994 'Simplest Country Gentlefolk': The Royal Family at Kew 1727–1841
• 1993–94 Prospects About Richmond: mid-18th century drawings and prints by Augustin Heckel ^[63]
• 1993 Richmond at War: The Civilian Experience 1939–45 ^[18]
• 1992 Mr K: The legend of Edmund Kean, actor-manager of the original Richmond Theatre on Richmond Green from 1831 until his death in 1833. Kean is buried at Richmond's historic parish church, St Mary Magdalene. ^[64]
• 1992 Farewell Ice-Rink, marking the closure that year of Richmond Ice Rink
• 1991–92 Mr Rowlandson's Richmond: Thomas Rowlandson's Drawings of Richmond-upon-Thames
• 1991 The Richmond Royal Horse Show, ^[65] an event held regularly in Richmond from 1892 to 1967 ^[66]
• 1991 Virginia Woolf and the Hogarth Press in Richmond

1980s

French painter Camille Pissarro's impression of Kew Green in 1892

• 1989 Pissarro in Richmond, about Camille Pissarro and other artistic members of his family who lived in Kew and Richmond ^{[18] [67]}

Publications

The museum's publications include:

• Robinson, Derek (2019) The Richmond Vicars: the ministers of St Mary Magdalene and their role in the community, 106pp. ISBN   978-0951-854921
• Robinson, Derek; Fowler, Simon (2017) Old Palace Lane: Medieval to Modern Richmond, 44pp. Published jointly with the Richmond Local History Society. ISBN   978-0955071799. A second edition (48pp; ISBN   978-1912-314027) was published in 2020.
• Boyes, Valerie (ed.) (2014) Encountering the Uncharted and Back – three explorers: Ball, Vancouver and Burton, 24pp.
• Boyes, Valerie (with contributions from Govett, John) (2013) Living and Dying in 19th Century Richmond, 25pp.
• Boyes, Valerie (with contributions from Cloake, John and Paytress, Mark) (2012) Royal Minstrels to Rock and Roll: 500 years of music-making in Richmond, 28pp.
• Boyes, Valerie (ed.) (2009) Richmond on Page and Screen, 36pp.
• Moses, John; Cloake, John (2007) The Two Richmonds: a celebration of their twinning, the American connection, 14pp. OCLC 143627273 ^[68]
• Boyes, Valerie (2007) Trading in Human Lives: The Richmond Connection, 28pp.
• Moses, John (2005) Turner-upon-Thames, 13pp.
• Roberts, Leonard; Wildman, Stephen (1999) Arthur Hughes: The Last Pre-Raphaelite, 48pp. ISBN   978-1851-493173
• Gore, Frederick (1996) Spencer Gore in Richmond: an exhibition at the Museum of Richmond 10 September 1996 to 25 January 1997, 44pp. ISBN   0951-854917 ^[69]
• Museum of Richmond (1994) Simplest Country Gentlefolk: Royal Family at Kew, 1727–1841, 36pp. ISBN   978-0951-854914
• Jeffree, Richard (1991) Mr Rowlandson's Richmond: Thomas Rowlandson's Drawings of Richmond-upon-Thames, 89pp. ISBN   0951-854909

Patrons

Princess Alexandra, the museum's Royal Patron

Princess Alexandra is the museum's royal patron. ^{[4] [70] [71]} Its other patrons are: author and broadcaster Anita Anand; broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough; ^{[4] [72]} businesswoman Ann Chapman-Daniel; ^[4] Richmond hotelier Greville Dare; ^{[3] [4] [73]} Lady Annabel Goldsmith; ^[4] and broadcaster, writer and politician Lord Watson of Richmond. ^[4]

See also

• John Cloake
• Orleans House Gallery
• Richmond Local History Society
• Twickenham Museum

Notes

1. The museum is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales as charity number 295164.
   "The Museum of Richmond". Charity profile. Charities Aid Foundation . Retrieved 23 February 2024.

References

1. "Old Town Hall". London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
2. Gooch, Tracey (11 April 2013). "Museum Review – Museum of Richmond upon Thames". Please don't touch the dinosaurs. Free entry. Retrieved 22 July 2018.
3. "History". Museum of Richmond. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
4. "People". Museum of Richmond. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
5. Farquharson, Hannah (7 April 2006). "Elizabeth I letter among museum gems". Richmond and Twickenham Times . Retrieved 24 December 2023.
6. "Richmond at Home and at War" (PDF). Museum of Richmond. 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
7. Dyduch, Amy (9 February 2014). "Month of fun lined up at Richmond Museum". Richmond and Twickenham Times . Retrieved 19 September 2023.
8. Dyduch, Amy (20 November 2013). "Museum of Richmond marks 25th anniversary". Richmond and Twickenham Times . Retrieved 24 December 2023.
9. Odling, George (26 June 2014). "Richmond meets the Romans during Festival of British Archaeology". Wimbledon Guardian. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
10. Oldham, Lucy (10 September 2004). "Making sure the past has a future". Richmond and Twickenham Times . Retrieved 24 December 2023.
11. "The Terrace and View from Richmond Hill, Surrey". Art UK . Retrieved 24 December 2023.
12. Proto, Laura (7 March 2015). "New book and talk detail lives of 18th century Richmond family". Richmond and Twickenham Times . Retrieved 24 December 2023.
13. "Museum of Richmond". Visit London. London & Partners . Retrieved 24 October 2019.
14. Mason, Jennifer (October 2013). "Five minutes with... Bamber Gascoigne". Residents' Journal (6): 21. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
15. Bell, Sarah (9 January 2004). "Profile: Local historian John Cloake". Richmond and Twickenham Times . Retrieved 17 July 2014.
16. Dyduch, Amy (18 July 2014). "Museum of Richmond founder John Cloake has died, aged 89". Richmond and Twickenham Times . Retrieved 24 September 2014.
17. Mason, Jennifer (January 2014). "A snapshot of history". Residents' Journal (RWPB) (9): 24–25. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
18. 30 years, people, objects and memories. Museum of Richmond. 2018.
19. "Wish You Were Here: From Horace Walpole to Ted Lasso". Museum of Richmond. June 2024. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
20. Mansfield, Ian (June 2023). "Artificial Silk: From Kew to the World". Ian Visits. ISSN   2753-7846 . Retrieved 18 December 2024.
21. "Museum of Richmond presents 100-year story of The Poppy Factory". The Poppy Factory . 30 September 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
22. "Past Exhibitions". Museum of Richmond. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
23. "50 Years of the Orange Tree Theatre – Museum of Richmond". Society for Theatre Research. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
24. Pollard, Mary (March 2022). "Interview: 50 Years of the Orange Tree Theatre". Everything Theatre. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
25. Kellie, Susie (30 December 2019). "Queens Road to be celebrated and featured in exhibition at the Museum of Richmond/". Richmond and Twickenham Times . Retrieved 18 December 2024.
26. "Virtual tour – Queen's Road: 500 Years of History". Museum of Richmond. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
27. "Museum of Richmond exhibition: Celebrating 800 years of St Mary Magdalene at the heart of Richmond". Richmond Local History Society . Retrieved 28 September 2022.
28. "Museum of Richmond 30th anniversary exhibition". Richmond Local History Society. 20 October 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
29. Mehta, Amar (30 August 2018). "Museum of Richmond celebrate 30 years". Richmond and Twickenham Times . Retrieved 21 June 2023.
30. "Archaeology: Richmond's Prehistory". Museums of the World. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
31. "Poverty exhibition at the Museum of Richmond". Richmond Local History Society . 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
32. "Old Palace Lane exhibition at the Museum of Richmond". Richmond Local History Society. 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
33. "Veterans' Charity Centenary Book & Richmond Exhibition" (Press release). Royal Star and Garter Homes. 1 November 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
34. Bloks, Moniek (30 November 2016). "Princess Alexandra opens The Royal Star & Garter Homes and the Museum of Richmond exhibition". Royal Central. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
35. Dyduch, Amy (7 August 2014). "Museum of Richmond launches World War One exhibition". Richmond and Twickenham Times . Retrieved 2 June 2023.
36. Proto, Laura (20 August 2014). "World War I exhibition comes together, thanks to sterling work of community". Richmond Guardian . Retrieved 2 June 2023.
37. "Programme of Films, Talks and Events January – April 2014" (PDF). Museum of Richmond. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
38. "Living and Dying in 19th Century Richmond". Exhibition. Museum of Richmond. 2013. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
39. "Royal Minstrels to Rock and Roll". The Barnes Magazine. 3 August 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
40. "Royal Minstrels to Rock and Roll: 500 years of Music-Making in Richmond". Time Out London . 20 June 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
41. "Exhibition News: Happy and Glorious: popular Royal celebration and commemoration in Richmond 4 February – 23 June 2012" (PDF). The Herald: 4. January–April 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
42. "Loans to National and Local Museums" (PDF). Newsletter (2). White Lodge Museum and Ballet Resource Cedntre, Royal Ballet School. Autumn 2010. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
43. "How the vote was won". www.thesuffragettes.org. 2010. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
44. Gore, Will (2 October 2009). "Richmond is a literary inspiration". Richmond and Twickenham Times . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
45. "Exhibitions" (PDF). Funding our future in the 21st century. Museum of Richmond. 2009. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
46. Newstead, Sarah (27 May 2007). "Richmond celebrates with its own twin town". Richmond and Twickenham Times . Retrieved 5 May 2023.
47. Guthrie, Babs (3 May 2007). "Stories Of Slave Trade Richmond". Painting and Drawing. Culture24 . Retrieved 24 September 2014.
48. Taylor, Helen (12 July 2007). "Richmond's role explained". Richmond and Twickenham Times . Retrieved 5 May 2023.
49. Hedgcock, Murray (31 May 2005). "Barnes makes Richmond's pageant richer". The Times . Retrieved 22 February 2024.
50. "Britflicks-on-Thames". News. Film London. 27 December 2004. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
51. "Museum looks into life of sensational author". Richmond and Twickenham Times . 9 January 2004. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
52. "Drawing on characters of Regency times". Richmond and Twickenham Times . 15 August 2003. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
53. "Diary of Engagements of Princess Alexandra". Engagements. The British Monarchy. 5 February 2003. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
54. "Exhibitions (April 26)". News Shopper . 26 April 2002. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
55. "Exhibitions". News Shopper . 21 December 2001. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
56. "Successful art show nears end". Richmond and Twickenham Times . 20 February 2009. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
57. "People of historical note buried in the borough A to L". Local Studies Library. London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. 21 June 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
58. "Abigail moving down to Hove". Richmond and Twickenham Times . 17 January 1998. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
59. The Herald, September to December 1996, vol. 14, Museum of Richmond, p. 3
60. Upstone, Robert (May 2009). The Camden Town Group in Context: Spencer Gore Richmond Park c.1914. Tate Gallery. ISBN   9781849763851 . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
61. "Spencer Gore in Richmond". Exhibitions. British Council. 1996. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
62. Museum of Richmond Bulletin, January to April 1995, p. 3
63. Prospects about Richmond. Museum of Richmond. 1993. OCLC   686482608 . Retrieved 27 February 2021– via Yale University Library Catalog.
64. "Local history note – Edmund Kean at Richmond". London Borough of Richmond upon Thames . 29 June 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
65. Houghton, Joy (1991). The Richmond Royal Horse Show: Reflections of a Devotee. Museum of Richmond.
66. Roberts, Val (May 2007). "Richmond Royal Horse Show". Richmond History: Journal of the Richmond Local History Society . 28: 51–63.
67. Clement, Russell T.; Houzé, Annick (1999). Neo-impressionist Painters: A Sourcebook on Georges Seurat, Camille Pissarro ... Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. p. 219. ISBN   978-0-313-30382-1.
68. Moses, John; Cloake, John (2007). The two Richmonds: a celebration of their twinning, the American connection. WorldCat. OCLC   143627273.
69. "Spencer Gore in Richmond". Yale Center for British Art . Retrieved 2 June 2023.
70. "Princess agrees to be patron of museum". News Shopper . 4 April 2003. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
71. "HRH Princess Alexandra enjoys a visit to the Museum of Richmond" (PDF) (Press release). Museum of Richmond. 29 July 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
72. "Art-Deco Richmond". The Barnes Magazine. 8 April 2013. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
73. "New patron for the Museum". Museum of Richmond Newsletter. May 2015.

External links

• Official website

51°27′32″N0°18′24″W / 51.45884°N 0.30653°W / 51.45884; -0.30653