The Museum of Richmond in the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

is located in Richmond's Old Town Hall, close to Richmond Bridge. It was formally opened by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

on 28 October 1988. An independent

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

and a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

,It is registered with the

Charity Commission for England and Wales , type = Non-ministerial government department , seal = , seal_caption = , logo = Charity Commission for England and Wales logo.svg , logo_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , d ...

as charity number 295164.
it is supported by

Richmond upon Thames Borough Council Richmond upon Thames London Borough Council is the Local government, local authority for the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in London, the United Kingdom capital. Richm ...

. Hilda Clarke chairs the board of trustees; John Lee, Baron Lee of Trafford is deputy chair. Its curator (since February 2021) is Laura Irwin. The museum's permanent displays, from

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

times to the present day, relate to the history of Richmond,

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...

, Petersham and Ham which, until local government boundary changes in 1965, formed the

Municipal Borough of Richmond (Surrey) The Municipal Borough of Richmond or Richmond Municipal Borough was a municipal borough in Surrey, England from 1890 to 1965.

. Its temporary

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...

s, education activities and resources, and a programme of events (including events for families and children) cover the whole of the modern borough. The museum's highlights include: 16th-century glass from Richmond Palace; a model of Richmond Palace; and a painting, ''The Terrace and View from Richmond Hill, Surrey'' by Dutch draughtsman and painter

Leonard Knyff Leonard Knyff or Leendert Knijff (10 August 1650, Haarlem - April 1722, London) was a Dutch draughtsman and painter. He was the son of landscape painter Wouter Knijff and the brother of Jacob Knijff and left around 1681 from Holland to Engla ...

(1650–1722), which is part of the Richmond upon Thames Borough Art Collection. The museum publishes a quarterly newsletter and organises a programme of talks. Admission to the museum, which is open from Tuesdays to Saturdays, is free.

History

The museum was created in 1983 by local residents led by local historian

John Cloake John Cloake Hon. DLitt. (2 December 1924 – 9 July 2014) was a historian and author of several works mostly relating to the local history of Richmond upon Thames and surrounding areas. He was also a former United Kingdom diplomatic repr ...

(who was the museum's first chairman). Its first

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

(from 1987 to 1989) was Kate Thaxton.

Exhibitions

The museum's current exhibition, running from 27 September 2022 until May 2023, is ''Richmond Remembers: 100 Years of the

Poppy Factory The Poppy Factory is a factory in Richmond, London, England, where remembrance wreaths are made. It was founded in 1922 to offer employment opportunities to wounded soldiers returning from the First World War, creating remembrance poppies and ...

''. Its previous exhibitions include:

2020s

*2021–22 ''OT50 – Fifty Years of The Orange Tree Theatre''. Extracts from oral histories that accompanied the exhibition ar
available online
*2021 ''The King's Observatory: Richmond's Science Story'', about the history of the King's Observatory in

Old Deer Park Old Deer Park is an area of open space within Richmond, London, Richmond, owned by the Crown Estate, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. It covers of which are leased as sports grounds for sports, particularly rugby and ...

. An extended version of the exhibition i
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. As physical access to the museum was affected by government restrictions imposed during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, a digital version was also produced
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 *2018–19 ''Museum of Richmond 30th anniversary exhibition: 30 years, 30 people, 30 objects'' * 2018 ''Archaeology: Richmond's Prehistory'' * 2017–18 ''Poverty'' * 2017 ''Old Palace Lane: Medieval to Modern Richmond'' * 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 The Royal Star and Garter Home on Richmond Hill, in Richmond, London, was built between 1921 and 1924 to a design by Sir Edwin Cooper, based on a plan produced by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott in 1915, to provide accommodation and nursing facilitie ...

* 2015–16 ''The Battle of Britain 75 years on – Richmond Remembers the Second World War'' * 2014–15 ''1914–1918 Richmond at Home and at War: Local stories and their international links'', Richmond's experience of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

* 2014 ''Encountering the Unchartered and back – Three explorers: Ball, Vancouver and Burton'', telling the story of explorers

Henry Lidgbird Ball Henry Lidgbird Ball (7 December 1756 – 22 October 1818) was a Rear-Admiral in the Royal Navy of the British Empire. While Ball was best known as the commander of the First Fleet's , he was also notable for the exploration and the establishmen ...

George Vancouver Captain George Vancouver (22 June 1757 – 10 May 1798) was a British Royal Navy officer best known for his 1791–1795 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of what a ...

and Richard Burton and their connections with Richmond * 2013 ''Living and Dying in 19th Century Richmond'', exploring the lives of some of Richmond's 19th-century residents * 2012–13 ''The Building of a Borough'', showcasing building plans held in the

’ Local Studies Collection * 2012 ''Royal Minstrels to Rock and Roll: 500 years of music-making in Richmond'' * 2012 ''Happy and Glorious: popular Royal celebration and commemoration in Richmond * 2010–11 ''Richmond Theatre: Through the Stages'' * 2010 ''How the Vote Was Won: Art, Theatre and Women's Suffrage''

2000s

* 2009–10 ''Richmond – From Page to Screen'' * 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 Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

* 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 (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

* 2007 ''Trading in Human Lives: The Richmond Connection'', on Richmond and the slave trade * 2006–07 ''Men Remade: Paul Drury’s War in Richmond'', featuring the work of the 20th-century artist and printmaker

Paul Drury Paul Drury (14 October 1903 — 19 May 1987) was an artist and printmaker born Albert Paul Dalou Drury, the son of sculptor Alfred Drury. Early life Drury was born in Brockley, south London in 1903. He was educated at Bristol Grammar and Westminst ...

* 2006 ''A Rich Heritage'', featuring items from the borough's Local Studies Collection * 2005–06 ''Turner-Upon-Thames'', focusing on the period when the artist

J M W Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbule ...

lived in

Isleworth Isleworth ( ) is a town located within the London Borough of Hounslow in West London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane, London, River Crane. Isleworth's or ...

and in Twickenham * 2005 ''Barnes & Mortlake Past'', celebrating 50 years of the founding of

Barnes and Mortlake History Society Barnes () is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. It takes up the extreme north-east of the borough, and as such is the closest part of the borough to central London. It is centred west south ...

* 2004–05 ''Britflicks-on-Thames: Film Studios of the Borough and Beyond'' * 2004 ''The Sensational Miss Braddon'', about the author Mary Braddon who lived and died in Richmond * 2003 ''Without Exception'', a selection of original prints by

Thomas Rowlandson Thomas Rowlandson (; 13 July 175721 April 1827) was an English artist and caricaturist of the Georgian Era, noted for his political satire and social observation. A prolific artist and printmaker, Rowlandson produced both individual social an ...

of "The English

Dance of Death The ''Danse Macabre'' (; ) (from the French language), also called the Dance of Death, is an artistic genre of allegory of the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death. The ''Danse Macabre'' consists of the dead, or a personification of ...

" (1815–1816) * 2003 ''The Virgin Queen in Richmond'', marking the 400th anniversary of the death, at Richmond Palace, of Elizabeth I * 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'' * 2001–02 ''Richmond's River: Pictures of and inspired by the Thames in Richmond'' * 2000 ''From Canvas to Camera: George Hilditch 1803–1857''

1990s

* 1998–99 ''Arthur Hughes: The Last Pre-Raphaelite'', about the

Pre-Raphaelite The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...

artist Arthur Hughes, who died at his house on Kew Green in 1915 and is buried in Richmond Cemetery * 1997–98 ''Richmond Women Face to Face'', famous women who lived in Richmond * 1997 ''The Henry Doulton Legacy: 120 Years of Royal Doulton'' * 1997 ''The Best Years of Our Lives? Going to school in Richmond'' – reminiscences of Richmond school days * 1996–97 ''Spencer Gore in Richmond'', about the artist

Spencer Gore Spencer may refer to: People *Spencer (surname) **Spencer family, British aristocratic family **List of people with surname Spencer *Spencer (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia *Spencer, New So ...

who lived in Richmond and died there in 1914 * 1995–96 ''Past & Present: The Changing Face of Richmond'' * 1995 ''Going Shopping!'' * 1995 ''The Artist's Inspiration: Views of Richmond upon Thames'' The Poppy Factory's headquarters in Richmond, London

The Poppy Factory's headquarters in Richmond, London

* 1994–95 ''The Factory of Remembrance: The Poppy & the Royal British Legion

'' * 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 Augustin Heckel (1690–1770) was a painter, watch case engraver and draughtsman and also a flower painter in watercolours and gouache. Heckel was born to a family of goldsmiths in Augsburg, Germany. His career was in England, where he came as ...

* 1993 ''Richmond at War: The Civilian Experience 1939–45'' * 1992 ''Mr K: The legend of Edmund Kean'' * 1992 ''Farewell Ice-Rink'', marking the closure that year of

Richmond Ice Rink Richmond Ice Rink was an ice skating rink at Clevedon Road, Twickenham, formerly in Middlesex and now in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. When it opened, in 1928, it had the longest ice surface in any indoor rink in the world and it s ...

* 1991–92 ''Mr Rowlandson's Richmond: Thomas Rowlandson's Drawings of Richmond-upon-Thames'' * 1991 ''The Richmond Royal Horse Show'', an event held regularly in Richmond from 1892 to 1967 * 1991 ''Virginia Woolf and the Hogarth Press in Richmond''

1980s

* 1989 ''Pissarro in Richmond'', about

Camille Pissarro Jacob Abraham Camille Pissarro ( , ; 10 July 1830 – 13 November 1903) was a Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter born on the island of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, St Thomas (now in the US Virgin Islands, but t ...

and other artistic members of his family who lived in Kew and Richmond

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. * Robinson, Derek; Fowler, Simon (2017) ''Old Palace Lane: Medieval to Modern Richmond'', 44pp. Published jointly with the

Richmond Local History Society Richmond is a town in south-west London,The London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended) categorises the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as an Outer London borough. Although it is on both sides of the River Thames, the Boundary Commiss ...

. . A second edition (48pp; ) 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 OCLC, Inc., doing business as OCLC, See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was ...

143627273 * Boyes, Valerie (2007) ''Trading in Human Lives: The Richmond Connection'', 28pp. * Moses, John (2005) ''Turner-upon-Thames'', 13pp. * Roberts, Leonard and Wildman, Stephen (1999) ''Arthur Hughes: The Last Pre-Raphaelite'', 48pp. * Gore, Frederick (1996) ''Spencer Gore in Richmond: an exhibition at the Museum of Richmond 10 September 1996 to 25 January 1997'', 44pp. * Museum of Richmond (1994) ''Simplest Country Gentlefolk: Royal Family at Kew, 1727–1841'', 36pp. * Jeffree, Richard (1991) ''Mr Rowlandson's Richmond: Thomas Rowlandson's Drawings of Richmond-upon-Thames'', 89pp.

Patrons

Princess Alexandra is the museum's Royal Patron. Its other patrons are: author and broadcaster

Anita Anand Anita Anand (born May 20, 1967) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who serves as the minister of national defence since 2021. She has represented the riding of Oakville in the House of Commons since the 2019 federal election, sitting as ...

; broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough; businesswoman Ann Chapman-Daniel, Richmond hotelier Greville Dare; actor, novelist, screenwriter and film director

Julian Fellowes Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, (born 17 August 1949) is an English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, and a Conservative peer of the House of Lords. He is primarily known as the author of s ...

(Baron Fellowes of West Stafford); Lady Annabel Goldsmith; and broadcaster, writer and politician

Lord Watson of Richmond Alan John Watson, Baron Watson of Richmond (born 3 February 1941) is a UK-based broadcaster, Liberal Democrat politician and leadership communications consultant. Early life and education Lord Watson of Richmond is the son of the Rev. John ...

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 51.45884, -0.30653, type:landmark_region:GB, format=dms, display=title

Museum of Richmond The Museum of Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames is located in Richmond's Old Town Hall, close to Richmond Bridge. It was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 28 October 1988. An independent museum and a register ...

David Attenborough Charities based in London History museums in London Richmond, London History of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Local museums in London Museums established in 1988 Museums in Richmond upon Thames