Kingston Museum has marked 120 years since it was opened to the public.
The museum, with its original collection, was unveiled by the Earl of Rosebery on Monday 31 October 1904 – but it was originally feared the museum would not open.
Despite being in the plans with the public library, the library’s cost meant no funding was left for the museum’s development. However, renowned industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie provided additional financial support to ensure the project was completed.
Now, the museum in Wheatfield Way continues to be a thriving cultural hub and a jewel in the borough’s heritage, with three permanent exhibitions: Ancient Origins, Town of Kings and Eadward Muybridge.
The exhibition on Muybridge – a pioneering photographer who was born and died in Kingston – has a Hollywood fan in Academy Award-winning actor Gary Oldman, who became the champion for the Muybridge collection earlier this month.
Open to everyone, the space also boasts a great selection of temporary exhibitions, the free and popular digital guide on the four community-led trails, a museum audio trail, videos, maps and more. A new exhibition, ‘K-Woman: Celebrating Korean Female Artists’, opened on Friday 22 November.
The museum also hosts Quirky Kingston tours, run by local resident and Kingston Tour Guides chair Julian McCarthy, which are packed with interesting titbits for the curious-minded.
Visit the Museum’s webpage www.kingstonheritage.org.uk/events