May 2018

This fascinating lecture focused on Italy as the bridge and dividing line, between the two Europes that emerged from the collapse of Roman power in the West in the Fifth Century AD. It illustrated the influences of the surviving Roman Empire centred at Constantinople (Istanbul) still visible in Italy, but examined the progressive alienation between the two Europes, in language, religion, politics, art and trade, and the creation of a rival concept of ‘Europe’ under Charlemagne; the schism between the Catholic and Orthodox churches; military attacks from the West against Eastern Christians; and the annexation of the Byzantine Eastern Mediterranean trade and territory by the Italian mercantile powers.

The talk asked, more widely, if a perception of the inferiority of eastern Christian culture still distorts modern attitudes to the countries of the Orthodox world. Can a relationship of mutual respect be established between East and West?

June 2018

Celebrating the Museum’s 30th Anniversary and raising money to secure our future
by generous permission of Baroness van Dedem

On this glorious sunny day, guest could:

• Listen to summer sounds from the Barnes Concert Band, playing a selection of musical arrangements of films, musicals, popular and classical music.
• Try their luck at our Champagne Raffle and Silent Auction to win prizes worth over £3000!
• Enter our Best Party Hat Competition—for children and adults.
• Have a go at creating their own party hat, or bring a favourite from home.
• Find out more about the Museum and its history: handle Museum objects and children can dress up like a Tudor.
• Meet local societies and charities who have worked with the Museum over the past 30 years.
• Relax in this beautiful garden sipping on your drink of choice and enjoy a delicious cake.

February 2018

Local architect and historian Paul Velluet traced the development of Richmond Queen’s Road Estate, Richmond – the Richmond Parish Lands – from the building of the Parish Workhouse in 1786 funded by King George III and Queen Charlotte to the present. He explored the complex history behind the master-planning and redevelopment of much of the Victorian estate in the 1970s and 1980s to create London and Quadrant’s estate of social housing and the building of sheltered housing nearby, and the exemplary design of the buildings and their landscaped setting by local architects Darbourne and Darke and others.

November 2017

In this fascinating talk in aid of the Museum, journalist, broadcaster (presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Any Answers) and local resident Anita Anand revealed the true story of this infamous and controversial diamond as told in her recently published book Koh-I-Noor (Bloomsbury 2017), which Anita co-authored with William Dalrymple.

June 2017

The Old Palace Lane Garden Party,  a fundraising event linked to our summer exhibition Old Palace Lane, took place in the beautiful riverside garden of Trumpeters House, Old Palace Yard, Richmond (by kind permission of Baroness Van Dedem)

Guests were able to listen to summer sounds from the Barnes Concert Band playing a selection of musical arrangements of films, musicals, popular and classical music, as well as enjoying tea, cake and sunshine.

March 2017

Historic Royal Palaces and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, have embarked on a fascinating conservation project which will see the Pagoda returned to its 18^th century splendour.

This talk covered the latest news on the story of how staff at Historic Royal Palaces have pieced together the story of the elusive dragons, missing from this remarkable building for over two centuries.  Why did they disappear and what are the problems in restoring them?  We learnt how the project team of specialist craftsmen will use the latest technology to ensure the new dragons are as faithful to the originals as possible.

February 2017

An audience of some one hundred listened to an interesting and informative talk on our local church. Aided by many maps, diagrams and images from both the past and the present, Paul took us expertly through the history of the church, beginning with a look at parallel evidence of other local churches like Petersham and St Nicholas, Thames Ditton,to give an idea of what a possible earlier church on the site might have looked like.He then went on to discuss the Tudor rebuilding in 1502/4 and the subsequent changes which have taken place since. These included the addition of galleries and their subsequent removal in 1904 when the chancel was also enlarged and in the 1930s. Throughout Paul linked the architectural development of the church with the changing social needs of the society it served.  He also gave us a preview of the current refurbishment project current refurbishment project which will accommodate aspects of modern life into the Richmond Church Community. 

November 2016

In November 2016, we were pleased to collaborate with our friends from the Kew Society and the Richmond Society on a fascinating talk from Melvyn Bragg,- Baron Bragg of Wigton – on ‘Writing in Kew’ The Jodrell Theatre at Kew was full for an engaging and humorous talk which ranged over a wide range of topics: Bragg’s relatively humble childhood in Wigton, Cumbria, where his parents ran a pub: the inspiration of libraries, books, school and studying history at Oxford for his writing:  his early career in the BBC and happy family life in Kew in the 1960s, where he wrote his first novel. Melvyn Bragg’s admission that he left Kew reluctantly to move to North London because he found the aircraft noise intolerable was received sympathetically by the local audience. Many of the friends he made during that time were present at the talk and Lord Bragg paid particular tribute to his friend, the late David Blomfield, President of the Richmond Local History Society, who had originally organised the talk as a patron of the Kew Society. Thanks to both the Kew and Richmond Societies for generously donating the proceeds from ticket sales to the Museum.

October 2016

One of Richmond’s many famous inhabitants was Richard, 7th Viscount Fitzwilliam of Merrion. Born in Fitzwilliam (later Pembroke) House on Richmond Green in 1745, he grew up to become a talented musician, collector and connoisseur. His family tomb is in Richmond churchyard, but his true memorial is Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum, the result of his generous bequest to that University of his entire collection of paintings, manuscripts, books and prints, along with funds to build a ‘good, substantial and convenient museum.’

In this talk, Dr Lucilla Burn will discussed Lord Fitzwilliam’s life and character and sketch the origins and growth of the Fitzwilliam Museum over the last 200 years.

Dr Lucilla Burn is Keeper of Antiquities and Assistant Director for Collections at the Fitzwilliam Museum, and a Fellow of Newnham College,Cambridge. Her interests include ancient Greek vases and terracottas and the history of collecting. 2016 saw the publication of her book ‘The Fitzwilliam Museum, a History’, the first detailed account of the Museum’s development, published to mark the Fitzwilliam’s bicentenary.