Tunbridge Wells Museum and Art Gallery

Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery shares the special story of the Borough of Tunbridge Wells through fantastic collections of art, natural history, archaeology, craft, toys and so much more. It is a fascinating tale beginning with the discovery of the spa waters in 1606 – eventually giving birth to the Georgian ‘den of iniquity’ which would later become the byword for Victorian respectability.

The collection itself began in 1885 when the ‘Literary and Scientific Society’ began displaying their collections on The Pantiles. However, it was not until the 1950s that the bespoke neo-Georgian building was completed, which currently houses the Museum & Art Gallery along with the local library. The building is largely as it was originally built, save for an accessibility refurbishment in 2013 which added a lift and new way-finding.

The Museum & Gallery holds collections of regional and national importance, including the world’s largest collection of Tunbridge Ware, a large toy collection dating back to the 1700s, and one of the best Georgian portrait collections outside of London.

The story of Kent’s spa town is featured throughout, highlighting the decadence of the manor house and the Spartan lifestyle of the humble hop-picker.

All of this is complemented by a regular calendar of special exhibitions in the Art Gallery, which range from displays of modern or classical art to history and science. Each exhibition strives to show the best of the world to Tunbridge Wells, and the best of Tunbridge Wells to the world.

Steyning Museum

There has been a castle in Bramber since the time of William the Conqueror. Steyning church was founded by a Saxon saint – with a very strange story. Upper Beeding grew around a Benedictine priory but who built the fantasy French chateau?

See what a fascinating place this is, lying across ancient chalk-downland tracks in West Sussex, with timber-framed houses and flint churches. There will be a warm welcome for you at the museum. We are independently run by volunteers, for the community, and admission is free.

Orleans House Gallery

Orleans House was a Palladian villa built by the architect John James in 1710 near the Thames at Twickenham, England, for the politician and diplomat James Johnston. It was subsequently named after the Duc d’Orléans who stayed there in the early 19th century. By the early 20th century it was derelict and in 1926 it was mostly demolished. However, parts of the property, including a baroque octagonal room designed by architect James Gibbs, were preserved. The octagon room and its service wing are listed Grade I by Historic Englan, and, together, with a converted stable block, are now the Orleans House Gallery, a gallery of artrelating to the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and neighbouring areas of London.^[3][4][5]

Haslemere Educational Museum

An award winning independent museum with remarkable collections of natural history, human history and geology. The Museum offers a lively programme of events and exhibitions and has a wonderful tradition of learning for all ages and abilities.

Set in beautiful historic grounds in the heart of Haslemere, the rich and diverse collections have been inspiring visitors for more than one hundred years.

Museum of London

The Museum of London documents the history of the English capital city from prehistoric to modern times. The museum is located on London Wall, close to the Barbican Centre as part of the striking Barbican complex of buildings created in the 1960s and 1970s as an innovative approach to re-development within a bomb-damaged area of the City of London.

The museum is a few minutes’ walk north of St Paul’s Cathedral, overlooking the remains of the Roman city wall and on the edge of the oldest part of London, now its main financial district. It is primarily concerned with the social history of London and its inhabitants throughout time. The museum is jointly controlled and funded by the City of London Corporation and the Greater London Authority.

The museum is the largest urban history collection in the world, with more than six million objects. It hosts more than one million visitors each year.

In March 2015, the museum announced plans to move from its Barbican site to nearby Smithfield Market. The move, contingent upon raising an estimated £70 million, is planned to be complete by 2021.

Clan Macpherson Museum

Started in 1946 by a group of clansmen in Scotland, the CMA now has a world-wide membership, from New Zealand to Sweden, from the United States of America to Borneo, with its traditional heartland being Badenoch in Scotland. Where a country has a sufficient density of membership local branches maintain local contact, but whether a member of a branch or not, we are all part of the Clan Macpherson Association. Branches operate in Australia, Canada, England & Wales, New Zealand, Scotland & Northern Ireland and the United States of America.