| Date | 16 December 2011 |
|---|---|
| Source | Slough Observer |
| Reference | VP-0008 |
| Volume | Views of the Past |
| Collection | Views of the Past |
Transcript
Museum fit for The Queen
Views of the past by Elias Kupfermann
I WAS delighted to be invited to Friday’s official opening of the Windsor and Royal Borough Museum by Her Majesty The Queen, at Windsor Guildhall.
It was a delightful and informal affair with the streets around the Guildhall lined by the public. Her Majesty was given a guided tour of the museum and unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion.
Windsor Museum has had a long and chequered history which started in 1951, with an exhibition of artefacts relating to the history of the town, including many from the Royal Collection, together with a display of natural history.
The idea for a museum for Windsor came about from an exhibition organised by the Windsor and Eton Society in 1949, which contained many pictures, the town charters, old leases and documents and church ornaments. This first Guildhall Museum closed in 1982, and all the items which had been on display were moved into storage at the council depot.
The items in the store became known as the Royal Borough Collection, as it contains numerous civic and other artefacts from Maidenhead and other places in the borough.
The late Judith Hunter became the honorary curator of the museum collection, and she worked tirelessly to bring the collection to the fore to both the council and the public.
Judith organised talks and open days and managed to persuade the council to have an annual exhibition of the town’s artefacts in the Guildhall between 1986-1996.
In 1991, a museum Friends group was set up to assist Judith in helping to record and organise the collection. The group has played a pivotal role in the development of the museum ever since. Judith Hunter was awarded an MBE, shortly before her death in 2004.
A new exhibition called the ‘Town and Crown Exhibition’ opened above the Tourist Information Centre in Windsor High Street in 1995. This was used to show off the town’s history and also had a temporary exhibition space.
Sadly, this exhibition was closed when the council sold off the lease in 2006. However, from 2003 the importance of the museum collection was recognised by the council by establishing a new post of heritage development officer (now museum & collections officer).
The museum collection remained in storage until March 2011. In the preceding months, the Guildhall was refurbished, and one of the main downstairs rooms was transformed into a museum.
Since its opening, the Windsor and Royal Borough Museum has attracted some 20,000 visitors.
A more detailed account of Windsor Museum’s history can be found in the latest edition of Windlesora 28 published by the Windsor Local History Group.
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