Free family fun day this Saturday for birthday celebrations

Gunnersbury Park Museum

Local residents are invited to celebrate Gunnersbury Park Museum’s 90th birthday on Saturday 19 October. Throughout the day there will be free crafts, trails, party games and performances plus of course visitors can explore the diverse collections that have been curated over the past nine decades.

Rothschild Rooms

Originally opened in 1929, Gunnersbury Park Museum has always traced the development of Ealing and Hounslow through the rich and varied heritage of the people who have chosen to live and work here. On Saturday 19 October the museum will be celebrating its past, present and future role collecting and sharing the stories of this part of west London. A free trail will guide families through nine decades of history, discovering some of the key items the museum has collected since 1929. Children who wish get into the party spirit can also make and decorate their own party hat and join in with some traditional Victorian parlour games. Music will be provided by local young people from Hounslow Music Service whilst dance students from West Thames College will be presenting a freestyle dance performance. The event runs from 10:00am to 4pm and details of the full programme can be found at www.visitgunnersbury.org.

Gallery of Gunnersbury Park Museum

For those who wish to explore the origins of the museum, its collections and the contributions of former curators in more depth, Gunnersbury’s present-day curatorial team will be hosting a special talk during the afternoon: But Why Though? 90 Years of Collecting at Gunnersbury Park Museum. Tickets are £8, including refreshments, and bookable in advance at www.visitgunnersbury.org. The museum’s archive study room will also be open so that visitors can pop in, chat with Gunnersbury’s archivist and find out how they can use the archives for their own research.

Over the years, Gunnersbury Park Museum has built up an unrivalled collection of objects, photographs, film and audio recordings documenting life in west London. Thanks to a multi-million pound refurbishment completed in 2018 and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the museum brings this revealing collection together with modern displays and the latest technology. Today, the galleries (which are free to visit) highlight the changes that have taken place over time, including how people make a living, experience childhood, spend their leisure time and dress for special occasions. Throughout the museum there are objects to handle, memories to listen to and games for families to play together.

The Gunnersbury estate was purchased from the wealthy Rothschild family in 1925 by Ealing and
Acton Councils. In 1926 Neville Chamberlain officially opened Gunnersbury Park to the public and in 1929 the Large Mansion became home to Gunnersbury Museum and the boroughs’ local history
collections. The estate is still owned by the local authorities – now known as Ealing and Hounslow borough councils – and run on a not-for-profit basis by the Gunnersbury Estate 2026 Community Interest Company.

In addition to the museum, Gunnersbury boasts over 186 acres of parkland. From wide-open fields to woodlands, glittering ponds to elegant buildings and formal gardens to vegetable plots, there’s plenty to explore outdoors. Meanwhile the modern, airy café overlooking the park offers tempting refreshments from coffee and cake to light lunches and snacks.

Gunnersbury Park is open daily, 08:00 – dusk and the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 – 16:30. Entry to both the park and museum is free of charge.

For further details and to book tickets for special events please visit www.visitgunnersbury.org

December 4, 2019