Residents and visitors can delve into local history at Hillingdon Council's Hillingdon Museum and Archives Service, which opened today (Wednesday 17 December) at the Civic Centre, Uxbridge, offering a closer look at rare artefacts and documents from the borough's past.
The facility was opened by the Mayor of Hillingdon, Cllr Philip Corthorne and guests including members of several local history groups, before opening to the public on Thursday 18 December.
The museum is located alongside Uxbridge Library in the former Middlesex Suite building and is part of the council’s drive to co-locate services and create a campus to deliver value for money services.
There are more than 2,500 fascinating objects in the collection, many on display for the first time. The space can also accommodate larger objects that were previously too big to display, including a 19th century milk churn and original Randalls store signage.
Other highlights include the Basset’s grant, a document from the 1100s – the oldest document in the borough’s collection and the ‘Hillingdon Hoard’, a collection of more than 300 Iron Age coins called ‘potins’ dating from the 1st century BCE which were found during HS2 excavations.
The museum has opened with two exhibitions. ‘Hillingdon’s Treasures’ explores the history of the borough using some of the most interesting artefacts and archives from the collection and ‘Shopping in Hillingdon’, which looks at the history and culture of shopping, from the 19th century to present day.
Visitors can also immerse themselves in an interactive display, recreating a Victorian-era home, complete with an original fireplace from the council’s artefacts collection.
The Archives Service also ensures that residents wanting to view historic documents or seek help with tracing their ancestry, can access materials from the dedicated search room.
Cllr Wayne Bridges, Hillingdon Council’s Cabinet Member for Community and Environment, said: “Our fantastic new museum is a celebration of our borough’s past, providing a dedicated space to showcase a fascinating array of documents and objects that detail Hillingdon’s unique heritage.
“The larger exhibition space means we can showcase more artefacts than before and display many previously unseen items.”
Nick Schofield, Chair of the Uxbridge Local History and Archive Society, said: “Hillingdon has an amazingly rich history, from Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and beautiful medieval churches through failed Civil War treaty negotiations and stately mansions to new suburbs and a wartime bunker.
“The opening of the new Hillingdon Museum and Archives Service is an exciting and long-awaited event which will open up this often-hidden heritage to the local community and beyond.”
Ken Pearce, local historian and author, said: “I never thought I would live to see a museum room and archives together.
“I hope this will attract a new audience of people who perhaps had not been aware of the history of the district before.”
The museum one of the five sites included in our Hillingdon Heritage Membership, which offers exclusive benefits and access to members.
Find out more about the Museum and Archive Service and the Hillingdon Heritage Membership at www.hillingdon.gov.uk/history-heritage.
