Visitors can relive six decades of Hillingdon history shared through residents' memories thanks to a new audio and interactive display which opened today (4 September) at Hillingdon Museum and Archives Service in Uxbridge.
'Hillingdon at 60', showcases emotive and informative first-hand recollections recorded during the council’s ‘Reminiscence Roadshows’, held last year to mark the borough’s Diamond Jubilee.
Excerpts from more than 30 of those recordings form a snapshot of the borough’s past, through the voices of people who lived it, and explore themes of everyday life, work, community and change, while celebrating a shared sense of identity and belonging.
Visitors will be able to hear residents recount key memories of Hillingdon’s past, bringing the borough vividly to life, by listening to them via a sound cup styled in the shape of a vintage replica telephone.
Among those featured are Reika Wadhwani, from Yeading, recalling her experiences following the opening of the A312 in Hayes. She said: ‘I had to pass the Nestlé factory every single morning, and I would get the smell of coffee, it was wonderful’.
Geraint Hayward remembered Concorde’s test flight out of Heathrow: ‘We were told to stand in the playground, and we didn’t at first know why, and it was then explained to us that this new plane was going to make its first test flight’.
Young visitors can also add their ‘favourite place in Hillingdon’ to an interactive map, helping create a unique snapshot of the borough today.
Cllr Wayne Bridges, Hillingdon Council’s Cabinet Member for Residents Services, said: “We are proud of our borough’s unique history and this exhibition provides a fantastic opportunity to hear the past recounted through the real experiences of residents who have lived here for decades.
“It will provide a valuable and fascinating glimpse into life in days gone by and how things have changed during the last 60 years, so I’d encourage anyone keen to uncover more about Hillingdon's history to visit.”
Alongside the exhibition, you can also explore the museum’s replica Victorian parlour, see the Basset’s Grant, a document from the 1100s, and the ‘Hillingdon Hoard’, a collection of more than 300 Iron Age coins called ‘potins’ dating from the 1st century BCE.
It is free to visit and will remain on display for a year, giving residents plenty of opportunity to discover the stories that have shaped our borough.
For more information, visit discover.hillingdon.gov.uk/hillingdon-60-exhibition.