Kingston Museum is an accredited museumKingston Museum's unique Accreditation Reference Number is 98, and the museum is included in the database of museums accredited under the Museum Accreditation Schem
Museum Accreditation Scheme – Arts Council England
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Kingston upon Thames Kingston upon Thames (hyphenated until 1965, colloquially known as Kingston) is a town in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, southwest London, England. It is situated on the River Thames and southwest of Charing Cross. It is notable ...

, southwest

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England. The Scottish-American philanthropist

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

funded the building of the museum, which adjoins Kingston Library. The museum runs a programme of temporary exhibitions and events; entry is free of charge. Built in 1904, the museum has three permanent exhibitions: "Ancient Origins" details the borough's past from prehistory to Anglo-Saxon times; "Town of Kings" charts Kingston's development as a market town from the medieval period until the 1940s; and "

Eadweard Muybridge Eadweard Muybridge (; 9 April 1830 – 8 May 1904, born Edward James Muggeridge) was an English photographer known for his pioneering work in photographic studies of motion, and early work in motion-picture projection. He adopted the first ...

" presents material related to the noted photographer, a native of Kingston.

Description

The museum's holdings include 120 Martinware ceramics, some of which are on display. The Brill Collection comprises over 110 topographical artworks by

Kingston University , mottoeng = "Through Learning We Progress" , established = – gained University Status – Kingston Technical Institute , type = Public , endowment = £2.3 m (2015) , ...

staff and students. This scheme to record the changing landscape of the borough was the brainchild of Reginald Brill, head of the former Kingston School of Art, and ran from 1955 to 1971. The Friends of Kingston Museum relaunched the scheme in 1997, and additions to the collection are made annually and displayed as part of a rolling programme in the art gallery stairwell. Nipper

Other highlights on display are stained-glass windows from the old Town Hall in the Market Place, a Roman altar with inscription, an Anglo-Saxon skeleton and a model of

Nipper Nipper (1884 – September 1895) was a dog from Bristol, England, who served as the model for an 1898 painting by Francis Barraud titled ''His Master's Voice''. This image became one of the world's best known trademarks, the famous dog-and-gr ...

, the dog featured in the "

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice (HMV) was the name of a major British record label created in 1901 by The Gramophone Co. Ltd. The phrase was coined in the late 1890s from the title of a painting by English artist Francis Barraud, which depicted a Jack Russ ...

" logo, who was buried under what is now Kingston's

Lloyds Bank Lloyds Bank plc is a British retail and commercial bank with branches across England and Wales. It has traditionally been considered one of the " Big Four" clearing banks. Lloyds Bank is the largest retail bank in Britain, and has an exte ...

in 1895. The museum building is Grade II listed, jointly with the neighbouring library and art gallery.

Eadweard Muybridge gallery

The Eadweard Muybridge gallery is devoted to the pioneering photographer (1830–1904) who was born and died in Kingston. It shows a representative selection of material he bequeathed to the museum, including over 2,000 glass

magic lantern The magic lantern, also known by its Latin name , is an early type of image projector that used pictures—paintings, prints, or photographs—on transparent plates (usually made of glass), one or more lenses, and a light source. Because a si ...

slides and 67 glass

zoopraxiscope The zoopraxiscope (initially named ''zoographiscope'' and ''zoogyroscope'') is an early device for displaying moving images and is considered an important predecessor of the movie projector. It was conceived by photographic pioneer Eadweard Mu ...

discs, as well as equipment used by Muybridge during public lectures he gave in the US and Europe in the 1880s and 1890s. Muybridge spent his career in America, and there are a number of collections in the US which also hold significant material relating to his work. "Muybridge Revolutions" was an exhibition of Muybridge's zoopraxiscope discs held at the museum from September 2010 to March 2011. The online portal ''Eadweard Muybridge: Defining Modernities'' gives information about Muybridge material in collections worldwide.Eadweard Muybridge: Defining Modernities
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Kingston Art Gallery and Kingston History Centre

The art gallery on the first floor of the museum hosts a changing programme of exhibitions as well as talks and events. There is a community case in the front entrance where local groups hold displays. In 2017 the museum recruited its first artist-in-residence, Paul Mowatt, whose photographs and videos were inspired by the work of Muybridge. Kingston History Centre, the other half of the Heritage Service, is located at Kingston's former Magistrates Court,

Kingston upon Thames Guildhall The Kingston upon Thames Guildhall is a municipal building in Kingston upon Thames in England. It is situated in the High Street, adjacent to the Hogsmill River. The guildhall, which is the headquarters of Kingston upon Thames London Borough Co ...

. It houses research materials and archives for investigating local history.

Notes

References

External links

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames: Museum and Local History
{{coord, 51.4096, -0.3003, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title 1904 establishments in England 1904 in London Carnegie libraries in England Grade II listed buildings in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Grade II listed museum buildings History museums in London Local museums in London Museums established in 1904 Museums in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames Photography museums and galleries in England