Our Latest Exhibition

We're celebrating the
150th anniversary of the
Thames Ditton Bronze Foundry
this year by looking back at its
huge impact, both locally
and across the world.
Visit the online exhibition

Sickness & Health

2023 saw the 75th anniversary
of the NHS – one of the most
transformative developments
in British social history.
To mark this, we’re looking back
on local sickness and health.
Explore the online exhibition

The Milk Marketing Board

30 years on from its closure,
we chart the turbulent history
of this significant local company
from its formation in 1933.
Visit the display

Welcome to Elmbridge Museum

Watch our introductory video to find out about the history of Elmbridge Museum and the fascinating collection of objects we look after including art, archaeology, costume and social history which tell the story of the borough from the Stone Age to the present day.

Discover the museum’s varied exhibitions and learning programme and how to get in touch with our volunteer team to support with your local history research.

This video also includes a guide to the museum website and how you can create a user account to benefit from our digital resources including uploading community events onto the What’s On page and curating your own list of museum objects.

Latest news

New blog posts

Discover our new 3-part blog series researched and written by Elmbridge resident Chris Dawson, and explore the history of the Rede family, influential land owners in Walton and Weybridge during the early Tudor period.

Sir Bartholomew Rede: Lord of the Manor of Oatlands

How to visit us

Explore our latest exhibitions on display around the borough.

Discover an exhibition near you Visit our display at Cobham Library to sign up to Wheels of Time and collect your Roamin' Rex badge Use our interactive map to find exhibitions and events Create an account to submit public events and places of interest to our What's On page or create your own personal itinerary

What's On

Fashion, Frills & Finery: Exploring Historic Accessories From the precious jewels of the past to the humble tools of everyday life, accessories can tell historic stories of both popular culture and individuality.

go to Fashion, Frills & Finery: Exploring Historic Accessories

Forging Art: Thames Ditton Bronze Foundry We're celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Thames Ditton Bronze Foundry this year by looking back at its huge impact, both locally and across the world.

go to Forging Art: Thames Ditton Bronze Foundry

The Milk Marketing Board An exploration of this significant local company's long history in Thames Ditton, 30 years on from its closure.

go to The Milk Marketing Board

Write On! From the letter-writing boom of the Victorian era to ambitious attempts to use computers to speed up our writing in the 1980s, this display draws a line from handwriting to computers and back again.

go to Write On!

Surrey Wheels of Time

Elmbridge Museum is proud to be a member of the Surrey Wheels of Time programme which aims to encourage young people to visit museums and heritage venues across the county.

Enjoy finding out more about the history of Elmbridge through our five display cases located across the borough in the Elmbridge Civic Centre, local libraries and the Xcel Leisure Centre.

Make sure to visit our Cobham library display and keep a special eye open for signs of our time traveller Roamin’ Rex. You can collect your Wheels of Time badge here – remember to bring your purple lanyard to show the staff.

Visit the Surrey Wheels of Time website

Plan your time

See what is happening in and around Elmbridge on our interactive map

Objects in Focus

Elmbridge at Christmas Share your memories of celebrating Christmas in Elmbridge!

go to Elmbridge at Christmas

Elmbridge at the Seaside Learn about seaside holidays of the past in Elmbridge through this Victorian card with a twist!

go to Elmbridge at the Seaside

Ethel Harting's watercolours Discover the vibrant botanical watercolours created by Ethel Harting, inspired by local flora and fauna.

go to Ethel Harting's watercolours

Tudor Ointment Jar Discover Ogilvy's Apothecary and find out how this small jar contained an essential to Tudor sickness and health.

go to Tudor Ointment Jar

Oval Gold Locket What hidden tragedy lies inside this charming gold locket, owned by one of the best-know families in Elmbridge? Click here to discover its story.

go to Oval Gold Locket

Silk Brocade Pompadour Shoes How might a Georgian lady's uncomfortable footwear have made her 'desirable'?

go to Silk Brocade Pompadour Shoes

Discover more objects

Explore the collection of over 43,000 objects at your fingertips

Search the collection

The Diggers Project

Discover our ongoing work to investigate the historical story and international significance of the 17th century Surrey Diggers, a radical group during the English Civil War.

Follow our redeveloped Surrey Diggers Trail across the local area
Watch our five new Diggers Trail videos
Discover the suite of Diggers learning resources
Learn more by reading the blog series by our Academic in Residence

The Surrey Diggers Trail

Schools membership

Bring history to life in the classroom with our schools membership programme. We offer a wide range of resources designed to inspire your class to explore their local heritage. Discover our immersive outreach sessions, book a discovery box containing real museum objects, and take advantage of our free assembly service to find out what Elmbridge Museum could offer you today.

Find out more about our learning programme

Explore your local history

Go right back to the beginnings of the borough with our Brief History of Elmbridge timeline. Here you can discover about early settlers and the development of the local area to to the place we know and love today.

For those who want to delve deeper, check out our Local Studies research service.

Learn more