Objects of Empire
The historic British Empire presents a challenging, contentious history. It saw Britain establish colonies and exert power over territories across the globe. At its height, it comprised around 26% of the world’s land mass, making it the largest empire in history. Local history, especially, might seem worlds away from the colonial landscape, giving many museums no incentive to delve deeper into the topic and uncover now hidden stories. In this talk, we make a start by taking just a handful of Museum objects, and looking at them from a new perspective - through the lens of the history of the British Empire.
The Surrey Diggers
In the wake of the English Civil War, a number of radical groups emerged onto the political landscape. The Diggers were a movement local to Elmbridge in Surrey, but the idea attained a national and even international significance.
In the particularly turbulent years after the execution of Charles I, the Diggers attempted to re-establish their rights to farm commonland, a right that had been removed by the medieval feudal system. The ideas about equality held by their leader, Gerrard Winstanley, are still regarded as one of the roots of modern day Communist thought.
In this talk, we trace the fascinating story of the Diggers through the Borough of Elmbridge, using the videos developed in collaboration with Royal Holloway University of London's Citizens Project to see different points of significance throughout the local area.
Treasures of the Gill Family
Thanks to the wealth of personal items they left behind, the Gills are one of the most significant Victorian families to feature in Elmbridge Museum’s collection.
The family’s former home, Apps Court, stood between Walton and West Molesey. The wealth of material surviving from the Gills from the 1850’s until the house’s demolition in 1898 has provided us with a glimpse into the lifestyle of a wealthy Victorian family.
This talk will explore dozens of surviving photos, paintings, letters, jewellery and personal memoirs to piece together the family’s fascinating story. Their tale is one of fortune, tragedy, formidable matriarchs and familial affection which spanned the ages.
Literary Elmbridge
In this talk, we explore what the fascinating array of historic, practical and personal literature in the Museum collection reveals about the time in which it was written.
The talk will look at how surviving literature provides a vital link to Elmbridge’s past through a variety of deeply personal letters, memorial poems, historical diaries, beautifully illustrated Victorian children’s books and much more.
Suffrage to Sisterhood
Everyone’s heard of the Suffragettes, but what happened to them after women got the vote?
This talk will use Elmbridge Museum collection items to explore the sometimes violent fight for the vote in Elmbridge, outlining the famous suffrage protest events which happened locally and the women behind them. Partial franchise was finally granted to some women in 1918, but the talk won’t end there. It will attempt to answer the questions:
What happened to women after 1918? How did the millions of excluded women finally get their vote? And how did local women continue to organise themselves in the years after the vote was won?
The talk will include a chance to see an incredibly rare, original Women’s Co-operative Guild banner up-close. The banner was hand-made in the 1930s.
Look Back in Anger: Elmbridge's History of Protest
The colourful spectrum of protest witnessed by Elmbridge over the ages has ranged from peaceful objection to violent militancy. Although in many cases, movements were worlds apart – the 17th Century Diggers had vastly different demands to the 20th Century Suffragettes – the riots, rebellions and revolts all have one thing in common. Sparked by a deep-rooted anger at the status quo, every one of them is embedded in Elmbridge’s historical landscape.
In this talk we provide a glimpse into the history of a variety of campaigns in Elmbridge, examining the root causes, wars of words and defiant deeds of activists across the ages.
Everyday Heroines
Everyday Heroines explores the experience of women in Elmbridge and commemorates their role in our history. During the talk, we'll look at women's roles in education, war, social advancement and the working world, highlighting some of the prominent Elmbridge women history has remembered, and the 'everyday heroines' it has forgotten.
Love and Affection: A History of Emotion through the Museum Collection
Did people in the past experience emotion in the same way that we do? How did they articulate their love, grief, gratitude or anger? Historical emotions are notoriously hard to pin down, but we will attempt to do so by exploring the local stories behind a number of key items in Elmbridge Museum’s collection.
Elmbridge at War
As the deadliest conflicts in history, the First and Second World Wars had a huge impact on people across the country, Elmbridge included. Discover the war in our Borough's in this talk, which used items from the Museum collection to tell local stories and reveal the experiences of Elmbridge's residents.
Talk duration: 30 minutes or 1 hour
Cecil Hepworth and Walton Film Studios
Cecil Hepworth of Walton-on-Thames was a key player in the early development of cinema. He was responsible for the earliest production of some of the world's most famous films, including the first ever feature-length version of 'Alice in Wonderland'. In 1899, Hepworth's production studio in Walton also employed many local residents. Hepworth's innovation and experimentation during his time at Walton helped to develop filmmaking techniques that are still used today, and in this talk, we will take a look at his life and work through the items in the Museum Collection.
Talk duration: 30 minutes
Elmbridge Museum's Story: 19th Century to Now
In 1991, Weybridge Museum became ‘Elmbridge Museum’. This landmark change reflected the museum’s expanded role in preserving, teaching and promoting history across the entire borough of Elmbridge with its vast collection of over 40,000 items, a task it had been performing since 1974 when the borough was created.
Yet, the museum’s own long past is itself interwoven into over a century of local history, and has formed a key part of the area’s changing identity over the decades. In this talk, we examine the personalities, places and events which have shaped the museum’s story from its formation in 1909 right up to the present day.
Talk duration: 30 minutes
Forging Art: Thames Ditton Bronze Foundry
From casting monumental statues like those in Westminster’s Parliament Square, to exporting bronze works worldwide, Thames Ditton Bronze Foundry’s impact reverberated across continents. At the Foundry, established in 1874 and situated on Thames Ditton's Summer Road, bronze was melted down and poured into hollow moulds in order to create artwork, statues, plaques and other items.
This talk delves into the Foundry's rich tapestry of achievements and milestones, exploring its remarkable journey and enduring influence on art, industry, and our community.
Talk duration: 30 minutes
