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Brief History of the Museum
Royston is a small market town which grew up at the point where two ancient
roads cross—the Icknield Way and Ermine Street. Its history is
reflected in the Royston Tapestry at the Museum, a project initiated in 1992
by previous curator Jane Vincent and depicting scenes from the town’s past.
A museum was first established in Royston in 1856, when it was housed in the
Institute Building, but in 1901 a decision was taken to close it and the
collection was unfortunately sent for auction and dispersed. Many of the
finest items, such as the tapestry hangings from King James's Palace were
bought by collectors, though some have been returned through the generosity
of individual purchasers. In 1965 the
Royston and District Local History Society was formed with the main aim of providing a Museum for the
town. Members collected and housed items of local historical interest
throughout the area and in 1976 a small room at the back of the Town Hall
opened as a museum, manned by volunteers from the History Society. In 1979
the Museum moved to a larger room at the Town Hall with a storeroom
attached. In 1984, after discussions between the Town Council, the
Local History Society and the Trustees of the Royston and District Local
History Society Trust, the Museum was opened in the present building - the
old Congregational Church Schoolroom. At the time of the re-opening five
trustees were nominated by the Local History Society to oversee the
collection, and they serve with elected Councillors on the Royston Town
Council’s Museum Sub-Committee.
Guided by successive curators, and with the enthusiastic support of the
Local History Society and Friends’ organisations, the collection has
continued to expand in order to reflect the rapid progress of the twentieth
century. In addition to the current display there is an extensive
photographic, newspaper, and document collection (made available for
research purposes by appointment), costumes/textiles, and an art collection
which includes major holdings of paintings and etchings by E Herbert Whydale.
The Museum is also fortunate in being able to display a
magnificent collection of ceramics and glass from the later part of the
nineteenth century through to the present day. This is the property of a
private collector, who has generously made it available on long-term loan.
It includes Laurence McGowan's magnificent Royston Charger, commissioned
to commemorate the beginning
of a new millennium. |
