Bushey Museum & Art Gallery facts for kids

Bushey Museum exterior view, December 2021.

A view of the Herkomer Room at Bushey Museum

A view of one of the Local History Rooms at Bushey Museum

Bushey Museum is a cool place in Bushey, Hertfordshire, where you can learn all about the area's history. It first opened its doors in October 1993. Before it even opened, the museum won a special award called the Gulbenkian Foundation Award. This award was for museums that did amazing things with not a lot of money. The building itself is quite old! It was built in 1909 and used to be offices for the local council.

What You Can Explore at Bushey Museum

Bushey Museum is packed with interesting things like old objects, documents, maps, and art. These collections help tell the story of Bushey, Hertfordshire. A big part of the museum focuses on Bushey's special history with art and artists.

Bushey's Artistic Side

The museum has art from a group called the Monro Circle, which was active a long time ago in the early 1800s. It also has a very important collection of works by Sir Hubert von Herkomer RA. He was a famous artist who had an art school in Bushey. About a hundred years ago, students from all over the world came to learn at his school!

You can also see many paintings by Lucy Kemp-Welch. She was one of Herkomer's students. Her cousin, Margaret Kemp-Welch, and her friend, Lucy Marguerite Frobisher, also have art there. One of the museum's teaching studios is even named the Frobisher Studio after Lucy Marguerite Frobisher. There's also a painting by another Herkomer student, Rosa Howlett.

Bushey's Everyday Life Through Time

The museum also shows what life was like in Bushey over the years. You can see old maps and learn about archaeology, which is the study of ancient times. There are displays about things that were made in Bushey, like Lotts Bricks, Ellams Duplicators, and Bushey Heath pottery. You can also discover what life was like in the village during peaceful times and during wars.

If you're curious about local records, like old census information, you can look at them in the museum's Local Studies Centre. The museum often has new exhibitions that explore different parts of Bushey's art, social life, and business history.

How People Help the Museum

The museum has a group called the "Friends of Bushey Museum." This group has about 800 members, making it one of the biggest groups of its kind in the country! The Friends help the museum in many ways. They have monthly meetings and go on trips to other museums. They also hold fun events to raise money and provide volunteers to help out at the museum. Their support helps the museum get new items for its collections.

Visiting Bushey Museum

Bushey Museum is open every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. You can visit from 11 AM to 4 PM. The best part is that entry is completely free! You can find the museum at Rudolph Road, Bushey, WD23 3HW.