Kingston Museum facts for kids
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| Location | Wheatfield Way, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2PS, London, England, United Kingdom |
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| Type | History museum |
| Public transit access |  Kingston |
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Listed Building – Grade II
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| Official name | Kingston Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery |
| Designated | 17 January 1973 |
| Reference no. | 1080102 |
Kingston Museum is a cool place to visit in Kingston upon Thames, a town in southwest London, England. It's a museum that tells amazing stories! A kind person named Andrew Carnegie helped pay for the museum building. It's right next to the Kingston Library. You can visit the museum for free. They often have new exhibits and fun events. The museum opened way back in 1904. It has three main exhibits that are always there:
- Ancient Origins: This exhibit shows Kingston's history from ancient times up to the Anglo-Saxon period.
- Town of Kings: Learn how Kingston grew from a medieval market town until the 1940s.
- Eadweard Muybridge: This part is all about a famous photographer, Eadweard Muybridge, who was born in Kingston.
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What You Can See at the Museum
The museum has many interesting items. These include 120 special ceramic pieces called Martinware. Some of these are on display for you to see.
The Brill Art Collection
The Brill Collection is a group of over 110 artworks. These pictures show different places in Kingston. Staff and students from Kingston University created these artworks. The idea came from Reginald Brill, who led the Kingston School of Art. This project ran from 1955 to 1971. It helped record how the town's landscape changed over time. In 1997, the Friends of Kingston Museum started the project again. New artworks are added every year. You can see these new additions in the art gallery stairwell.
Other Cool Things to Discover
There are many other cool things to see at the museum. You can find beautiful stained-glass windows from the old Town Hall. There is also an ancient Roman altar with writing on it. An Anglo-Saxon skeleton is also on display. You can also see a model of Nipper, a famous dog. Nipper was the dog in the "His Master's Voice" logo. He was buried in Kingston in 1895. The museum building itself is very old and important. It is a Grade II listed building. This means it's protected, just like the library and art gallery next door.
Eadweard Muybridge: Photography Pioneer
The Eadweard Muybridge gallery is all about a photography pioneer. Eadweard Muybridge (1830–1904) was born and died in Kingston. He gave many of his amazing items to the museum. These include over 2,000 glass slides for magic lanterns. He also gave 67 glass discs for his special invention, the zoopraxiscope. This machine showed moving pictures. You can also see equipment Muybridge used for his talks. He gave these talks in the US and Europe in the 1880s and 1890s. Muybridge spent most of his career in America. Many other museums there also have his important work. From September 2010 to March 2011, the museum had an exhibit called "Muybridge Revolutions." It showed his zoopraxiscope discs. You can also find more information about Muybridge online. The website Eadweard Muybridge: Defining Modernities tells you about his work around the world.
Art and History at Kingston
Kingston Art Gallery
The art gallery is on the first floor of the museum. It always has new and exciting exhibitions. They also host talks and special events. There is a special display area at the entrance. Local groups use this area to show their own displays. In 2017, the museum had its first artist-in-residence. This artist, Paul Mowatt, created photos and videos. His work was inspired by Muybridge's amazing photography.
Kingston History Centre
The Kingston History Centre is another part of the Heritage Service. It is located at Kingston's old Magistrates Court. This center is a great place to research local history. It holds many old documents and archives.
