Museum of Croydon facts for kids
 |
|
 |
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | 1995 (as Lifetimes) 2006 (as Museum of Croydon) |
|---|---|
| Location | Croydon, London |
| Type | Local and social history museum |
| Public transit access |  East Croydon |
The Museum of Croydon is a cool place to learn about the history of Croydon in England. It's inside the Croydon Clocktower, a big arts building. This museum shows off amazing historical and cultural items from the London Borough of Croydon. It also tells the stories of the people who have lived there. The museum is run by the local Croydon Council.
You can find the main museum on the upper ground floor of the Croydon Clocktower. There's also the Riesco Gallery downstairs. This gallery has ancient Roman and Anglo-Saxon items. It also features a special collection of beautiful Chinese ceramics. The museum first opened in 1995 and was called Lifetimes. After a big makeover, it reopened in 2006 with its current name. It's free to enter, and many exhibits let you touch and interact with them!
Contents
History of the Museum
How the Museum Started
For a long time, Croydon didn't have its own local museum. People had been asking for one for many years. However, the local council did have a large art collection. They also owned the Riesco Collection of Chinese pottery. This collection was given to the council in 1964 by a local collector named Raymond Riesco.
In 1987, the council decided to build a new arts and library center. They wanted to help Croydon feel more special. This new center was later named Croydon Clocktower. It was planned to include a brand new local museum.
Lifetimes: The First Museum Name
Plans for the museum were made between 1989 and 1994. The museum team did a lot of research to find out what people wanted. They wanted to make sure the museum was welcoming to everyone. They especially tried to get ideas from people who didn't usually visit museums.
The research showed that words like "Croydon" and "museum" didn't sound exciting to some. So, the new museum was given a fresh name: "Lifetimes." The main museum officer, Sally MacDonald, said they wanted it to be "new, different, modern, daring." It was meant to help show Croydon in a positive way.
Lifetimes opened in March 1995. It focused on telling Croydon's story from 1840 to the present day. Many exhibits were borrowed from local people. A lot of information came from interviews with residents. There were no glass cases or labels. Instead, visitors used computer screens to learn about the exhibits.
Lifetimes won awards in 1995 and 1996 for its new approach. Experts praised it for being a "brave, bold and intelligent" way to show Croydon's history. However, some people thought it relied too much on new technology. They also felt it didn't cover enough of Croydon's older history.
Museum of Croydon: A New Look
Lifetimes closed in December 2004 for a big update. It reopened in September 2006 as the Museum of Croydon. The new design won an award in 2007. Many of the old exhibits stayed, but some things changed. The historical story now started earlier, from 1800.
The Riesco Gallery was also redesigned. It now showed items from Croydon's Roman and Anglo-Saxon times. These were displayed alongside the famous Chinese ceramics.
What You Can See: Museum Displays
The Museum of Croydon has many exhibits. They show different parts of Croydon's history from 1800 to today. When you visit the main galleries, you can choose how to start. You can enter through a door marked "Then" or "Now." This lets you follow the story from oldest to newest, or newest to oldest!
Downstairs, the Riesco Gallery is a must-see. It has amazing Roman and Anglo-Saxon collections. You can also see the beautiful Riesco Collection of Chinese ceramics there.
Some cool things you might see include:
- Items about Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, an important black composer who lived in Croydon.
- Furniture and catalogs from the local IKEA store when it first opened.
- Memorabilia from the local football club, Crystal Palace. This includes things like Peter Taylor's old contract!
Art Collection at the Museum
The museum also has a huge art collection. It includes over 2,000 paintings, prints, and drawings. Only a small part of this collection is on display at any time. Many of the artists have strong connections to Croydon. These include Cicely Mary Barker and Bridget Riley.
You can see over three hundred of these artworks online. Just visit the Art UK website to explore them!
Museum Accreditation and Rules
In 2009, the Museum of Croydon received official recognition. This meant it met national standards for how it managed its collections and helped visitors. This recognition is called "accreditation."
However, in 2013, the museum lost its accreditation. This happened because the council decided to sell 24 items from the Riesco Collection. Selling these items went against the rules of the Museums Association. Because of this, Croydon Council also left the Museums Association. The museum was not allowed to apply for accreditation again for five years.
