The newly renovated museum in Gunnersbury Park is housed in a 19th-century mansion, once owned by the Rothschild family. It has an incredibly varied collection of around 50,000 museum and archive items that provide an insight into the heritage and culture of Ealing and Hounslow’s past! Returning to pre-pandemic opening hours, the museum is open and free for people to browse and learn about the history of Gunnersbury Park and West London.
The majestic museum is made up of nine exhibition galleries spread over three floors with approximately 450 objects on display. The exhibition galleries contain a range of things that played a remarkably interesting part in our history as a borough such as people and place, fashion, leisure, and industry! The museum has had a highly successful reopening as people filter in and out of the museum while on their trips to Gunnersbury Park. It is free for all visitors and is open from 10 am to 4:30 pm, with a lovely gift shop at the entrance.
Since Gunnersbury Park was bought by the Rothschild banking family, it was not open to the public. However, the site became a public park in 1925 and is now jointly owned by Hounslow and Ealing Councils. The park has 72 hectares of beautiful scenery; amongst the greenery, there are two ponds, a greenhouse, a museum, and sports facilities meaning people can enjoy the park whatever the weather.
The leisure exhibition takes us through the theatre, films, and TV produced in the local area; and on top of that, the productions of local studios – e.g. Ealing Studio productions produced things such as Dr. Who. Moreover, there is a range of fashions from the 16th and 17th centuries on display amongst other historical objects in the renovated Victorian kitchens. Last but not least, the museum holds an exhibit in which we can explore the social history of the local area – healthcare before the NHS, schools that people used to attend and the variety of religions worshipped by over half a million people!
To top it all off, the beautiful infrastructure of the museum makes it a beautiful sight for visitors. From the cherubs on the ceilings to the shiny wooden panels on the walls, the Victorian feel of the museum transforms the history of Hounslow and Ealing into a fascinating unforgettable experience that is worth a visit if you are curious about the history of your local area.
