The new Watford Museum will be a place to “celebrate what makes Watford so special” when it opens in the Town Hall in 2025.
The aim is for the new location to properly showcase the town’s history in a way that is easy to access and brings it to life.
Watford Borough Council also wants the new museum to be part of a “vibrant hub for culture in the area” alongside Watford Colosseum and Watford Library, supporting the town’s cultural, arts and entertainment ambitions.
The move will allow for the museum to open for six days, rather than four as has been the case, and it will also have a purpose-built learning space that will accommodate a class of 30 school children and enable talks and summer holiday activities to also take place.
The process of relocating the museum is underway, with its current home at Benskin House, in Lower High Street, now closed to the public, although limited use of the building for pre-booking will continue until June 2024.
Museum staff are approximately a quarter of the way through cataloguing more than 40,000 items, but during the closure the museum will be going ‘on tour’ in the community, starting during next week’s half-term with a family-friendly event at the hub in Cassiobury Park.
‘Dig to Discover’ will take place on Thursday, October 26 and Friday, October 27, from 10am to 3pm each day, where visitors can get up close and personal with archaeological objects from Watford’s past, while a special sandpit awaits the archaeologists of the future, who will be able to brush, dig and uncover hidden surprises.
Children of all ages are welcome, but the event may be particularly useful to those who have been learning about the iron age to bronze age at school.
No booking is necessary and there will also be an opportunity to see the new museum designs and share your comments.
Watford mayor Peter Taylor said: “We are so fortunate in Watford to have such a rich history, with some great stories and memories that really bring to life the town we are today.
“Taking the Museum ‘on tour’ means many more residents will be able to see part of the Museum’s wonderful collection as we get ready for the next chapter in the Watford Museum’s own history.
“Our exciting plans for the new Museum and Heritage service are making great progress and I am grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for helping us to create somewhere where we can celebrate what makes Watford so special.
“I am looking forward to welcoming people to our exciting new museum when it opens in 2025."
The main objective when deciding what will be included in the new museum is how the heritage of Watford can be shared in a refreshing way.
The council say those items chosen will build a narrative and there will be a series of themes around sport, entertainment and community.
There will also be community involvement displays showcasing the history of brewing in Watford and Scammels.
The new museum will also have a large basement space where the temperature and humidity can be controlled, allowing the museum’s collection to be protected. This is not possible in Benskin House.
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