Chertsey Museum

01/12/2023

Did you spot the first of our Windsor Street Advent Windows tonight at Allure? Fantastic start, well done!

01/12/2023

Friday Frocks – Last week we brought you a pair of 18th century stays. This week we have a pair of bodices which resemble the stays that would have been worn beneath. The skirts have been removed from these beautiful 18th century b***d bodices. They were probably recycled and used to make other garments. Despite this, they are lovely examples of mid-1780s style. The cut and construction are evidence of historicism in fashion, referencing 17th century fashions for stays designed to be worn as outerwear. Particular features are the lacing over a ‘stomacher’ section at the centre front and the tabs, which resemble those found on stays or corsets worn during much of the 17th and 18th centuries.

30/11/2023

Throwback Thursday - The Catherine Wheel Hotel, Egham c. 1885
The Catherine Wheel stood on the corner of High Street and Hummer Road, and the earliest reference to it as a hostelry is in a will of 1529. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the hotel became well established as a coaching inn and offered plenty of accommodation for the long distance traveller. The hotel was taken over by Ashby’s Brewery at the end of 1896, and significant changes took place with the new hotel opening in January 1898.

The Catherine Wheel continued until 1992, when the building remained empty for a while before finally being demolished in May 1996.

29/11/2023

Not long to go now - and this year we welcome Church Walk to the party!
Details of the Advent windows will be posted on Sundays between now and the big day. We hope you enjoy this year's offerings

27/11/2023

Happy 58th Birthday to Us! On 27 November 1965, after a public appeal for objects of interest, Chertsey Museum first opened its doors. At that time we were situated in the Old Town Hall. It wasn't until the early 1970s, when Runnymede Borough was formed, that the Olive Matthews Trust and RBC went into partnership and we moved to our new home as the Borough Museum.

26/11/2023

If you're thinking of making your Christmas cake this Stir-Up Sunday, you might like to consider this recipe. It was published in the Surrey Herald newspaper 80 years ago, in 1943, at the height of wartime rationing

24/11/2023

Another wonderful selection of creative creations at tonight's Craft & Wine Evening with Crafty Claire

24/11/2023

Friday Frocks – No collection of ‘Eighteenth Century Treasures’ would be complete without a pair of stays. This pair dates from c.1785 – 1788. Called half-b***d because there are gaps between the bones, they are made from brown cotton, lined with linen and b***d with whalebone. Full-b***d stays would have provided even greater figure control. They were designed to mould the body into a fashionable cone shape. The basic structure of stays did not alter during much of the 18th century, but it is possible to date this pair to the second half of the 1780s due to their width at the neckline and shortness. They reflect the fact that waistlines had begun to rise by this date.

23/11/2023

Many of our weekly Throwback Thursday posts are compiled using the research undertaken over the years by dedicated historians such as Borough Books, Jim Knight, Jill & Richard Williams and John Athersuch. Some of their publications are available to purchase in the museum shop and online - they make ideal Christmas presents! https://buff.ly/3SW432r

23/11/2023

Throwback Thursday - the White Hart public house, New Haw, c.1890
The White Hart pub has been in existence since the late 18th century when it was built to serve the bargemen working on the Wey Navigation. It was rebuilt in the 1860s so that it faced the road rather than the canal.

22/11/2023

This year's Advent windows have now been confirmed - not long to go!

22/11/2023

On this day, 60 years ago, the world was stunned by the assassination of the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. Britain responded by raising money through public donations for a memorial to the President. In May 1965, the JFK Memorial was unveiled at Runnymede by HM The Queen, in the presence of Jacqueline Kennedy and their two children, John Jr. and Caroline. The land it occupies was gifted to the US - a little piece of America in Surrey.

Designed by Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe, the memorial has 3 elements to it - the first is a stepped pathway of uneven steps signifying the ups and downs of life. Next is the Portland stone memorial inscribed with the words “Let every Nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend or oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty", taken from President Kennedy's inaugural address in 1961, and finally a further pathway leading to the Seats of Contemplation, signifying the end of life's journey.

19/11/2023

THE CHERTSEY CHRISTMAS GOOSE FAIR IS BACK!

Saturday 2nd December 2023

A fun filled day with activities, craft stalls, snow and so much more - most importantly geese!
Join us on Saturday 2nd December from 10am to 3pm, on Guildford Street, Chertsey.
Make sure to like and comment to let us know if you're coming, we can't wait to see you!

18/11/2023

17/11/2023

Friday Frocks – Another Eighteenth Century Treasure for you. A pink silk sack back gown, 1770s, made from hand-woven silk brocade. This gown and matching petticoat constitute a fine example of a 1770s sack back style. Though the waistline follows the figure at the front and sides, at the rear a box-pleated width of silk falls from shoulder to hem in a softly undulating line, giving a richly draped appearance. Both petticoat and gown are decorated with ‘fly fringing’. This was popular from the 1760s and uses knotted and braided silk floss to create a 3-dimensional effect. Further Rococo-style decoration is added with beautiful sleeve ruffles and padded sections which are seen on both gown and petticoat. Although worn as general day wear from the 1730s to the 1750s, by the 1770s the sack back gown was only worn formally for ‘Full Dress’.

16/11/2023

Throwback Thursday - Burley Orchard, Chertsey, 1995
Beyond Abbeyfields lies Burley Orchard, the splendid creation of William Anthony Herring, the Chertsey iron-founder. It was built in c.1875 and is adorned with ornamental ironwork and a magnificent conservatory provided by his business.

10/11/2023

With only 45 days to go, it was time to break out the Christmas sparkle with Crafty Claire!

10/11/2023

Friday Frocks – Continuing with our ‘Eighteenth Century Treasures’, here is a vibrant yellow sack back gown made from floral silk damask – a weaving technique that made the silk reversable and used differing faces of the weave to create patterns. The fabric was woven during the early 1740s and the dress was re-made during the 1760s. The name ‘sack back’ relates to the box pleated section of material that runs from the back of the shoulders to the hem. Sack back gowns were adopted as part of everyday fashion from the first half of the 18th century, but by the 1760s were reserved for ‘Full Dress’ and worn on the most formal occasions. The decorative sleeve ruffles and serpentine robings, which run down the front edges of the gown, are typical of 1760s styles, as is the white fly fringe decoration. The vibrant yellow colour was probably achieved by dyeing with shavings of the wood ‘Old Fustic’ also known as ‘Dyers Mulberry’ or ‘Maclura Tinctoria’.

09/11/2023

Our collection contains a remarkable survival – a beautiful wedding ensemble worn by Jane Bailey when she married James Wickham Esq. on the 9th of November 1780. Today marks the 243rd anniversary of their marriage! In 2019 we commissioned beautiful replicas of this important group of garments. We also made a short film about the making process and recorded footage on location at the church where the couple were married. Click https://buff.ly/40Aa3j9 to view. Happy Anniversary Mr and Mrs Wickham!

To mark their 50th anniversary, the Olive Matthews Collection Trust, in partnership with Chertsey Museum, commissioned a unique set of replica garments. The ...

09/11/2023

Throwback Thursday - Armistice Day, Chertsey, 1953
Wreath laying at the war memorial with Rev. Archibald. and Edward Clear, Royal Antedeluvian Order of Buffaloes, Chertsey Branch and British Legion.

05/11/2023

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Visit Surrey

04/11/2023

03/11/2023

What a wonderful donation we've had today, a glass negative camera in near perfect condition. What a thing of beauty! It was donated to us by David & Jocelyn Barker who were given it by Harold "Budge" Burgess, whose father used it regularly. The Burgess family ran a successful bakers in Addlestone for 3 generations.