More than thirty years after Newham closed its local museum, a replacement is set to open in Canning Town following a £2.7 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The council is currently converting the Grade II-listed Old Library into the Newham Heritage Centre, and the grant will assist with that work and ensure it can house Newham Council’s historic archives.
As part of that work, the borough’s museum collection will also go on display for the first time in over 30 years.
The historic building, with ties to the Trade Union and Suffragette movements and Will Thorne’s founding of the GMB Union in 1899, will become the permanent home for Newham’s archive and museum collections. These include a photographic collection of over 3,000 images.
This collection comprises thousands of objects spanning major global events, industry, political change, art, and everyday life in Newham, from the prehistoric era to the present day. The collection also includes over 100 pieces of Bow Porcelain and the largest collection of works by the self-taught artist, Madge Gill.
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Thanks to National Lottery players over the last 30 years, we have invested £3.4bn in more than 10,600 historic buildings and monuments, ensuring the UK’s heritage is valued, cared for, and sustained. These projects will boost wellbeing, create learning opportunities for young people and make heritage a powerful driver of local pride and prosperity.”
The borough’s archive is currently managed by Newham Heritage Service, which runs the Newham Local Studies and Archives Library in Stratford and administers the Newham Photos website along with the former collections of the Passmore Edwards Museum and the North Woolwich Old Station Museum.
The new Newham local history museum is set to open later this year.
