What's on
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Bookmark this page to keep up-to-date with what's happening at Watford Museum. We'll also include information about other interesting local and historical events.
03.09.2010: What's On in September
There's lots to do in Watford this month, including Heritage Open Day Weekend, events, exhibitions and a Continental Market. For more information, see the leaflet.
30.08.2010: Listed buildings in Watford
Watford Borough Council have reviewed the town's record of Locally and Nationally Listed Buildings and have produced two new documents detailing those buildings that make a significant contribution to the architectural heritage of the town.
The new documents have a page of information on each of the Listed Buildings in the town and also include additional information on the implications of Local or National Listing.
A 6 week consultation period on the documents starts on Tuesday 31st August and runs until Tuesday 12th October. Comments regarding the detail of the documents are welcome.
Paper copies of the documents can be viewed at the Town Hall and both the Central and North Watford Libraries. The documents can also be downloaded as PDFs from http://www.watford.gov.uk/listedbuildings
Further information on this process can be obtained by phoning the Planning Policy team on 01923 278263 or by e-mailing Justin.webber@watford.gov.uk
27.08.2010: Children get animated about Watford Museum!
Holiday workshops have been a big success this summer, with lots of arty activities from weaving to digital animation. Below, you can see movies created in some of the workshops with Quirky Pictures:
26.08.2010: Herts Open Studios at Watford Museum
A new exhibition of work by local artists will open on 2nd September in the Space 2 gallery. Artists from the Watford Area Arts Forum and Hertfordshire Visual Arts Forum will be displaying their work as part of Herts Open Studios events across the county.
23.08.2010: The Clocks of Windsor Castle
The Queen's Timekeeper will be giving a talk for the Friends of Watford Museum on Saturday 17th September at 2pm. Admission is £2 or free for Friends of Watford Museum.
18.08.2010: Heritage Open Days
Come and celebrate Watford's history and architecture with tours, events, exhibitions and special openings in venues across Watford including a showcase celebrating Watford's printing industry. For more information, see the leaflet.
23.07.2010: Archaeology comes to life!
Watford Museum's Archaeology Day on 17th July was a great success. Around a hundred aspiring archaeologists of all ages enjoyed activities provided by the museum and the South West Herts Archaeological and Historical Society.
Julian Richards from TV's "Meet the Ancestors" provided the highlight of the day, recreating a Bronze Age round house in the museum! The event was organised as part of the Festival of British Archaeology and Watford Live.
20.07.2010: Art appreciation lectures
Martin Smith's popular lectures return with new dates this autumn and winter. Talks start at 10.30am and places are £5 per person including tea or coffee. For more information, see the activities page.
08.07.2010: Watford LIVE!
As part of the Watford LIVE! community arts festival, Watford Borough Council are organising a range of free workshops for all the family to celebrate the diversity of artists and performers in Watford.
Three of these workshops will place at the museum on 15th and 16th July. For more information, see the activities page.
07.07.2010: Victorian Watford Trail
There was so much interest in our High Street Trail on Victorian Watford that we've decided to organise another trail on Saturday 21st August. The trail starts at 10am from Watford Museum and places are £3. Booking in advance is essential as the trails are very popular!
06.07.2010: Italian Cinema comes to Watford Museum
Members of Watford Film Society recently met at the museum for a night of Italian cinema and wine. The society arranges special events for members as well as regular film showings at the Clarendon Muse.
For more information click: www.watfordfilmsociety.org
05.07.2010: Space 2 Pop Up Gallery
Photographers in Hertfordshire and north London no longer have to work in the dark thanks to a new pop-up photography and digital media gallery situated in a previously vacant shop unit in Watford town centre.
The Pop Up Gallery is at Unit 4, Charter Place shopping centre, open from 11am on Thursday, July 1 and then Thursday to Saturday, 11am to 4pm until Saturday, July 31. Details: 01923 278333, www.watford.gov.uk
02.07.2010: What's On in Watford
There's lots to do around Watford in July with the Watford LIVE! Festival taking centre stage. For more information, see the leaflet.
02.07.2010: Space 2
A new exhibition of work by students at West Herts College has opened at the museum. The Fashion and Textiles students have used the theme of armour to create work that will be on display in Space 2 until 24th July.
22.06.2010: Summer workshops
There's an amazing range of art and creative activities for 8 to 12 years this summer at the museum. Workshops on Thursdays and Fridays during August will give children a chance to try skills from weaving to mosaics, digital animation to shadow puppets.
For more information, see the leaflet or the activities page.
21.06.2010: Archaeology Day
Watford Museum will be participating in the Festival of British Archaeology with this free event for all ages.
Get up close to local archaeology with hands on activities including recreating a round house with Julian Richards, archaeologist from "Meet the Ancestors". The event will take place on Saturday 17th July between 11am and 4pm, and is also part of the Watford LIVE! festival.
For more information, see the leaflet.
09.06.2010: New Space2 exhibitions
Two exciting artists will be displaying their works at Watford's Space2 galleries this June. For more information, visit the Space2 website.
04.06.2010: Watford Film Society
After a successful first season, Watford Film Society have put together an exciting new programme for 2010/11. It's not too late to catch a film before they break for the summer. Visit the website at www.watfordfilmsociety.org.
03.06.2010: Watford LIVE!
Plans for an exciting arts festival in July are gathering pace: Watford Museum will be participating in Watford LIVE! with special events including an Archaeology Day and special High Street Trail. You can see the website at www.watfordlive.org
02.06.2010: What's on in June
There's lots to do in Watford in June, from heritage trails to World Environment Day activities. For more information, see the leaflet.
28.05.2010: World Environment Day
Discover how easy it is to do your bit for our environment at World Environment Day activities in Watford on 5th June. For more information, see the leaflet.
21.05.2010: Half-term workshops
Get in a summery mood with our creepy crawly themed workshops! Make your own spectacular bugs and butterflies out of recycled materials or build an insect home for the creatures in your garden.
For more information, click on the leaflet or visit the activities page.
04.05.2010: Starlight Walk Arts and Craft Workshop
Join us on Wednesday 19th May between 11am and 2pm to create a glowing 'thank you' sign for those taking part in this year's Starlight Walk for the Peace Hospice. The workshop is free and part of Adult Learners Week activities across Watford. For more information, click on the leaflet.
20.04.2010: High Street Trails
Our friends at I Can't Believe We're Not Better... have unveiled a new website. The website showcases some of the theatre company's wonderful work, including the Haunted Museum at Watford Museum. For more information, visit www.cantbelievetheatre.co.uk.
15.04.2010: High Street Trails
Watford Museum's incredibly popular walking trail returns this year - with a twist! Each walk will concentrate on a different theme, including Victorian Watford, Public Art and Architecture, 20th Century Watford and Ghosts and Legends.
Tickets are £3 per person and booking is essential. For more information, see the leaflet.
13.04.2010: Museums at Night
Watford Museum will be open late for a very special event at part of the Europe-wide 'Museums at Night' festival. Visitors will be able to enjoy evening access to the museum between 5 and 9pm on Saturday 15th May 2010, but that's not all. There will be a licensed bar and entertainment provided by local band Dizzie Voss.
For more information, see the leaflet.
31.03.2010: Easter Opening
Watford Museum is closed on Good Friday but will be open as usual on Easter Saturday with a special Easter trail for younger visitors.
30.03.2010: What's on in April
Spring has arrived and there's lots to do during the Easter break in the Watford area. For more details, see the leaflet.
29.03.2010: Easter Workshops at Watford Museum
Spring has arrived with our holiday workshops for children with activities including willow weaving and periscopes. Workshops are suitable for ages 8 to 12, cost £6 per child per session and are very popular so booking is essential.
For more information, see the activities page.
15.03.2010: VisitEngland award for Watford Museum
Prospective visitors to Watford Museum can now be assured of a great visit following a resounding "thumbs up" from VisitEngland. The museum has just been awarded VisitEngland's Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme (VAQAS) accreditation.
The VAQAS scheme is VisitEngland's quality assessment service for all types of visitor attractions throughout the country. An assessor carries out an unannounced visit and judges the quality of the visitor's experience in context to similar venues. In all assessments specific attention is given to cleanliness and customer service, as staff are the vital ingredient in making an attraction a success.
Elected Mayor of Watford Dorothy Thornhill said: "I'm delighted that Watford Museum can enjoy the same status as national attractions such as the London Eye and Imperial War Museum. This is an official endorsement of our standards and a great boost for both the museum and should help tourism in Watford.
"It is especially satisfying that one of the main areas that the museum passed with flying colours was the friendly and knowledgeable service provided by our staff. Through their hard work we are now able to display the VisitEngland red rose with pride."
02.03.2010: What's on in March
Another busy month is on the way with everything from Fairtrade to film packed into activities around Watford. For more information, click here.
01.03.2010: CAMRA auction
Our friends at the Watford Campaign for Real Ale are hosting an auction of breweriana on 4th March 2010. The auction will take place at West Herts Sports Club at 8pm with viewing from 7pm. For more information, see the leaflet.
02.02.2010: Space 2 exhibitions
A new Space 2 exhibition will open in the Town Hall Customer Service in February. From My Travels is an exhibition of fine art by Elaine Kelly and will be on display from 4th to 26th February 2010.
An exhibition of fine art from the collections at the museum has been extended. The Blackley Bequest will continue until 27th February 2010. For more"http://space2.watfordmuseum.org.uk/index.html" the Space 2 page.
01.02.2010: What's on in February
From Hip Hop to Fairtrade, Children's Workshops to Chopin, there's something for everyone going in Watford in February. For more information, click here.
29.01.2010: LGBT History Month
Guideposts Trust are working with Watford Museum and partners across Watford for celebrate Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Trans History Month.
There will be a display throughout February in the foyer of the museum looking at why LGBT History should be explored and shared. Tony Fenwick, co-founder of LGBT History Month and Schools Out, will be giving a talk at Watford Museum on Wednesday 10th February at 6pm, entitled "Why Do We Need A History?". Doors open at 5pm and admission is free, but booking is advisable. For more information, click on the leaflet.
22.01.2010: Tell everyone!
Watford Film Society's first season opens on Saturday 6th February in the Clarendon Muse with the award winning French thriller Tell No One.
Watford Film Society is a new community organisation run by a group of local volunteers aimed at widening the cinematic experience for Watford residents and providing a regular forum for talks and discussions about film.
For more information click on the leaflet or visit their website at www.watfordfilmsociety.org.
07.01.2010: Severe weather update
Watford Museum services may be affected by the current severe weather conditions over the next few days. Please phone us on 01923 232297 before your visit. As a precaution, the Friends of Watford Museum talk on Friday 8th December has been postponed and all art classes for this week cancelled.
06.01.2010: Watford at War
An display of facsimile copies of newspapers and photographs from the 1940s will go on display in the gallery at Watford Central Library from 18th January to 7th February 2010. The exhibition will include newspapers reporting the Second World War along with Watford at War photographs from the Greville Collection.
05.01.2010: What's on in January
Start the New Year with lots of activities and events around Watford. For more information, click here.
04.01.2010: The Blackley Bequest on display
Fine art from Watford Museum's impressive collections is to go on display in January in a new exhibition in the Space 2 gallery.
The Blackley Bequest is a collection of work given to Watford by Armand Blackley. They range from the striking portrait of an unknown man, at one time thought to be the Earl of Bedford, attributed to Sir Pieter Lely, to the self-portrait of Elisabeth Vigée le Brun, court painter to Marie Antoinette"http://space2.watfordmuseum.org.uk/index.html"re information, click on the Space 2 page.
17.12.2009: Festive opening times
The museum will be open Thursday 24th December from 10am to 4pm. The museum will then close for the festive season, reopening on 7th January.
Everyone at Watford Museum would like to wish you a very happy holiday!
09.12.2009: Happy Birthday to the Watford Museum School of Drawing and Painting!
The Watford Museum School of Drawing and Painting is celebrating its fifth birthday this month. The school first opened as an art group for local people who wished to learn how to draw, or to improve on their existing skills. The school has flourished and expanded to include oil painting sessions, opening every Thursday and Friday throughout the year for two classes each day.
The classes are informal and social by nature, and students work at their own pace on subjects of their choice with guidance from the tutor and Watford Museum's resident artist, Martin Smith. Martin says, "Nearly everyone who comes to the school started without any previous experience and they all achieve an excellent standard of work in a very short time."
The cost is £6 per session or £11 per day, including tea and coffee. As there are no terms, new students are welcome to join at any time with any level of experience. Martin Smith is also giving a series of art appreciation lectures on Saturday mornings from 11am until 12.30pm, hosted at Watford Museum. For more information, see the activities page.
03.12.2009: Christmas Arts in Watford
Start your festive season with cost and calorie-free celebrations in the town centre on 5th and 12th December! For more information, click here.
02.12.2009: Screen Break at Space 2
Visitors will have the chance to view photography and paintings by television film-makers in the new exhibition at the Space 2 gallery in Watford Museum. Screen Break will showcase the talents of Andy King-Dabbs and John Martin White, and will be on d"http://space2.watfordmuseum.org.uk/index.html"m from 3rd to 24th December. For more information, visit the Space 2 page.
01.12.2009: What's on in December
There's lots to do in Watford during December, from Christmas events to activities for all ages. For more information, click here.
30.11.2009: Watford Art Space continues
Watford Borough Council's Arts Development Team's transformation of an empty shop in Charter Place Shopping Centre into the town's first art gallery pop-up shop has been a huge success.
The art gallery pop-up shop is occupied by Hertfordshire's Visual Arts Forum, who is exhibiting, discussing and selling their work. After a successful few weeks, with over a hundred people visiting the shop every day and with over £2,000 worth of sales, Watford Art Space is staying open until a permanent tenant can be found.
The shop is open to browse a specially selected range of original and affordable pieces of art created by local artists. The opening hours are: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 11-5.30pm; Thursday 11-8pm and Sunday 11-5pm.
20.11.2009: Christmas tree lights, bells and carols
Join in the festive fun with the switching on of Watford's Christmas tree, bells and carol singing. The event starts at 5.30pm in St Mary's Square on Thursday 26th December 2009. For more information, click here.
16.11.2009: Listed buildings and conservation areas
Information on Watford's historic and architecturally important buildings is now available to view on line. The web pages have been produced by Watford Borough Council's Planning Department and can be viewed at:
13.11.2009: Parade to mark Watford's new fire station
The opening of Watford's new fire station is to be marked with a parade through the ages of the service. The procession has been organised by the Hertfordshire Fire Museum, which has shares a site with the Watford Fire Station.
The parade includes a horse drawn engine from 1896, a Leyland engine from 1937 and the three currently operational vehicles. It will start at the Rickmansworth Road fire station at 2pm on Thursday November 19th 2009 and then make its way down to the new station in Lower High Street. Click here for the Hertfordshire Fire Museum page.
06.11.2009: The Big Draw animates Watford
This year's Big Draw activities have been a great success with children enjoying full day workshops in animation and over 250 people joining in the drawing and animation drop in event in the Harlequin Centre. Marks & Spencer even loaned two widescreen televisions so that the animations created could be seen on the day. You can view the three animations here.
The museum is also proud to have examples of the Watford Community Housing Trust's Big Draw activities on display.
02.11.2009: Space 2 galleries
New exhibitions will go on display in the Space 2 galleries at Watford Museum and the Town Hall in November. At the museum, the XRR Photographic Society will be displaying the work of local photographers and in the foyer there will be an exhibition 'Home Grown' about Watford's rich allotment heritage. At the Customer Service Centre in the Town Hall, there will be an exhibition of work by artist Patsy Lowe.
30.10.2009: Watford Art Space
A shop displaying the work of local artists is opening in Charter Place on 4th November. Watford Art Space is the idea of Watford Borough Council and the Herts Visual Arts Forum, and the shop will be staffed exclusively by local artists who will be on hand to chat about their work to visitors. For more information, click here.
26.10.2009: What's on in November
There's lots to do in Watford during November, from Bonfire Night celebrations to the switching on of the town's Christmas tree. For more information, click here.
22.10.2009: Half-term workshops
Our ever-popular workshops return to Watford Museum during half-term: "Mysterious Mexican Masks" and "Scary Skeletons", both on Thursday 29th October. Click on the leaflet for more details.
Workshops are suitable for children aged 8 to 12 and cost £6 per child or £4 with an Everyone Active card. Places are limited, so booking is essential.
19.10.2009: Wild about Watford
Get wild about Watford with Watford Borough Council's Conservation Programme. You can make the most of autumn with a range of outdoor activities and support our local wildlife at the same time. For more information, click on the leaflet.
16.10.2009: Life on the Cut
An exhibition of photography by David Parker is now on display at Watford Museum. 'Life on the Cut' explores canal life on the Grand Union Canal and continues until 31st October 2009. An exhi"http://space2.watfordmuseum.org.uk/index.html"sh-born artist Arna Davis is on display at the Space 2 gallery at the Town Hall. For more information, visit the Space 2 page.
16.10.2009: Guideposts Trust World Mental Health Day exhibition
Explore mental wealth through art work from Guidep"http://space2.watfordmuseum.org.uk/index.html"eum foyer exhibition to celebrate World Mental Health Day. The exhibition continues until Saturday 31st October. For more information, visit the Space 2 page.
02.10.2009: Watford at War
An exhibition has opened at Watford Central Library exploring wartime Watford through newspapers and images from the Greville Collection. The exhibition will be on display at the Library until mid October. For more information and opening times, please visit www.hertsdirect.org
01.10.2009: What's on in October
Autumn has arrived and there's lots of activities going on around the town, including events for Half Term and Halloween. For more information, click here.