The Horniman Museum and Gardens were given to the people of London for their 'recreation, instruction and enjoyment' in 1901 by Victorian tea trader Frederick John Horniman. His wealth allowed him to ‘bring the world to Forest Hill’ in the form of a Collection that covers Natural History, Anthropology and Musical Instruments. The Museum also has an Aquarium and 16.5 acres of Gardens.
The Horniman is now an attractive and busy local museum, very well used by schools and families, with over 50% of its visitors under the age of ten. LUC has coordinated and led the masterplan, research and development of new facilities, including securing HLF funding, and is currently working on planning the implementation.
The Gardens were an integral part of Horniman’s gift and the aim of LUC’s new masterplan is to take interpretation into the Gardens. This extends the existing resources for learning and exploration by using the unique Gardens to grow exhibits — eg. the ‘Living Collection’ showing the fibres used in clothes, musical instruments and tribal masks, and a World Food Garden, reflecting the vibrantly diverse local community.
This is an exciting project as it is not just about preserving physical fabric. When developing the masterplan, we were keen to bring together the existing ideas of this well-established institution and also look at things in a new way. The museum has sat within Gardens since its inception, however the idea of making a direct connection to the Museums exhibits will bring a new dimension to the place and strengthen the link between the Collections and Gardens.
Find out more about the Horniman Museum here
