Twickenham Museum
- Local history enthusiasts
- Families with children
What Visitors Say
Short but sweet museum on history of Twickenham (which became a Borough in 1926, and amalgamated into the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in the 1960s). The displays are on the first floor, currently a limited small exhibition on artist J.M.W. Turner (who lives for a number of years in Twickenham). It also has history on the Twining family tree, particularly on the founder of Twinings, so focuses on some teas displayed in a case. Also a boat race I'd never heard of before - Doggett's Coat and Badge race that has been going on since 1715. The museum is free, however it is quite small so maybe not lots and lots for you to see. Ground floor has an old map of the Twickenham and wider Richmond area. The location is great, very close to the river path. Plus Twickenham is a very nice area so you could probably do this very quickly whilst in this area.
Charming little museum about Twickenham. Very welcoming staff. It is small - only one room - but well done and interesting.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this tiny museum. What made it for us was the warm welcome given to us by the two members of staff, who were very knowledgeable and enthusiastically explained some of the exhibits to us. They also kindly told us about other interesting things about the area too. The funniest exhibit was of the man, known as Professor Cockles, who used to walk along the bottom of the Thames, using a strange homemade breathing apparatus. Flowing aloft in the distance was the European flag today, which was personally a rather welcoming and special sight for me. It felt lovely, almost as if, the borough of Richmond, unlike many areas in the UK, were defiantly remaining European and most welcoming to people from abroad. Well done!
A small local museum with interesting facts such as the Twinings family. Very friendly volunteers who are happy to answer any questions.
Fascinating museum of Twickenham, which is very rich in History, featuring some very interesting characters. The curators (be prepared to be wowed by their enthusiasm) were full of interesting stories and knowledge, more than what you can fit in once visit. I will be returning soon to top up my curiosity of the area.
Highlights
Alexander Pope’s Twickenham
Pins the Augustan poet to a real landscape—his villa on the Thames and the famed grotto beneath it.Engravings, plans and memorabilia trace how Pope engineered his riverside garden and tunnelled a shell-and-mineral grotto under the road.
Local Lives / Literature case
Strawberry Hill & the Gothic Revival
Shows how Horace Walpole’s villa (1749–76) rewrote taste—mock-medieval forms inspiring a national style.Early prints and guidebook ephemera reveal how a private fantasy house became a tourist site with timed ‘showings’.
Architecture & Places section
Eel Pie Island: The Beat Boom
Connects a tiny Thames island hotel to the 1960s R&B explosion.Posters, tickets and photos chart residencies by emergent bands and the scene that incubated British rock.
Music & Leisure display
Opening Hours
Fun Facts
Pope’s Twickenham villa was demolished in 1808; the subterranean grotto—lined with shells, ores and crystals—survived, making it one of Britain’s earliest preserved poet-made garden features.
Horace Walpole’s Strawberry Hill House is a foundational Gothic Revival project (begun 1749), documented through visitor tickets and early guidebooks that helped codify ‘Gothic taste’.
Eel Pie Island Hotel hosted formative 1960s gigs—posters and handbills record appearances by leading R&B acts before mainstream fame.
J. M. W. Turner designed and built Sandycombe Lodge (1813) in Twickenham as a retreat; local views and maps in the museum situate the painter’s walks along the same river reaches.
