Gunnersbury Park Museum is re-opening its doors to local people this weekend following the completion of an ambitious restoration project to bring its rich heritage to life. To mark the occasion, free activities and entertainment will be taking place on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 June and local people are encouraged to come along and enjoy the fun.
The opening weekend will serve as a celebration of Gunnersbury’s past, present and future, as well as a ‘thank you’ to everyone who has made it possible. It will be packed full of activities and entertainment including performance s by the Knuckle & Joint theatre company.
Visitors will see costumed characters bringing the Historic Kitchens to life and meet Princess Amelia in the Bath House to hear about her 18th century beauty secrets. There will be creative activities and all manner of entertainment for the whole family, as well as live music from Acton High School’s talented all-girl band.
Gunnersbury Park’s café will be providing their usual range of food and drinks as well as freshly made wood fired pizzas, already proving to be a firm favourite amongst visitors. Tours of the museum and garden will also be taking place, highlighting some of the new features of the park.
The restoration of the museum and park has been delivered thanks to a partnership between joint owners Ealing and Hounslow Councils, and the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery. Significant restoration has been carried out on the museum and other listed structures which will allow local people to benefit from the park’s rich heritage.
The next phase of the project has seen work begin on one of the largest outdoor sporting facilities in London which will be completed in spring 2019. This £13.9 million sports hub will boast a multi-use sports centre and gym, two external floodlit artificial grass pitches, tennis courts, cricket and football pitches
The newly-formed Community Interest Company, Gunnersbury Estate CIC, manages Gunnersbury Park and Museum on behalf of Ealing and Hounslow Councils. CEO David Bowler said: “We are so excited to finally open the doors of the museum and share this amazing heritage with the local community. This weekend of free activities is just a taster of the programme of activities we’ll be offering at Gunnersbury over the next few months. With so much to enjoy in the park and museum, we hope local people will come back time and again.”
For more information on upcoming events, activities and exhibitions follow @Gunnersbury1 on Twitter.
