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Museum of Watford - The MoW

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Join us on an exciting journey through history as Watford Museum goes on Tour!

22/10/2026

🖤✨FINAL REMINDER FOR THE PEOPLE’S PATTERNS | BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2026 ✨🖤

What can a pattern say about you, your family, your culture or your journey?

Join the Museum of Watford for The People’s Patterns and create a fabric circle inspired by your story, heritage, neighbourhood, family or experiences.

Your piece will become part of a growing community tapestry made by people across Watford.

The workshop will include patterns and textile traditions from around the world, including Kente, Adinkra and Afro-Caribbean textiles.

Here's a sneak peak of the work-in-progress!

EVENT INFORMATION:

📍Location: Harlequin Centre, Watford
📅Date: Friday 23 October 2026
⏰Time: 11am–4pm

We will explore how textiles can tell stories, connect communities and express identity.

🎨No previous artistic experience is needed.
👪All ages and backgrounds are welcome.
📚Learn. Create. Share. Connect.

Your story could become part of Watford’s story!

Come and help us create The People’s Patterns.

The Museum of Watford is made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery Players.

20/10/2026

🖤✨THE PEOPLE’S PATTERNS | BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2026 ✨🖤

What can a pattern say about you, your family, your culture or your journey?

Join the Museum of Watford for The People’s Patterns, a hands-on textile workshop celebrating Black history, community identity and shared heritage.

EVENT INFORMATION:

📍Location: Harlequin Centre, Watford
📅Date: Friday 23 October 2026
⏰Time: 11am–4pm

Create a fabric circle inspired by your story, heritage, neighbourhood, family or experiences. Your piece will become part of a growing community tapestry made by people across Watford.

We will explore how textiles can tell stories, connect communities and express identity.

The workshop will include patterns and textile traditions from around the world, including Kente, Adinkra and Afro-Caribbean textiles.

🎨No previous artistic experience is needed.
👪All ages and backgrounds are welcome.
📚Learn. Create. Share. Connect.

Your story could become part of Watford’s story!

Come and help us create The People’s Patterns.

The Museum of Watford is made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery Players.

16/10/2026

🧛 Would YOU survive a vampire attack? 🧛‍♂️

Something strange is stirring in Watford....
With Halloween approaching, we’ve been digging into one of the town’s more unusual stories: the legend of the Watford Vampire. 🦇

But before we tell you more, there’s something important we need to establish.

Would you ACTUALLY survive a vampire attack?

Swipe through, answer the questions and keep track of your points to discover your fate.

Then tell us your result in the comments - and tag the person you’re absolutely not trusting to keep watch after dark. 👀

And remember…when it comes to the Watford Vampire, the story might be closer to home than you think.

Next up: just why does Watford have a vampire legend in the first place?

The Museum of Watford is made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery Players.

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14/10/2026

🧵 The People’s Pattern: Tell Your Story

This Black History Month, our Museum Next Gen cohort is inviting you to help create a growing tapestry of Watford’s history.

Drop into The People’s Pattern for a free day of arts, crafts and creative textiles, exploring the stories, cultures and experiences that make up our town.

Add your own piece to the pattern, get creative and help us celebrate the people behind Watford’s history - past and present.

🎨 Free and open to all
📅 Friday 23 October
⏰ 11am–4pm
📍 Charter Place, Harlequin Watford
🙌 No booking needed - just drop in!

💛 The Museum of Watford is made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery Players.

13/10/2026

🎃 Just a normal day in Collections…

While working through our inventory, the Collections Team opened a box and were greeted by this. A partial taxidermy mount of a Red Kite. Just the head. Naturally.

And if that wasn’t quite spooky enough, historic taxidermy comes with another slightly sinister surprise. 👀

During the 19th and early-to-mid 20th centuries, taxidermists often used substances containing arsenic to protect specimens from insects. Decades later, those hazardous residues can still remain - which means historic taxidermy needs to be handled with particular care.

So behind the scenes, our Collections Team use appropriate protective equipment and careful storage procedures when working with specimens like this.

A severed bird’s head that might also be poisonous? Happy spooky season from the Museum of Watford. 🎃🦅

💛 The Museum of Watford is made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund the National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery Players.

10/10/2026

🎨 SEND Art Workshops are back this half term!

We’re teaming up with Cathartic for another day of free, creative workshops for children and young people with SEND on Wednesday 28 October.

Through art and creativity, we’ll be exploring local heritage, celebrating our community and creating something inspired by Watford’s past and present.

There are two sessions:
🎨 Ages 5–11: 10:30am–12:30pm
🎨 Ages 12–19: 2–4pm
📍 Cathartic’s Workshop, Oak Yard, rear of 131–133 Queens Road, Watford, WD17 2QP

The venue is fully accessible, with accessible toilets, a hoist and changing bed.
The workshops are completely free, but places must be booked in advance.

To register your interest, email [email protected] with the name and age of the child or young person attending and a brief summary of their needs. Cathartic will then send you a booking form to confirm your place.

Come along, get creative and discover a little more about Watford along the way! 🖌️

💛 The Museum of Watford is made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery Players.

08/10/2026

🚂 Recognise this Watford landmark?

A look back at Watford High Street Station from our photographic collection.

There’s plenty to spot in this one - from the old British Railways signage and posters to the flower stall outside. And while the station is still very much part of Watford today, its surroundings have changed considerably over the years.

What do you remember about travelling from Watford High Street? Maybe a regular commute, a trip into London, or the start of a day out?

We’d love to hear your memories. 👇

💛 The Museum of Watford is made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery Players.

02/10/2026

🧡 Museum Next Gen: Black History Month

To begin our Museum Next Gen posts for Black History Month, we’re looking at how something we wear can carry a much bigger story.

This dress was made by a woman in Watford and is an example of the kind of vibrant clothing that might be worn to church - bringing together faith, culture, identity, heritage and craftsmanship.

For Watford resident Rhoda Elorm Amezado, those connections are deeply personal.

Rhoda moved to Watford in 2008 and, after having her first child, began looking for a community that would make the town feel like home. She found that at Elim Pentecostal Church on St Albans Road, among a congregation bringing together people from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Uganda and beyond.

💬 “We dress glamorously on Sundays and sing happily, dance and pray.”
Rhoda remembers the late Gail Miller, who helped create that sense of belonging, with particular affection. Although from a different cultural background, Rhoda recalls how Gail embraced and understood the cultures of those around her, becoming a mother figure to many in the congregation.

For Rhoda, this is a story about much more than clothing. It’s about community, identity, belonging, and the ways a new place can gradually become home.
Throughout Black History Month, our Museum Next Gen cohort will be sharing more of the people, experiences and stories they’ve been exploring through their project.

💛 The Museum of Watford is made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery Players.

01/10/2026

🎨 From our Fine Art collection: things have escalated.

Painted in the 17th century by Dutch artist Adriaen van Ostade, this work is rather appropriately titled Brawl.

Van Ostade was known for his lively scenes of everyday life, particularly taverns and village interiors - often filled with drinking, dancing, arguing and generally questionable behaviour.

And Brawl certainly delivers.

There’s shouting. There are playing cards on the floor. Someone appears to have reached the “hold me back” stage of the evening. And the man on the barrel looks like he may already be regretting several decisions.

The official title might be Brawl - but we think you can do better.

What would you rename it? 👇

💛 The Museum of Watford is made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery Players.

29/09/2026

🌟 Volunteer Spotlight: Meet Chloe

For the past three years, Chloe has been volunteering with the Museum of Watford - which means she’s probably seen more of the collection than most of us!

As part of our collections inventory project, Chloe has been helping us work through the entire collection, making sure every object has an identification number, a digital record and a safe home before making its journey to the Town Hall.

And when we say every object, we mean every object. From Charlie the Chimp and Watford FC memories to individual letters, photographs and ephemera - it all needs to be accounted for. 📦

For Chloe, it’s those smaller stories that make the work particularly special:
💬 “The collection tells thousands of smaller (but just as important!) stories about the individual, everyday lives of the people who have lived and worked here.”

From eighteenth-century school records to photographs of 1980s work parties and flyers celebrating Watford’s pride and diversity, together they tell the story of a town that Chloe describes as “vibrant, dynamic and diverse - and always has been.”

A huge thank you to Chloe for three years of volunteering, curiosity and care - and for helping us make sure Watford’s stories are ready for their next chapter. 💙

💛 The Museum of Watford is made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery Players.

Address

194 Lower High Street
Watford
WD172DT

Opening Hours

Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm

Website

http://www.watfordmuseum.org.uk/

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