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Window on Spelthorne

Spelthorne Museum is divided into two rooms. The Elmsleigh Room is opened by Staines Library staff and has the history of Spelthorne from the Ice Age to Modern Times. To provide visitors with something different there are two display areas which are changed frequently. 'Window on Spelthorne' is a small display case near the Fire Exit and changes roughly every month.

January saw some sheets from '50 Famous Objects from Surrey Museums' borrowed from the Surrey History Centre. February had the death of King George Vl and the Accession of Queen Elizabeth ll. March features some of the recent acquisitions to Spelthorne Museum. These include some photographs found in a charity shop, stock sheets from a closing down shop and some World War Two Air Raid Warden items.

April features the Sinking of the Titanic and the way it affected Spelthorne and in May there will be a celebration for the 180th annniversary of the current Staines Bridge, opened in 1832 by King William lV

Big Blue Board

The second area in the Elmsleigh Room to have a varying subject is a display board (sadly called 'The Big Blue Board', because that is what it is!). From January to June 2012 this will have six of the twelve monthly 'diary' pages of Spelthorne Museum's Diamond Jubilee Exhibition 'The Way we Were in 1952' showing life in the area we now know as 'Spelthorne' for the year 1952 when Princess Elizabeth became Queen . The rest of this exhibition is shown in the Thames Room

Temporary Exhibition Area

The second of Spelthorne Museum's two rooms is the Thames Room. This is opened when volunteers are on duty and as well as further displays and the Museum Shop it has the Temporary Exhibition area. The Museum aims to have two temporary exhibitions a year. For 2012 there will be 'The Way we Were in 1952' a celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee which consists of twelve monthly 'diary' pages of news from the area, six of which will be on view in the Elmsleigh Room and changed over from time to time.

'The Way we Were in 1952' was officially opened by the MP for Spelthorne Kwarsi Kwarteng on January 21st 2012 and will stay until July 2012.

From July until December 2012 the Temporary Exhibition Area will feature the history of the Olympics

Monthly Talk

From September to April the Spelthorne Archaeology and Local History Group ( Trustees of Spelthorne Musuem) run a series of monthly talks on archaeological and history subjects at Staines Methodist Church, Thames Street, Staines at 8pm. Talks are free to members of SALHG and visitors and non-members are very welcome at £2 per talk. Tea or coffee and a biccy cost 40p - a bargain!

2012 Talks Programme

5th January 'Roman Archaeology in North Africa' by Julia Gibbs

2nd February 'I.K. Brunel' by Nick Pollard

1st March 'Archaeology in Ewell' by Jon Cotton

5th April 'The 1908 Olympics' by Nick Pollard