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Watford Museum

Watford Museum
Georgian red-brick 3-storey mansion house with neoclassical pediment
Watford Museum (the former Benskins Brewery building)
Watford is located in Hertfordshire
Watford
Watford
Location of Watford in Hertfordshire
Established 14 March 1981 (1981-03-14)
Location 194 Watford High Street, Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°39′07″N 0°23′28″W / 51.652043°N 0.391166°W / 51.652043; -0.391166Coordinates: 51°39′07″N 0°23′28″W / 51.652043°N 0.391166°W / 51.652043; -0.391166
Type Local museum
Accreditation Hertfordshire Association of Museums; Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
Curator Sarah Priestley
Owner Watford Borough Council
Public transit access London Overground Watford High Street
Nearest car park On site
Website www.watfordmuseum.org.uk

Watford Museum is a local museum in Watford, Hertfordshire, in the United Kingdom. It is owned by Watford Borough Council and is located on the Lower High Street in Watford. The museum opened in 1981 and is housed in a Grade II-listed Georgian town house which was previously the premises of Benskins Brewery. Its collection includes fine art, displays about local heritage, industry and sport, with a special collection related to the history of the Cassiobury Estate.

The mansion house at 194 Watford High Street was built for the Dyson family around 1775, although there are records of a brewery operating on the site since 1750. The three-storey, red-brick house, built in the Georgian neoclassical style, is fronted by a three-bay pediment with a central bull's eye window, and flanked by two lower wings which were added circa 1807. Tall, yellow-brick Victorian brewing premises once stood behind the house, although these have since been demolished.

The house was bought in 1867 by Joseph Benskin and continued to operate as a brewery until it was acquired by Ind Coope in 1957. The mansion house was later converted into offices, and it was listed grade II by English Heritage in 1952. It became the site of the Watford Museum in 1981 and was officially opened on 14 March 1981 by the Watford-born actor and comedian, Terry Scott.

The museum celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2011.

The museum has a significant fine art collection, which includes the notable Cassiobury Collection. Works on display include artworks formerly of the Earl of Essex's collection at Cassiobury House, with paintings of the Cassiobury Estate such as A view of Cassiobury Park by John Wootton, View of the South-West Front of Cassiobury House by J. M. W. Turner, Cassiobury Park Gates by Charles Vickers and an 1831 painting of the Cassiobury House Winter Dining Room by William Henry Hunt. The museum also houses portraits of a number of Earls of Essex.


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