Making our collections more accessible…
Museum Collection
The Museum Collection consists of the Borough Art Collection of over 2,000 artworks, over 500 oral histories, Bronze Age, Roman, Anglo Saxon objects to over 200 items from the Riesco Collection of Chinese ceramics. Over 500 objects are on permanent display in our galleries, some of which are loans from other Museums and individuals. From textiles, our Trojan Bubble car to our current ‘Bones of Croydon’ display featuring an almost complete Ango-Saxon skeleton – the collection is diverse in material and stories.
Art Collection
The Croydon Art Collection has over 2,000 works, including paintings, prints, drawings and sketches, dating from the 17th century to the present day. The collection began in the 1890s, when many works were given as gifts to the Council to decorate the new Croydon municipal buildings. Donations came from local people, officials of the borough and local artists, including William Ford Stanley and James Cooper. The collection contains many works depicting local scenes. In the 1960s work by artists from the Croydon School of Art was acquired by the borough’s education department; as a result the collection has some significant pieces by contemporary artists including Bridget Riley.
Some of our collection is available online at Art UK.
Riesco Collection
The Riesco Collection consists of over 200 items, dating from prehistory to the Qing dynasty (2500 BC to the 19th century). It includes porcelain, Chinese stoneware and earthenware, featuring mainly vessels and figures of the highest quality.
Collected by Raymond Riesco, this collection shows a variety of different designs, methods of creation and symbolism.
Handling Collection
The Handling Collection consists of around 300 objects dating from the Victorian period onwards. The majority of the objects are historical, with some being duplicates or replicas of the archive and museum collection. This collection is used for education, school visits and handling sessions in the galleries and/or for events/workshops.
If you would like a box for your school or community group please contact us to arrange.
We are answering enquiries for the Museum collection remotely, please contact us to discuss your query.
Archive & Local History Collection
The Borough Archive contains over a 1000 collections relating to the London Borough of Croydon, its predecessor bodies and the diverse community it now serves. The Local History Collection includes published materials relation to the history of Croydon. Many of these are available to access by appointment in our Research Room.
The Archives and Research Room are now under the management of Croydon Libraries. You can find out more and follow our progress here on the website and on our social media accounts @museumofcroydon and @croydonlibs
Borough Archive
The Borough Archive contains over a 1000 collections relating to the London Borough of Croydon, its predecessor bodies and the diverse community it now serves. Access to these collections is by appointment, and available to view in our Research Room. Over 700 can be viewed on our online catalogue.
We are answering enquiries remotely, please contact us to discuss your query.
Local History
The Local History Collection includes published materials relation to the history of Croydon. There are street directories, newspapers on microfilm, local history books, pamphlets, photographs and a large collection of sales particulars. Many of these are available on open access in our Research Room.
We are answering enquiries remotely, please contact us to discuss your query.
Research Room
In the Research Room you can find out more about the history of Croydon, including your family, street and local community. You can also request to see items from our collections in store including the archives, oral history and art collections.
We are answering enquiries remotely, please contact us to discuss your query.