Museum of Watford

The Museum of Watford is a local museum in Watford, Hertfordshire, currently housed in Watford Town Hall while its collection is being relocated. It was originally opened in 1981 in a Grade II-listed Georgian town house on the Lower High Street, previously the site of Benskins Brewery. The museum’s collection includes fine art, local heritage displays, industry and sport exhibits, with a special focus on the history of the Cassiobury Estate. The museum’s fine art collection features works from the Cassiobury Collection, including paintings by J. M. W. Turner, John Wootton and William Henry Hunt. It also holds portraits of the Earls of Essex and works by Dutch and Flemish artists such as Pieter Neeffs the Elder and Adriaen van Ostade. The sculpture collection includes pieces by Jacob Epstein and Ronald Pope, while sports memorabilia and Elton John’s stage costume highlight Watford Football Club’s history. The museum’s archives contain documents, photographs and diaries related to Watford’s people, businesses and local government. When it reopens in Watford Town Hall, the collection will be organised into three new galleries. The redevelopment has been funded by a £2.4 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, with completion expected by 2026 or 2027.