- River and Rowing Museum
The River and Rowing Museum in
Henley-on-Thames ,Oxfordshire ,England , is located on a site atMill Meadows by theRiver Thames . It has three main themes represented by major permanent galleries, the non-tidalRiver Thames , the internationalsport of rowing and the local town ofHenley-on-Thames .History
The building was designed by the modernist
architect David Chipperfield and has won awards for the building itself, including theRoyal Fine Art Commission "Building of the Year" award in 1999. It was also UK National Heritage "Museum of the Year" in 1999.It was officially opened in November 1998 by Queen Elizabeth II. Major benefactors include The Arbib Foundation run by local businessmen
Sir Martyn Arbib andUrs Schwarzenbach . In 2004, a "Wind in the Willows " attraction for families was installed. This is a walk-through recreation using models, sets and an audio-guide of all theE.H. Shepard illustrations from theKenneth Grahame book.In 2006, the museum completed an extensive refurbishment of its Rowing Gallery, thanks to the generosity of Urs Schwarzenbach. Now known as the "Schwarzenbach International Rowing Gallery" it tells the story of rowing from its beginnings in
ancient Greece to the modernOlympics . Thematically arranged the gallery includes sections devoted to theOxford vCambridge Boat Race , World & Olympic rowing, professional rowing in the 19th and early 20th centuries, boat building, coaching and nutrition. The museum now displays a unique collection of video clips. One of the highlights for visitors to the "Schwarzenbach International Rowing Gallery" is an interactive exhibit "In the Cox's Seat" that allows visitors to sit in a rowing boat and experience a race atHenley Royal Regatta Temporary exhibitions have included work by the Thames-based painter
Chris Gollon , the local 20th centuryartist John Piper, one of his collaborators, thepotter Geoffrey Eastop , and the furniture makerPhilip Koomen . In 2006, there was an exhibition by John Piper's grandson,Luke Piper . Between November 2006 and February 2007 there is an exhibition of the illustrations ofE.H. Shepard called "The Man who Drew Pooh & Toad".The museum was one of the first to have a website, which existed before it actually opened [
J. P. Bowen and J. S. M. Bowen, [http://www.archimuse.com/mw2000/papers/bowen/bowen.html The Website of the UK Museum of the Year, 1999] . In D. Bearman and J. Trant (eds.), "Proc.Museums and the Web 2000",Minneapolis ,USA , 16–19 April 2000.Archives & Museum Informatics , Pittsburgh, USA, 2000.] .References
External links
* [http://www.rrm.co.uk/ River and Rowing Museum]
* [http://archive.museophile.org/rrm/ Original website]
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