Museum reopens after nine-month closure for repairs

VISITORS were welcomed to the River & Rowing Museum in Henley on Saturday when it opened for the first time in nine months.

The closure was to allow for a
£1 million refurbishment which included replacing the leaking roof.

Paul Owen, the interim director, said: “We really wanted to get open and working again.

“I’ve been here to help with the transformation. We’ve done what we set out to achieve. Our main goal was fixing the roof but the new reception area and café have also been completed.”

Steve O’Connor, who will take over as director on July 25, said: “It’s fantastic to see all the hard work which has gone on behind the scenes come together. It’s really nice to have people back and hear the noise of the museum again.

“This is just the first phase. We really needed to get the infrastructure right to set us up for the next 25 years. We’re keen to look at and make changes to the river gallery and the rowing gallery. We want to tell the stories of the river in a better and more engaging way.

“We are making sure that as a museum we bring value to the town and people feel more connected to it within the community.”

Debbie McFadyen, the museum’s visitor operations manager, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming back faces new and not so new over the summer period. There have been lots of changes over the past few years, particularly coming back from covid, but the museum is now heading in the right direction.”

Young visitors were able to enjoy a book reading by staff member Anne Goddard in the presence of Mr Toad in the new Little Willows children’s area. Older visitors could explore a new exhibition ofd river and regatta artworks by women.

The Thyme Café, which has been taken over by Jason Wild and Dan McCullough, was also open. Mr Wild said: “This is really such a great venue with beautiful scenery.”

Other attractions included a stall from the Henley Distillery whose gin and rum are stocked in the museum gift shop.

Alan Wilson, director of the distillery said: “When my son was in a pushchair this was such a regular place for mums, dads and to meet up. It’s great to see it open again.”

There She Rows, four women who are to attempt to row 4,000km across the Atlantic in December, were outside the café with their boat and an ergometer for visitors to try rowing. Their motivation is to inspire girls to get involved in sport as more than half are said to drop out of sports activities before they’re 17.

Jemima Bermingham, who was visiting the museum with her son, said: “It looks really good. I grew up in Henley used to come a lot when I was younger. It’s really exciting and accessible.”

The museum is open Thursday to Monday from 10am to 4pm.