News detail

Legacy of a Brentford legend

- 13-May-2005
The legacy of a Brentford antiquarian is to be celebrated by the launch of a two year community project by CIP and Hounslow Council.

Editors Note: Thomas Layton was a churchwarden in St George's Church from the age of 21 and the church tower and pell of bells (1913) was paid for from his will. The bells now reside in St Pauls Church, Brentford.

Layton's Legacy: Celebrating a Brentford Treasure aims to reclaim Thomas Layton's legacy for Brentford and to celebrate its future for the benefit of the whole community. The project will be executed with the help of the Layton Memorial and Museum Trust.

Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund with an award of £49,500, the Layton's Legacy project will reveal the life and times of Brentford antiquarian, councillor, benefactor and eclectic collector, Thomas Layton.

Mr Layton (1819-1911) left to the people of Brentford a massive collection of 8,000 books, 4,000 prints and maps, 3,500 coins and medals and 5,000 archaeological objects, many of which are pre-historic and of important local significance.

The project will allow the people of Brentford to enjoy the collection that was bestowed to them and gain an insight into Brentford's history. A number of activities will take place at the end of this year and throughout 2006, including a series of exhibitions throughout the local area, a publication about Mr Layton and the legacy he left to Brentford and a new website including a gallery, enabling Layton's great collections to be accessed by all.

The main exhibition in 2006 will re-unite Thomas Layton's collection, currently scattered around a number of museums across London. The exhibition will include a good cross section of Layton's collection of books, prints, maps and archaeological objects as well as some never before seen items housed in the Museum of London.

Some of Layton's collection can currently be seen around London including a small exhibition at Gunnersbury Park Museum about local collectors and many books and prints can be examined at Hounslow Library.

For an initial sample, you can catch a talk on Layton's Legacy from CIP Project Officer Mike Galer as part of the Brentford History Day at St Paul's Church in Brentford on Saturday 21 May at 2pm. There is an opportunity for community groups, colleges, universities, historical societies and individuals with an interest in this area to get involved and volunteer to work on the project. For more information contact the CIP's project officer Mike Galer on 0845 4562824 or layton@cip.org.uk

Source: Andrew Raine, Brentford Chiswick & Isleworth Times

Tell us what you think. If you have a view about something we have said here, tell us what you think.
Take the opportunity to add a comment

>>back