Dear readers,

We are thrilled to announce the reopening of Turner’s House (Sandycombe Lodge) to the public from Thursday 6th August 2020. 

The house will open to the public with full precautions including limiting the number of visitors in the house to eight at any one time which will allow for an enhanced, more intimate experience..

Following Government policy the wearing of face coverings within the house will be mandatory from Saturday 8 August but will be required to be worn at Turner’s House from Thursday 6 August.  

Turner’s House will operate a reduced opening schedule of Thursday to Saturday for the present. The house will open on those days from 12pm to 4pm. Advance booking for all visits to Turner’s House is now compulsory and visits need to be pre-booked via the Turner’s House website. For general information, health and safety procedures, and to book your visit please go to www.turnershouse.org

This week and last week the house has been open to members of the public who had pre-booked their tickets before the pandemic. Feedback from their visits has been very positive. Fewer visitors has meant more space in the house to explore and this has been welcomed with enthusiasm by our visitors!

Exclusive guided tours for small family groups and close friends can also be arranged. Please contact housedirector@turnershouse.org for further details.

 

A Big ‘Thank You’ to the National Lottery Heritage Fund!

 

Turner’s House Trust are very grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for providing a grant at part of its Heritage Emergency Fund.

House Director Ricky Pound commented: “I am incredibly grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and its players, together with other significant donors, for providing Turner’s House with grants that have enabled the house to reopen once again. This historic house, like many other visitor attractions and museums, has suffered large financial losses during recent months and these funds have been pivotal in preparation for reopening”.

 

Turner and the Thames: Five Paintings

Exhibition Extended!

 

 

Above – Windsor Castle from the River, c. 1806. JMW Turner (Tate)

Another bonus for visitors to the house is the extension of the popular Turner and the Thames: Five Paintings exhibition which was originally due to end on 30th April but has now been extended until Saturday 31st October. Turner’s House Trust are incredibly grateful to the Tate Gallery for the loan of these five original Turner oil sketches, the first Turner works to be shown in the house since 1826. The exhibition was opened by Sir David Attenborough on Friday 10th January and sold out within three weeks. The extension of the exhibition will allow a larger audience to view these wonderfully atmospheric oil sketches.

 

Supporting Turner’s House into the Future

We might have been obliged to close Sandycombe Lodge on 23 March 2020, but Circle members have continued to enjoy monthly special events by Zoom and video link as part of our thank you for their valued support.  We have been welcoming new Circles members throughout lockdown, and are very grateful to all for their support at this particular time.

What are the Circles?

The three Turner’s House Trust members’ circles are for those who wish to make a donation to Turner’s House Trust and be more involved in supporting our role as custodians of Turner’s ‘Sandycombe years’.  All members receive invitations to special events and access to the House and gardens.
Supporters Circle is £95 per year, and is open to join until the end of 2020 only.
Sandycombe Circle members pay £250 per year, and help particularly in supporting our work with schools and community groups.
Patrons Circle members pay £500 per year, and play a key role in supporting our purpose to promote a wider knowledge of J.M.W. Turner’s work and with our special exhibitions.
Further information and joining information is here

What Events can I come to?

On Thursday 17^th September at 6pm, Circle members are invited to join Dr Jacqueline Riding, Historical Consultant and Author in a Zoom conversation about Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner film. Jackie worked for over two years as the Art History Advisor on the production and will share her insights and experience and answer Circle members’ questions.
On Thursday 22nd October from 6pm, Circle members are invited to join an exclusive Zoom conversation on The Story behind the Turner Contemporary as this Margate marvel closes in the Autumn for a major extension project, members will hear from the people behind the cultural renaissance sparked by the opening in 2011 of the Turner Contemporary.
We have more wonderful events planned, so if you think you know someone who might be interested in joining, please let us know.  Further information is available here.

Company Sponsorship

You may have noticed that the names of two local businesses appear as sponsors of the “Turner and the Thames, Five Paintings” exhibition.  Gentle Mathias and Cantell & Co have generously sponsored this exhibition since January and without them, we could not have presented the beautiful works in the way we have.
Inspired by them, and with a passionate interest in J.M.W. Turner and Sandycombe Lodge, MAA Architects in Teddington have become our first Corporate Members.  In addition to their financial support, MAA staff have offered invaluable support on exhibition interpretation and advice on ways of opening the spaces to more visitors.
If you would like your company to be a named Turner’s House Trust sponsor, then please get in touch with Christine Wardle on development@turnershouse.org

2.6 Challenge

We are also very pleased that the 2.6 Virgin challenge raised £2631.67. This was the product of a number of different events including 2.6km of beautiful bunting adorning gates and fences in Petersham. Thank you for all involved!

If you would like to donate to Turner’s House please visit our website and you will find a donate button at the bottom of the pages www.turnershouse.org

 

New Visitor Signage for Turner’s House!

 

 

We would like to also thank the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames for arranging much needed brown visitor finger signs, positioned near the house directing visitors to the museum. The house has been without signs since it opened so we are most grateful to the Council for this development.

August 15, 2020