Volunteer roles

Be part of the incredible team that brings J.M.W. Turner’s house and garden to life. Engage with art and local history, experience working at a heritage property, be part of a friendly team and gain new skills.

At Turner’s House in Twickenham, volunteers engage in a wide variety of tasks. We are currently recruiting for:

Be the face of Turner’s House: Stewards

Our group of volunteer stewards act as the main face of Turner’s House, by welcoming visitors, sharing information, and providing retail services. Download our role description: Volunteer Steward

Share your enthusiasm: Marketing Volunteer

Our marketing team support and deliver our social media strategy and help us share news, events, and information with the wide community. Download our role description: Volunteer Marketing Assistant

Inspire the next generation: Learning

Our learning team provide exciting and engaging workshops for both primary and secondary school pupils as well as weekend holiday workshops for families. Download our role description: Volunteer Learning Facilitator Role

***

Download our volunteer application form:

Volunteer-Application-Form-TH-2023

To apply please send a completed application form to learning@turnershouse.org or post to:

Volunteer Team, Turner’s House

Sandycombe Lodge, 40 Sandycoombe Rd

Twickenham TW1 2LR

Volunteer Policy

Download our volunteer policy: THT Volunteers Policy June 2020

Work Experience

Turner’s House offers 5-day work experience (Mon-Fri) for students at the end of Year 11-13 who have an interest in history, art and heritage and who aspire to pursue careers in this area. Work placement students will learn about the day-to-day running of an historic house, as well as the behind-the-scenes work that takes place in planning our public programme and caring for the house and the collection. If you are interested in a work placement at Turner’s House, please fill in an Application Form and send it to learning@turnershouse.org

Please be aware that we need a minimum of a months’ notice in order to organise a placement and we may not be able to accommodate your desired date-range.

 Duke of Edinburgh Award

If you would like to volunteer with Turner’s House in Twickenham for your Duke of Edinburgh Award, please email learning@turnershouse.org with the following information:

• Name
• Age
• Name of DofE Centre, and if applicable supervisor
• Number of hours of volunteering you would like to do
• Special interests

Exhibition Curator

Summary of Role

Turner’s House Trust are seeking proposals for our 2024 annual exhibition at Turner’s House, which runs for approximately 3-4 months over late spring-early summer. The position is freelance, temporary, and part-time and therefore suitable for employed applicants as well as the self-employed.

The freelance curator will decide on the theme of the exhibition in consultation with the Museum Director the Collections Committee, a sub-Committee of the Board of Trustees, draw up a list of loans and submit loan requests, prepare interpretation, and deliver up to two talks as part of the accompanying programme.

Exhibitions typically comprise around six to ten loans (usually paintings or works on paper), on themes relating to Turner’s life and work. The subjects must appeal to a broad audience including non-specialists. The timescale for the project is from approximately May 2023 to the conclusion of the exhibition in July 2024.

The fee for the project is £2,000; unfortunately, we are not able to pay additional travel expenses.

Applications are welcomed from emerging as well as experienced curators/scholars.

This person will:

• Make a selection of around 6-10 artworks based around a theme connecting to the period when Turner owned the House.

• With the Museum Director, prepare and submit loan requests

• Write the text for the gallery labels and interpretation panels

• Be available to talk to the press about the exhibition

• Participate in the installation of the loans and decide the colour of the walls of the exhibition room.

• Be available to attend the official opening of the exhibition and tour the exhibition with the invited guests.

• Provide up to two physical or Zoom talks about the exhibition.

• Work with the Learning and Volunteer Officer and deliver two education-related events.

We are looking for:

• A freelance curator, heritage professional, emerging scholar or other professional with expertise in aspects of Turner’s life, his art and times

• Some previous exhibition and interpretation experience is desirable

• Visual flair and a passion for communicating with broad audiences

• Strong attention to detail

To submit a proposal for this project, please complete the Proposal form, together with a CV, to the Museum Director, Matthew Morgan by 15 May via email to museumdirector@turnershouse.org

—–

TRUSTEES FOR TURNER’S HOUSE TRUST

 Turner’s House Trust is the registered charity responsible for Sandycombe Lodge, the house which J M W Turner designed and built in Twickenham, and in which he lived with his father.  Following an extensive conservation and restoration project, the House opened to the public for the first time in 2017, its garden opened in 2018, and it is now one of the leading small cultural attractions in South West London.

Principal responsibilities of the Trustees

• Provide strategic oversight of the charity, ensuring that it fulfils its responsibilities and operates within its charitable objectives
• Ensure that systems are in place to evaluate, manage and mitigate the risks the charity faces
• Ensure that the Board maintains the sound financial health of the charity, with appropriate financial accountability
• Help develop the House through involvement in marketing, fund raising and promotional activity
• Act as an ambassador and spokesperson for the cause and the charity, and represent the charity at external functions, meetings and events
• Support and guide the full-time House Director

What difference will you make?

Since opening to the public in August 2017, Turner’s House has already attracted over 20,000 visitors, and has run an ambitious programme of activities and events to reach out to local schools and the wider community.  We are looking for Trustees who can secure the future of the House by helping us to make it a long-term success.  This will involve advising and contributing on matters including volunteer engagement, fundraising, marketing and the role of the House in the community.

What are we looking for?

Personal Qualities

• A strong commitment to Turner’s House Trust and its objectives
• Excellent management skills
• Being comfortable in an ambassadorial role in public
• Tact, diplomacy and powers of persuasion, able to listen and engage effectively
• Strong networking capabilities
• Willing to go the extra mile in committing time to the charity.

Experience

• Experience of working at a senior professional level
• Active interest in, knowledge of, and understanding of, the cultural and heritage sector
• Successful track record of achievement and making a difference through his or her career
• Candidates with professional experience of business development, marketing and/or fundraising would be of particular interest

What’s in it for you?

Turner’s House is a small gem which occupies a distinctive place on London’s cultural map. The role of Trustee offers the opportunity to play a leading role in enhancing the life of the local community and to celebrate the outstanding artistic achievement of J M W Turner.  In return for your commitment, you can be assured of a personal sense of satisfaction and of the support and encouragement of the existing members of the Board of Trustees, the professional staff of the House and the enthusiastic volunteer team, who will all be excited to welcome you. We will provide a tailored induction.

The Commitment 

The Board meets six times a year. Some trustees also have regular meetings with the full-time House Director or with other Board Members to discuss specific topics and may represent the charity at various public events and meetings, and in the media. Board members serve a three-year term and are eligible for re-appointment for one additional term. Trustees are not remunerated, and the commitment is estimated to take up around two to three days a month.  Although a number of commitments including most Board meetings can be done remotely, Trustees should be prepared to visit Turner’s House for key meetings and events to support the effective work of the Board.

To apply, or for more information, please contact the Vice-Chair, Michael Deriaz: mderiaz@btinternet.com.

THANK YOU!

Turner’s House Trust would like to thank all the volunteers who have given their time and skills so generously over many years to help us reach the magnificent conclusion of our project to conserve J.M.W. Turner’s house in Twickenham.  This very long list includes trustees, Friends of Turner’s House committee, guides, gardeners, stewards and many others. It is a great achievement, and couldn’t have been reached without all your help.

• Nicholas Alfrey
• Mike Axford
• Julia Bailey
• Helen Baker
• Maureen Bantock
• Kate Barlow
• Gurnam Barmi
• Bronwyn Baud
• Janis Booth
• David Bowman
• Penny Bristow
• Ingrid Brown
• Robin Bullen Jones
• Chris Byron
• Susan Cain
• Maureen Carr
• Bridget Carter
• Mike Cherry
• Poonam Chopra
• Ann Clements
• Robert Clifton
• Michael Coldman
• Patrick Connor
• Vivienne Cove
• Joy Cuff
• Dianne Cutlack
• Martin Davis
• Andrew Daws
• Giles Dixon
• Richard Drake
• Diana Dunrossil
• Stephen Enthoven
• Jennifer Espie
• Suzannah Fleming
• Don Gale
• Lyn Gale
• Hilary Gerrish
• Corina Gonzalez
• Namrata Gor
• Paul Green
• Martyn Gregory
• Catharine Griffith
• Fiona Grundy
• Ann Halliday
• Gregory Halliwell
• Gill Hardman
• Ed Harris
• Jeff Harris
• Adam Harrison
• Jayne Haysom
• Yvonne Hewitt
• Martin Hewlett
• Lisa Hillier
• Alyson Hoggart
• Fiona Holland
• David Holmes
• Ken Howard
• Laura Hussey
• Karen Iredale-Lucas
• Hazelle Jackson
• Catherine Jeffries
• Janet Jennings
• Jill Jones
• Daphne Jowit
• Ann Keay
• Samuel Kennedy
• Richard Kermack
• Maureen Lambourne
• Jackie Latham
• Cliff Leach
• Mike Leigh
• Roger Lewis
• Bruce Lyons
• Shona Lyons
• Annabelle Mark
• Victor Marquez
• Joyce Martin
• Penny Martin
• John McAslan
• Tracy McHardy
• Mary McKendry
• David Meaden
• Maureen Metzger
• Jennifer Midgley
• Francesca Mills
• Mary Milner
• Michelle Moran
• Heather Morgan
• Cornelia Morrison
• John Moses
• Bill Mount
• Romy Murray
• Sheila Murray
• Margaret Myatt
• Christopher Nell
• Jane Oldfield (Wood)
• Martin Oldham
• Ken Osbourn
• Colm Owens
• Lady Panufnik
• Catherine Parry-Wingfield
• Maurice Parry-Wingfield
• Peter Payan
• Jenny Pearce
• Jan Pethick
• Linda Pethick
• Tessa Pihlens
• Frances Platt
• Derek Plummer
• Gurjit Poonia
• Colin Porter
• Hannah Porter
• Richard Poxton
• Fiona Poynter
• Vicky Price
• Heather Ravenberg
• Lynne Reeves
• Helena Richardson
• Jacqueline Riding
• Mary Rose Rivett-Carnac
• Hilary Ruddlesden
• Roddy Rugman
• Maxine Samuels
• Margaret Saunders
• Jane Scherer
• Tony Shoebridge
• Alison Shuttle
• Annie Simpson
• Katie Sollohub
• David Souden
• Christopher Squire
• Eleanor Stanier
• Tom Stanier
• Sue Stephens
• Sara Sturgiss
• Helen Sugiyama
• Sue Swain
• Eleanor Thomas
• Hywel Thomas
• Fiona Timmins
• John Tjaardstra
• Don Turner
• Ken Vaux
• Rosemary Vaux
• Beverley Waller
• Stanley Warburton
• Jo Warmington
• Ailsa West
• Allan White
• David Williams
• Elizabeth Wilmot
• Andrew Wilton
• Elizabeth Wood
• Susan Youngs
• Robert Youngs