The Sound of Music Returns to Brentford

With a great 2 for 1 offer at The Musical Museum

Two-For-One Offer

This voucher entitles the holder to Two-for-One for all adult admissions (excluding group visits, concerts and special events.) Please print and take with you to The Musical Museum, 399 High Street, Brentford, TW8 0DU

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Opening times and prices Autumn-Winter 2007/8

The Musical Museum at 399 High Street, Brentford TW8 0DU is open Tuesday to Sunday each week from 11.00-17.30 (last admissions 16.00). Standard entry is £7.00; Concessions (UB40, Student card, Pensioners): £5.50; Children under 16: free (but all children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult). Pre-booked parties of 25 or more are entitled to discount. There is disabled access to all areas. Its telephone number is 020 8560 8108

Travelling to the Museum

Train: from London's Waterloo Station to Kew Bridge. Turn right when leaving Kew Bridge Station and the Museum is about ¼ mile west of the station.
Underground: District Line to Gunnersbury, then 237 or 267 bus alighting opposite the Museum. Alternatively, Piccadilly Line to South Ealing, then 65 bus alighting outside the Museum
Bus: Buses 65, 237 and 267 pass the Museum.
Car: The Museum has limited car park spaces and parking in Brentford High Street is restricted. Additional parking is available in North Road or Potteries Road to the west of the Museum.
Coach: Coach parties must be booked in advance

The Musical Museum, after being closed for five years, has opened to acclaim in its brand new purpose built home in Brentford High Street.

Visitors can once again enjoy listening to some of the world’s foremost collection of automatic musical instruments from a time long gone; finding out how they were made and how they function. And, what’s more they can even do Christmas shopping for gifts with a musical flavour!

The Musical Museum contains a wide range of automatic musical instruments. From the tiniest of clockwork musical boxes to the self-playing ‘Mighty Wurlitzer’ the collection embraces an impressive and comprehensive array of sophisticated reproducing pianos, orchestrions, orchestrelles, residence organs and violin players and also the world's largest collection of historic musical rolls. It comes alive when visitors travel from gallery to gallery with the instruments being demonstrated by the Museum’s loyal band of volunteers.

“The Friends of the Musical Museum held a ‘sneak preview’ with a sale of ephemera and memorabilia over the weekend of 24/25 November; and then we opened to the public properly on 27 November and are delighted by the very positive feedback we have been receiving,” says Michael Ryder, Chairman of the museum.

“The spaciousness is one thing that is mentioned by many visitors – particularly those who remember the cramped conditions of our previous home in the St George’s Church just along the road! They also enjoy the myriad of smaller items, such as 19th century musical boxes, from our collection that we have been able to put on show for the first time; as well as some large exhibits that were far too tucked away in our old home to be enjoyed to the full.

"We are delighted to be open at last, and enjoying the fruits of our labours. It is a joy to get back to enthusing visitors of all ages about the history and delights of automatic musical instruments, instead of grappling with all the challenges that we have faced over recent years!”

The new Museum building, supported by The National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund (who awarded the Museum £1,853,000), is arranged on three floors. The first gallery visitors go to provides, by means of large illustrations, and idea of the original grand setting for some of the impressive instruments they can hear demonstrated; then visitors go into a ‘street’ where street instruments are displayed, and played, and the shop windows are full of fascinating small exhibits ranging from toys to instrum ents used by a piano hammer maker, musical ephemera and even a collection of needle tins for old gramophones.

“Many an exhibit in the street that has resulted in an ‘I had one of those” response from visitors,” says Michael Ryder. “We all love a trip down memory lane, and this is a literal one!”

The third gallery is designed to show how music was ‘captured’ on paper music rolls, and how the instruments were powered and features some truly unique instruments and machines. The fourth gallery has yet to open. Exhibits in there will be changed periodically and it is being designed to incorporate not only instruments and music but other local interests.

The shop on the ground floor has plenty of Christmas gift ideas ranging from musical stocking fillers to ties, socks, aprons, tee shirts and much more with designs; clocks made from vintage 78rpm records; music in sheet and roll form; and books on all aspects of music. Christmas shoppers can go straight to the shelves without having to pay to go round the galleries. “We know that once they have heard the music playing through the gallery doors curiosity will get the better of them, and they will be back when they have more time to spare,” says Michael Ryder.

The second floor of The Musical Museum houses a concert hall seating 230 complete with stage and an orchestra pit from which the Wurlitzer console will rise to entertain visitors, just as it did in the cinemas of the 1930s. Currently the ‘Mighty Wurlitzer’ is undergoing complete conservation and restoration but a programme of concerts should start in Spring 2008. This area is also available for hire for performances, filmshows, conferences and social events; and the Museum boasts a coffee shop overlooking the river.

There are workshops in which conservation and repair work can be carried out on the incomparable collection of instruments on the second floor and a library holding the Museum’s collection of over 30,000 music rolls including rolls featuring such composers and Grieg and Rachmaninov playing their own compositions.

December 11, 2007