The Friends of the National Horseracing Museum
Registered charity No. 291154
Patrons: Gillian, Lady Howard de Walden and The Duke of Bedford
The Friends of the National Horseracing Museum was established to help the Museum by fostering an interest in all its activities and assisting in its future development. The activities of the Friends are many and various.
Funds raised from Friends activities are made available for acquisition purchases for the Museum's collection.
Recent acqusitions purchased by the Friends
See the
Summer 2011 Newsletter for the most recent acquisitions.
March 2010: Twenty-two framed Victorian illustrations depicting scenes relating to Epsom Races were privately purchased by the Friends. These wonderfully show the social milieu of Epsom during this era.
November 2009: Two albums containing nearly 500 racing related postcards dating from the early twentieth century. These albums are a treasure trove of racing heros, historic places and social history.
November 2007: A red silk jockey's jacket worn by Jem Mason who rode Lottery winner of the first Grand National in 1839. At the same sale the Friends funded the purchase of a series of over a hundred volumes of the Steeplechase Racing Calendars dating from 1866. This filled a significant gap in the Museum's library.
July 2006: An oil painting by Isaac Cullin (active 1881-1920) of
Chaleuraux with Otto Madden aboard on Newmarket Heath with the Devil's Dyke in the background.
Chaleuraux won the 1898 Cesarewitch and was a succesful sire.
Earlier major acquisitions and by the Friends:
The oil painting of Gainsborough by James Lynwood-Palmer was acquired through a generous donation from The Friends of the National Horseracing Museum, matched by a grant from the Museums and Galleries Commission Purchase Grant Fund. The painting is on display in Gallery 1.
Two oil paintings, Sceptre by Emil Adam and English Racehorse c1690 by Closterman were both funded acquisitions by the Friends. Both paintings feature in our current exhibition Thoroughbred: State of the Art.
The magnificent bronze of Kincsem was a further Friends gift. See our April Museum Treasure of the Month.
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For any general comments or questions about the Friends please email: friends@nhrm.co.uk
or write to : The Secretary, Friends of the National Horseracing Museum, 99 High St, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 8JH.
For membership see Membership page.