TRING: Museum

The Beginning
Tring was settled a very long time ago and has long wished to have a museum which would tell the story of it's history.

The real beginning was 1994 when Tring Town Council set up the Tring & District Local History & Museum Society. Fundraising went on for many years, as did the collection of objects, until a suitable building became available and, with the help of the National Heritage Lottery Fund, the Tring Local History Museum emerged.

The Museum tells the story of the town, the area, its history and the many fascinating people associated with it.

The Building
The building was originally the office of the Tring Livestock Market in Brook Street. It is a single story building dating from about 1893. Originally it had three gables but these were changed to just one at some point. During the transformation of the building into a museum, the opportunity arose to restore the distinctive three gabled roof and extends the museum with an outer gallery.

When the office building at Tring’s former Cattle Market became available, negotiations took place with Tring Town Council (owners of the freehold) and a lease was signed in 2006. Fund-raising began in earnest and a turning point was reached a year later when the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded a grant to the society, in partnership with the Town Council, to restore and convert the building to create a museum. Work began in 2008 and the Tring Local History Museum opened to the public in September 2010.

Operating the Museum
Tring Local History Museum is an entirely voluntary operation. It depends on its volunteers, needing two stewards on duty at all times. The Museum is open on Fridays and Saturdays.

The museum is managed by Tring & District Local History and Museum Society.

Accreditation
Despite its modest size, this museum, run entirely by volunteers, now matches up to the best, and largest museums in the UK. The same assessment process is involved, whatever the size of the establishment.

Tring’s history is narrated in an entertaining and interesting way in this historic building, formerly the office of Tring’s cattle-market. Started as a joint venture with Tring Town Council, the museum was created with the help of a Heritage Lottery Fund grant and opened in September 2010.

Since then the museum society has striven to improve and enhance what we do, and has patiently worked through all areas of activity to ensure that we meet the national standards set for museums by Arts Council England. The award confirms that the collection is managed properly; engagement with visitors is good, and the governance is appropriate.

Chairman Tim Amsden says, "This is a ringing endorsement of our values and everything we have achieved, and shows how far we have come in the eleven years since the museum was founded. One advantage is that we should now be able to borrow items of interest from other museums, who will be assured that we can be entrusted with their objects."