Rhodes Arts Complex

Rhodes Arts Complex and Bishop's Stortford Museum
Cecil Rhodes Plaque

The Rhodes Arts Complex & Bishop's Stortford Museum is a museum and contemporary venue for arts, culture and conferences in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England. One of the buildings, Netteswell House, was the birthplace of Cecil Rhodes, financier, statesman and founder of diamond company De Beers.[1] The Rhodes Birthplace Trust is a registered charity under English law.[2]

The complex was refurbished in 2005 and has a 300-seat theatre, a multi-purpose studio space, a museum and an exhibition gallery. It provides a programme of arts events and hosts professional touring productions, dance groups, musicians and comedians. Films are also shown in its tiered auditorium.

The Rhodes Arts Complex also contains an exhibition gallery for art and photography.

Bishop's Stortford Museum

The Bishop’s Stortford Museum houses the Rhodes Collection containing interactive displays, archives, photographs and artefacts about the life of Cecil Rhodes. The museum combines the collections of the former Rhodes Memorial Museum and the Bishop’s Stortford Local History Museum. The Rhodes' Birthplace Museum was established in 1938 in two early-19th-century houses which are Grade II-listed buildings.[3] The current museum opened in 2005.[4]

The original part of Rhodes' home holds exhibits on the life of Cecil Rhodes, nineteenth-century South African artefacts from his travels, and a reconstructed middle class Victorian drawing room with family memorabilia. The new building features exhibits about local history.

References

  1. Rhodes Arts Complex & Bishop's Stortford Museum on Bishop's Stortford Town Council's website
  2. Charity Commission. RHODES BIRTHPLACE TRUST, registered charity no. 1090267.
  3. Historic England. "Rhodes' Birthplace Museum  (Grade II) (1347477)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  4. "Huge interest as arts complex opens its doors" Herts and Essex Observer, 17 November 2005

Coordinates: 51°51′49″N 0°09′50″E / 51.8635°N 0.1640°E / 51.8635; 0.1640

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