After being closed for seven months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Valence House will be opening its doors once again. On 20 October, Valence House will be welcoming visitors back with a new-look visitor experience.
During the closure, staff have worked from home on on-line activities to keep residents engaged with the collections and history that make Valence House so special. These activities, which were named ‘Boredom Busters’, were created and shared on the Valence House website, designed to keep residents of all ages entertained during lockdown. This also included #BeforeBecontree, a series of social media posts which shared works of art in the collection that record the local landscape prior to the building of the Becontree Estate, which celebrates its centenary year in 2021.
I am proud of the museum staff who have worked so hard to make sure the museum is safe to visit, and who I know are really looking forward to welcoming people back to see what Valence House has to offer.
Visitors will be welcomed to a Covid-secure site, which adheres to government guidelines and visitors will notice that measures have been implemented across the site to keep visitors and staff safe. These include the Tea room operating a takeaway menu only, hand sanitising stations, a new one-way route through the museum, mandatory wearing of face coverings and the display of QR codes for the NHS track & trace app.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings are being dedicated to visits by school children to learn about the historic collection and different topics, from pre-history to the Victorians. From 2pm to 4.30pm on these days, the Tea room and Local Studies Library will be open. On Fridays and Saturdays from 11am to 4.30pm the Museum, Local Studies Library and Tea room will be open.
It will be essential for visitors to the Museum to pre-book their visits. Entrance will still be free, but tickets to the museum must be booked in advance at https://valence-house-museum.arttickets.org.uk/. Visitors to the Local Studies Library & Archive will also need to book their visit in advance by calling 020 8227 2033 or emailing localstudies@lbbd.gov.uk.
The opening of Valence House will be under constant review, as restrictions implemented by government may change. But the museum is a Covid-secure site and we look forward to welcoming visitors back.
Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement said: “We know residents have been looking forward to Valence House reopening. I am proud of the museum staff who have worked so hard to make sure the museum is safe to visit, and who I know are really looking forward to welcoming people back to see what Valence House has to offer.”
For more information on opening plans visit: https://valencehousecollections.co.uk/visit-us/.