Today (Thursday 23 February), Her Majesty The Queen Consort visits Boston Manor House in Brentford to see how the house has been restored to reflect its momentous 400-year history.
Published: Thursday, 23rd February 2023
Today (Thursday 23 February), Her Majesty The Queen Consort visited Boston Manor House in Brentford and saw first-hand how the house has been restored to reflect its momentous 400-year history. The Jacobean House, which is run by Hounslow Council with the help of local volunteers, will be open six days a week and free to visit when it opens later this Spring.
Her Majesty viewed some of the refurbished rooms and met with architects, craftspeople, apprentices and volunteers who played an integral role in restoring the house to its former glory.
The Queen Mother visited the house in 1963 and received a ceremonial key during the visit. Today the Queen Consort was presented with a symbolic key by the Leader of Hounslow Council in the House’s State Drawing Room.
Her Majesty being presented with a ceremonial key.
The Leader of Hounslow Council, Councillor Shantanu Rajawat, said:
“It was an absolute honour to have Her Majesty visit Brentford today and see how Hounslow is enshrining heritage and culture into its identity. This project would not have been possible without the highly skilled craftspeople, staff at Hounslow Council, volunteers and funders who have made history come alive in this iconic house.
“Yet beyond the restoration we have cemented an important legacy: we will provide placements, apprenticeships and internships for young people under 25 – within the heritage sector - until at least 2025.”
And with volunteering being a central theme at the King’s Coronation, Hounslow Council aims to engage with 150 local volunteers over the next two years.
Her Majesty also visited the new Jimmy Choo London Fashion Academy based in the buildings adjacent to Boston Manor House. The academy, in partnership with Hounslow Council, is one of the newest emerging universities in the country dedicated to fashion. The Queen Consort met with school children from Our Lady and St John’s RC primary school in Brentford who were designing shoes – along with students and local artisans cutting, sewing and designing clothes.
Queen Consort looking at photo of the Queen Mother visiting Boston Manor House
Stephen Smith, the Founder and Director of the Jimmy Choo Academy and local resident, said:
“My five-year-old son has grown up in Boston Manor Park and we would stare at Boston Manor House every time we visited. I often thought it would be a great place to have a creative space so when Hounslow Council announced they were wishing to support the local artisan community it was an immediate meeting of the minds.”
