- Plans approved to create new London Museum and regenerate Smithfield
- From DJ sets to late-night cinema Museum of London announces blockbuster festival weekends to close London Wall
- fabric to become world’s first nightclub-in-residence in a Museum
- Major new Museum of London Docklands exhibition uncovers London’s 700 year history of public executions
- 15-year-old Londoner takes over city bus stops as winner announced of Museum of London, BBC 100 & TfL poetry competition
- Museum of London unveils Greatest Hits mural to celebrate 45 years at London Wall
- Museum of London marks 100 days to closure with free event and giveaways for visitors
- Museum of London raises a further £7 million towards its new home at West Smithfield
- Museum of London celebrates 45 years at London Wall as it commences countdown to closure
- Sunil Gupta’s ‘Pretended’ Family Relationships photo series acquired by the Museum of London
- Putin’s Happy – Museum of London acquires Jeremy Deller film revealing a divided country and a city full of protest
- The Museum of London celebrates city's sporting hero with new display on Harry Kane
- The Museum of London presents 'Grime Stories: from the corner to the mainstream', opening 17 June 2022
- Joe Corré, Jordan and Richard Boon to appear in an uncensored, live Punk.London debate
- 300 year old love message embroidered in human hair to go on display at the Museum of London Docklands
- Museum of London begins countdown to West Smithfield relocation
- Douglas Gilmore appointed Managing Director of Museum of London Docklands
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- The Prince of Wales becomes Museum of London Patron
- The Clash’s Paul Simonon’s famous Fender Precision bass to go on display
- Behind the Scenes of the Museum of London
- Stanton Williams and Asif Khan to design new Museum of London at West Smithfield
- Museum of London acquires ensemble inspired by the creativity of the Windrush generation
- Feeding Black: Community, Power & Place opening 16 July at Museum of London Docklands
- Museum of London acquires NHS sign from ZSL London Zoo’s Giraffe House as part of Collecting COVID
- Museum of London sites set to reopen 19 May with extensions of Dub London: Bassline of a City and Havering Hoard: A Bronze Age Mystery
- Museum of London acquires Mayor of Lambeth’s homemade ceremonial chain as part of Collecting COVID project
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- Weavers’ Company donate £100,000 to the Museum of London’s move to Smithfield
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- Dub London: Bassline of a City opening 2 October at the Museum of London
- Public statement October 2020
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- New major exhibition Havering Hoard: A Bronze Age Mystery opens 11 September at the Museum of London Docklands
- Robert Milligan statue statement
- Museum of London sites to reopen 6 August with four-week extension of The Clash: London Calling display
- Public statement
- Museum of London releases first ever recorded soundscapes of London alongside new recordings of London in lockdown as part of Collecting COVID project
- Design concepts for new museum at West Smithfield revealed
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- Millicent Fawcett’s ‘Steadfastness and Courage’ brooch to go on permanent display for the first time
- Museum of London submits plans to create a new world-class cultural destination in West Smithfield
- King Charles I’s execution vest to go on display in new major exhibition
- Museum of London to celebrate Dub Reggae and its influence on the capital
- East End bastion Syd’s coffee stall to be donated to the Museum of London
- Free exhibit celebrating the making of The Clash’s ground-breaking album ‘London Calling’ now open
- Museum of London acquires extremely rare plate that belonged to Samuel Pepys
- The story of the Krios of Sierra Leone to be told in the Museum of London Docklands’ latest display
- Museum of London to host The Clash: London Calling exclusive free exhibit of over 100 personal items
- The largest ever Bronze Age hoard in London has been discovered
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- Statement on 20 May 2017
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- London Visions: Hypothetical scenarios of a future London
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- Museum of London opens most theatrical exhibition ever to mark 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London
- Museum of London acquires 100 menswear items worn by townscape consultant Francis Golding
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- 17th century fire engine restored for Great Fire exhibition
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- Major new gallery at Museum of London Docklands explores history of the world's largest docks
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- West Smithfield Design Competition shortlist announced
- Museum of London bolsters its art collections
- West Smithfield International Design Competition launched
- Another record-breaking year for the Museum of London
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- Museum of London Docklands launches the Dodger family trail, based on BAFTA-winning BBC TV series, Dodger
- Museum of London Docklands announces Indo + Caribbean: The creation of a culture
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- Museum of London Docklands announces street party to mark its 20th anniversary, with Vanity Milan, star of Ru Paul’s Drag Race, to headline
- Museum of London formally appoints Sir Robert McAlpine as Construction Management Company on Smithfield project
- Rare Festival of Britain sculpture discovered in London garden will join Museum of London collection
- Jennifer Francis appointed Director of External Affairs at Museum of London
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- Coats worn by Princess Diana and Dot Cotton to go on display as part of a major new exhibition
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- Opening Friday 13 October – Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners shaped global style at Museum of London Docklands
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- Rare tie discovered in charity shop goes on display in London fashion exhibition
- Museum of London Docklands launches new display in collaboration with Mind and Taking Shape Association
- Acclaimed Fashion City exhibition extended to 7 July 2024 with free student ticket offer for April and May
Museum of London acquires 100 items of clothing and accessories worn by influential townscape consultant Francis Golding
27 March 2017
- Francis Golding (1944-2013) was one of London’s leading architectural, planning and conservation consultants with projects including the Gherkin, the Walkie-Talkie and One New Change
- Key pieces include one of the earliest surviving trench coats from Aquascutum and the ensemble worn by Francis Golding for his civil partnership ceremony, the first of its kind in the museum’s collection
- A selection of the pieces will be on display at the museum in Francis Golding: A Sartorial Biography from 31 March
The Museum of London has recently acquired 100 items of clothing and accessories worn by Francis Golding, a former secretary of the Royal Fine Art Commission and an influential townscape consultant widely credited with influencing the look of London in the late 20th and early 21st century.
Following Golding’s untimely death from a cycling accident on 5 November 2013, the Museum of London was invited to his Georgian townhouse in Islington to assess his clothing collection for acquisition. The museum carefully selected 13 ensembles and 34 individual items from key moments in Golding’s life, from the mid-1960s when he first moved to London, to items worn shortly before his death.
The epitome of a modern man’s wardrobe, the items acquired include 23 London labels, 14 of which were not previously represented in the Museum of London, such as Barbour, Voyage and Oliver Spencer. This incredibly significant collection reflects Golding’s passion for menswear and British fashion houses, and is one of the largest collections of menswear worn by a single person held by a museum.
Francis Golding lived and worked in London during some of the most exciting and transitional periods in the capital’s recent history, from the post-war and swinging 60s to the Thatcher and the present day. His style evolution is strikingly reflective of London’s changing identity through these times, from the dandy period of his younger days, to his mostly London-made wardrobe during the 80s and 90s and sharp London tailoring of the 21st century.
12 items from this new collection will be on show from 31 March – 25 May 2017 in Francis Golding: A Sartorial Biography, which briefly follows the chronology of his changing look.
Golding arrived in London in 1967, beginning his career as a young civil servant shaping architecture in the city against a backdrop of a creative boom in music, theatre, and fashion, and the decriminalisation of homosexuality. Golding started his collection of London-based contemporary designers, which include pieces from Thea Porter’s boutique in Soho, Junk City vintage shop in King’s Road, and Liberty department store in Carnaby Street. He balanced a conservative look in the day with the trendy “dandy” look of his off-time, which allowed him to explore his identity more freely. Key pieces—on display for this exhibition—from these early years in London include a pair of Foster & Son leather boots, a colourful Thea Porter tie, and a smart brown leather bag, which he used during his time in the civil service.
Golding assisted in the development of English Heritage in the early 1980s and became staff in 1984, revealing his passion for historic English buildings. His interest for heritage was reflected in his choice of wearing many London-made garments during this period. One such item, worn by generations of the Golding family, including Francis, is a c.1910 trench coat from British luxury fashion brand Aquascutum, which created and patented the first waterproof wool. Golding was interested in the legacy of the Aquascutum brand, and other British heritage brands such as Barbour, as well as the practical use of this jacket during his research trips through the English countryside.
Known for his deep respect of both historic buildings and the functional need for a modern London cityscape, Francis Golding became an architectural consultant on City developments such as the Gherkin, the Walkie-Talkie and One New Change at the turn of the 21st century. In his personal life, the Civil Partnership Act of 2004 led to his union with his partner of many years, Satish Padiyar, in 2006. His matured style and continued commitment to London designers is reflected in his civil partnership ensemble on display, featuring a Jasper Conran shirt and a Timothy Everest tie. This is the first civil partnership ceremony ensemble collected by the Museum of London.
Timothy Long, curator of fashion & decorative arts at the Museum of London, said:
“In addition to an impressive collection of menswear, Francis also collected small mementoes, for example theatre or train tickets or other receipts, of his travel, work, and leisure time, which he left in the pockets of many of the collected items. This additional documentation helps us to tell the biography of a Londoner through his clothing - from weekdays in formal attire, evenings in the theatre district, weekends hunting for the perfect ensemble in Camden, to researching architecture in the English countryside, Francis understood that every aspect of his life was worth documenting and preserving. It is through the prism of this collection, that we can catch a glimpse of not only how Francis Golding was impacted by a life spent in London, but how he came to shape the face of the modern capital itself.”
For further information, please visit www.museumoflondon.org.uk.
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