Closed River & Rowing Museum seeks new homes for its collections

The now-closed River & Rowing Museum in Henley-upon-Thames has launched a sector-wide call to find new homes for its collections.

The museum is seeking expressions of interest for the ethical transfer of accessioned and unaccessioned artefacts from its River Thames and Rowing collections.

The venue closed in September due to inflationary pressures, rising operational costs and significant capital requirements. The museum’s board has developed a framework for a “structured disposal and transfer process in line with museum sector ethics”.

It is seeking expressions of interest from Accredited museums, museums working towards Accreditation, and other public or not-for-profit bodies able to provide long-term public access and appropriate collections care.

The museum is following the Museums Association’s Code of Ethics and Disposal Toolkit, and Arts Council England’s Accreditation guidance throughout the process.

A listing has been posted on the MA’s Find an Object platform with more information about the available collections.

A spokesperson for the River & Rowing Museum said: “The museum’s closure has been an exceptionally difficult decision, but our priority is to secure the most ethical and sustainable future for the collections. We are committed to ensuring objects remain accessible to the public, cared for to appropriate standards, and, wherever possible, kept together in meaningful groupings.”

Expressions of interest are welcomed for “whole or substantial parts of the collection”, though proposals for individual objects will also be considered. The handling collection is excluded due to its continued use in outreach work.

The museum has nearly 20,000 objects in its collection, including 5,000 photographs, 400 posters, and 650 trophies and medals.

The museum’s collection related to the town of Henley-on-Thames is being considered separately due to its strong local significance and will not be offered during the initial phase. Around 300 objects within the Henley collection are on loan from the council and will remain in its ownership.

“We recognise the importance of maintaining the integrity of collection groupings, especially where provenance or narrative cohesion is at stake,” said the spokesperson.

“Our decision-making will be guided by established ethical principles and undertaken in dialogue with sector bodies and funders.”

The museum building is currently listed on Global Commercial Real Estate Services (CBRE) UK with an asking price of £3m. This process is being managed independently of collections planning, and secure off-site storage is available for the collections if the building sells quickly.

Logistics and costs relating to object movement will be negotiated case by case.

Museums and eligible organisations are encouraged to contact curatorial@rrm.co.uk for an informal conversation ahead of a formal submission.

Expressions of interest are requested by 6 February 2026, with decisions made by the board of trustees following curatorial and professional consultation.

Most of the workforce at the museum has been made redundant, with seven staff remaining to manage the decant and transfer of collections alongside trustees.

According to the newly published ethical framework, “the focus of the trustees has been to manage this process carefully and respectfully, recognising that many of the employees and volunteers have longstanding associations with the museum”.

The framework adds that the museum “still possesses significant funds and the River and Rowing Museum Foundation is exploring options for its future direction. This may include supporting the development of a new probably smaller museum in Henley”.

The museum is continuing to offer education provision via an outreach programme.