Old Speech Room Gallery
The Old Speech Room was completed in 1820 and used as a space where boys could learn the art of public speaking. In 1976, it was converted into a Gallery - a safe repository for the School's distinguished collection of antiquities and fine art.
A professional curatorial team manages the collections in accordance with best museum practice under the direction of the Curator. There is an ongoing programme of conservation and collections care, as well as a loans scheme. In the OSRG Arts Society, Harrovians can learn about object handling, conservation, documentation and collections care; help to research, design, curate and advertise exhibitions; and enjoy regular visits to major art collections in and around London. To see examples of some of the 19th-century watercolours held in the OSRG collection please visit Watercolour World.
Key Collections |
Recent Gifts and Acquisitions |
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Exhibitions
Apart from significant artworks of the 19th and 20th centuries, permanent displays - primarily used for teaching - include Greek vases and Old Harrovian subjects such as Lord Byron, Admiral Sir Edward Codrington and Sir Winston Churchill. As not all parts of the collection can be displayed at the same time, the Gallery runs a termly programme of temporary exhibitions. Recent subjects include The Horse: An Assessment of its Role Through the Ages; From Reynolds to Matisse: Treasures of the OSRG Collection; and The H B Harris Collection of Chinese Ceramics and Sculpture. For the Harrow 450 celebrations which run throughout 2022 the OSRG is displaying a major exhibition occupying both its main and mezzanine floors: Harrow 1572-2022. Artworks and artefacts have been carefully curated to show the development of the School and its environs from the time of Elizabeth I to the present day. It is a visual tour through time, full of local legend and newly researched revelations.
Summer Opening Hours
The gallery is open to the public between 2.30-5pm on the following days: Friday 20, Tuesday 24, Thursday 26, Saturday 28 (11am-4pm) May, Tuesday 7, Thursday 9, Friday 10, Tuesday 14, Thursday 16, Saturday 18 (2-5pm), Tuesday 21 June.