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

Greek, Etruscan, Roman and Egyptian antiquities 19th-century English and European watercolours, prints and engravings 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century oil paintings and sculpture 19th-century Japanese prints, Chinese ceramics and sculpture Manuscripts, rare Bibles and early printed books Coins, medals and stamps Photographs by Beaton and Lichfield Natural history

Harrow Midsummer by Guy Broun-Morison, OH, 1896 Harrow, Short Hill by Ronald Salmond, Harrow resident, c.1955 Pen sketch of Captain Pugwash by John Ryan, 2005 Four works by Lord Byron The Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru, OH The Snow Shovellers: New York by Clare Leighton, 1929 An Indian Album by Cecil Beaton, OH, 1945 London to Ladysmith via Pretoria by Winston Churchill, OH, 1900 Kameyama: Clear Weather after Snow, Station 47 on the Tokaido Road by Hiroshige, 1834 Bust of Duncan Grant by Stephen Tomlin, OH Order of service for Sir Winston Churchill's funeral, 1965 A Slave Auction in Virginia after George Henry Andrews, 1861 Delusions of Hope: A Poem by William Beatty, Physician to the Fleet, 1806 Stoneware Pitcher, 1848

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.