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

Portrait of Mrs Andrews by Sir Joshua Reynolds RA John Lyon's House at Preston by Herbert Marshall Barn at the foot of the Downs by OH Julian Barrow Brunswick Dock on the Thames at Blackwall, 1790 by William Daniell RA The Long Room at Lords Cricket Ground, 1949 Japanese print of Station 12 of the Tokaido Road by Mishima Japanese print of Station 50 of the Tokaido Road by Tsuchiyama Byron's Hebrew Melodies by L Nathan, 1839 Churchill's pamphlet 'Working after the siren', Air Raid Precaution Memorandum No.16, 1940 Facsimile edition of Marco Polo's Book of Wonders, 1410-12 Pre-Colombian bowl stand Set of 24 early 19th-century Persian tiles depicting the game of polo

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. The temporary displays in spring and summer 2020 are Loyal to the Hill: the story of Alexis Theodore Casdagli (The Grove, 1920¹) and The Muse and the Maker which, for the first time, puts the spotlight on artworks of or by women in the Harrow collection.

Autumn/Winter Opening Hours

Public opening hours are currently suspended until further notice.