- Wikidata identifier:
- Q18750574
- Also known as:
- Gurkha Museum
- Instance of:
- museum; independent museum
- Museum/collection status:
- Accredited museum
- Accreditation number:
- 1775
- Persistent shareable link for this record:
- https://museumdata.uk/museums/q18750574/
Collection-level records:
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Collection history (Collection development policy)
The Gurkha Museum was established in 1974 and moved to its present location in Peninsula Barracks, Winchester, in 1990.
The collection has developed through a combination of purchases, gifts, loans and bequests, initially largely from regimental mess collections and individual donors. The Museum’s Friends organisation was also responsible for purchasing large amounts of material for the collection.
Source: Collection development policy
Date: 2023
Licence: CC BY-NC
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Collection overview (Collection development policy)
The collection consists of some 11,700 accessioned items held in a variety of areas, which may be divided into four main divisions:
The public viewing galleries which trace the chronological history of Gurkha involvement in British Arms since the beginning of this relationship in the early Nineteenth Century. This includes: weapons, uniforms, medals, badges, and other related pieces of military equipment. It also includes military paintings, pieces of regimental silver and a number of objects relating to the social, cultural and religious history of Nepal.
The McDonald Gallery (not open to the general public except by prior arrangement) houses extensive medal and badge collections of great value, as well as a number of fine portraits, paintings, prints and pieces of regimental silver relating to the Brigade of Gurkhas.
The reserve collection of weapons, uniforms, books, pictures and other artefacts relating to the period and topics described above. These are housed in three separate storage areas within the Museum: the Silver store, Archival store and Collections store.
The library and research space, which houses the extensive collection of books appertaining to Gurkhas, as well as a mass of archival information contained in correspondence, war diaries, diaries, regimental books, slides, films, videos and photograph albums.
Overall, the collection forms a significant representation of both the Brigade of Gurkhas and of Nepalese life. Areas such as the book and badge collection are particularly strong. The Museum aims to strengthen the other areas of the collection in order to meet its statement of purpose.
Source: Collection development policy
Date: 2023
Licence: CC BY-NC