Yesterday the Eel Pie Island Museum opened its doors on Richmond Road for the first time in over a year in an opening ceremony with the Mayor of Richmond and – of course – some live music.

The museum is a celebration of the Island's fascinating modern history, from its unique working boatyards to the part the Eel Pie Island hotel played in the British blues explosion of the 1960s.

Yesterday morning Richmond upon Thames Mayor Geoff Acton was one of the first to visit the museum, alongside the museum's volunteers, musicians, Eel Pie Island residents, and the museum's founder and curator, Michele Whitby.

Whitby said: "It was just lovely to get our doors open again yesterday.

"We had Mayor Geoff Acton officially opening the new Boatyard History display that we did over lockdown, and the fabulous Papa George provided us with some long overdue live music!

"We have missed all the lovely people who visit the museum and look forward to welcoming them back."

The museum is staffed by volunteers, including music historian Pete Watt who met Whitby at her Eel Pie Island exhibition in the Stables Gallery at Orleans House in 2013 – the very early beginnings of the museum idea.

In 2015 they had a 5-month pop up museum at Twickenham Library which attracted around 1200 people, and then in 2018 opened the site on Richmond Road.

"The whole thing is mainly looking at the music and also the boat yard," said Watt.

"It started as a way to document the Island."

As a huge music fan Watt is fascinated by the unique Island as well as the lack of information about it.

"I knew very little about it and I lived in Twickenham for a long time - but no one talked about it.

"In 1971 it became a bit of history, which is strange when you think about say The Cavern Club in Liverpool.

"Yet this place lasted longer (than the Cavern Club) and it was doing a similar thing."

Watt has been piecing together the somewhat patchily-documented musical history of Eel Pie Island for years now and is always collecting facts and memorabilia from the visitors to the museum, old documents, and people who email him.

"A girl came in the other day with her old diary and she had a gig I didn't know about," Watts said. There is a big list of concert dates up in the museum but he adds them to a roll call of around 1500 dates on the museum's website whenever there's a new discovery.

Arthur and Fluff

June 3 is significant as it would have been the birthday of Arthur Chisnall, who set up a music club at the Eel Pie Island Hotel to run his 'social experiment' and look at how to help the youth of the day. Read more about him in this article by Stella Tooth, here.

Heather White, known to many as Fluff, was one of those who experienced the legendary music days on Eel Pie Island herself as a teenager and she now volunteers at the museum.

She is a dancer at heart and can't help but get up and move if there's music playing. She dances jive and rock and roll, as well as Cajun, and also did ballet when she was growing up.

She was 17 when she first started going to concerts on the island and has fond memories of all the nights spent there.

"I was going out with a guy who was at the Royal Art School and he got a painting accepted for an exhibition when he was 15," she said. He got invited to a concert on Eel Pie Island and that's how Fluff first started going.

Unbeknownst to her, her parents kept their eyes on her through Arthur Chisnall, who they knew well.

Chisnall is known for his pioneering work. Museum curator Michele Whitby said: "Many had their lives changed for the better by going there as Arthur helped them navigate the post-war conservative attitudes to young people."

Fluff said: "My parents didn't want me to be with the Teddy Boys!

"They knew Arthur.

"We used to sit up all night talking together with him.

"He talked to us about life, and he said 'you have to do something in life'.

"We began to think in a different way.

"He was very clever."

It worked a charm for Fluff, who ended up studying hard and becoming a dental nurse in central London.

Expanding the museum's reach and putting Twickenham on the map

The museum also runs talks and tours, and ran virtual talks during lockdown.

Celia, another volunteer, said: "The places we have been doing presentations for on Zoom have had record numbers of people coming along.

"I even did a presentation in a Perspex box in Isleworth!

"All of the people who have done the Zoom stuff during lockdown are really keen to come to Twickenham now.

"They turn themselves into tour guides which is really nice!

"We are really starting to push our walks since Covid, as it is something people can do outside.

"It's all about bringing people to Twickenham.

"When Michele set up the museum it was about celebrating all the people who make up the Island, but it was also to put Twickenham on the map."

Later in the month she is organizing a day of walking tours in Twickenham. Keep your eyes peeled for more information.

The museum is now open Thursday to Sunday from 12pm until 6pm. (Last entries around 5.30pm as there's so much to see!)

Tickets cost £3 or £5 for an annual 'passport' modelled after the ones concert goers used to have for the Island.