Apply by 31 August to help shape Fabric of Watford, the opening exhibition when the Museum of Watford moves to the Town Hall in 2027. No experience needed.

Watford residents have until 31 August to apply for a hand in shaping Fabric of Watford, the exhibition that will open the new Museum of Watford when it moves into the Town Hall. The museum is recruiting a group of community co-curators, and no museum experience is needed. (Watford Borough Council, 11 August 2026)

The exhibition will explore the social history of silk and the legacy of the town’s silk mills: the lives of the mill workers and their families, and the journey that connected Watford to a global trade. The point of the co-curation call is that the museum wants the story told by the town rather than just about it.

What co-curators will actually do

The co-curation programme runs from September 2026 to January 2027, with two sessions each month: one Saturday session from 11am to 4pm and one evening session from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. Co-curators will explore the history of the silk mills, look at objects, photographs and archive material, share their own memories and family stories, discuss whose stories the exhibition should represent, and help shape its themes and content. (Museum of Watford, Fabric of Watford application page)

The museum is explicitly casting a wide net: residents, people with connections to the mills, relatives of former mill workers, community groups, artists, young people and local historians are all invited to apply. Peter Taylor, the Elected Mayor of Watford, called the project “a fantastic opportunity for local people to help tell the story of our town.”

How to apply

Applications are made through a short form on the museum’s website, sharing your background and any connection to Watford’s silk history. The deadline is 11.59pm on Sunday 31 August 2026. The form is at watfordmuseum.org.uk/fabric-of-watford-silk, and the museum team can be reached on 01923 232297 or at museum@watford.gov.uk with questions.

What it means for you

This is one of the few chances to influence what the town’s new museum looks like on the day it opens. The Museum of Watford’s current building is closed, and the move into the Town Hall is expected in 2027, so the exhibition this group shapes, funded by National Lottery players, will be the first thing visitors see. If your family worked in the mills, or you simply care how Watford’s history is told, the application window is short: it closes at the end of this month.

While the museum is between homes, our things to do in Watford page covers what is open in and around the town now.