The Bishop’s Stortford Museum is housed in the original part of the building which was the birthplace of Cecil Rhodes (1853 - 1902), financier and founder of diamond company De Beers.
The museum houses the unique Cecil Rhodes collection – a large collection of artefacts, documents and archives relating to the life and times of Cecil Rhodes. Highlights of the collection include:
- Cecil Rhodes military uniform dated 1877
- A reconstructed middle class Victorian drawing room which has been personalised to the Rhodes family with photographs and memorabilia.
- In the African Gallery – 19th Century South African artefacts and weaponary including a Caryatid stool made for the chief of the Luba people and a Masai Hippo Skin Shield.
Visitors come from all over the world to see the collection and schools use it as a vital resource when studying Imperialism, Colonialism, the rise of the Global Entrepreneur and the Scramble for Africa.