Gilwell has been part of the Scout story since 1919 and we celebrated 100 years of Gilwell park at the 93rd Reunion in 2019 but this year we get to celebrate the 100th Reunion!
That’s 100 times scout leaders have returned to Gilwell to share ideas, learning, stories, meet friends and make new ones.
This year vistors had the opportunity to explore the history not only of Gilwell Park but also Reunion through the new permanent exhibition in the Syd Kessler Centre and two temporary exhibitions in the Clock and Barn Galleries in the White House. These have been carefully researched and curated by the Heritage Team.
“Our Adventure – A trek through time”, in the Syd Kessler Centre, takes you through key milestones of The Scouts. “The Gilwell Story” is laid out in the Barn Gallery, while the triple section birthday’s we’re marking this year are celebrated in the “Growing Together” exhibit in the Clock Gallery.
When asked what it’s been like to curate these exhibitions, Caroline Pantling, Head of Heritage Services said “It’s been nice to create something that encourages people to reflect back on how Reunion has grown and developed and also be able to show that. It’s wonderful to have the new exhibition spaces in the White House and that’s only been made possible with the support of Tony Harvey. It’s also meant we’ve been able to put more of the collection on display”.
Caroline is clearly passionate about the collection and has some favourite pieces on display, including photos of the first Female Scout Leaders in the 1920s and the logbook of Marguerite Beaumont who attended the first rally at Crystal Palace.
The team were on hand all weekend to answer questions and ran tours of Gilwell Park. They also ran a mosaic craft activity outside the front of the White House using inspiration of Reunion Brands over the last 100 events. These mosaics will become part of permanent feature on the flower bed near the Baden Powell statue.
