Elgar Birthplace Museum

History and collection

William Henry Elgar moved to Worcestershire from Kent in the 1840s, to further his business as a piano tuner. He married Anne Greening, a farmer's daughter from the Forest of Dean. Edward William Elgar, the fourth of their seven children, was born at The Firs on 2 June 1857, and lived here until his family moved to Worcester two years later. The cottage was established as a museum in 1934, on Elgar's death, by his daughter Carice Elgar Blake.

The museum houses a broad collection of Elgar memorabilia, including original music manuscripts; letters from and to Elgar, his friends and family; proofs, programmes and other items connected with Elgar's music; family photographs and scrapbooks; items connected with his travels and with his hobbies including golf and cycling; personal possessions, awards and honours, and film of his later years.

Low visitor numbers and significant annual operating losses saw the National Trust take over the administration of the museum in 2016. The Trust's administration is supported by the Elgar Society. It has Accredited Museum status from the Arts Council England.

In 2018, the majority of the Elgar manuscript archive was moved from The Firs to the British Library, despite local opposition.

Architecture, events and facilities

The Firs is a Grade II listed building. It comprises the cottage, the Elgar Centre built in 2000 and an adjacent function room. The cottage is constructed of brick and is of two storeys. The coach house and stables were built by Elgar's father, William Elgar, and his uncle, Henry.

The museum offers a programme of events throughout the year and annual visitor numbers have risen from around 10,000 to just under 30,000.

Notes

References

Sources

• {{Cite book | author-link2 = Nikolaus Pevsner

References

1. "Sir Edward Elgar". National Trust.
2. "The Firs: Birthplace of Sir Edward Elgar". National Trust.
3. Cavendish, Richard. (November 1994). "The Elgar Birthplace Museum". History Today.
4. "Carice Elgar Blake". National Trust.
5. Akbar, Arifa. (20 November 2009). "Great composer, shame he couldn't play". The Independent.
6. Taylor, Margherita. "Edward Elgar Birthplace Museum". Classic FM.
7. "Edward Elgar's hobbies and pastimes". National Trust.
8. Morley, Christopher. (2 February 2017). "National Trust's grand plans for Elgar's humble birthplace". Business News.
9. "Edward Elgar Birthplace Museum". Discover Worcestershire.
10. Worral, Hannah. (23 September 2016). "National Trust could save Elgar Birthplace Museum". Worcester News.
11. "The Elgar Society Annual Report 2015". Charity Commission.
12. "Accreditation statistics". Arts Council England.
13. "Elgar Archive". Elgar Foundation.
14. "Statement - Elgar Archive". British Library.
15. "Elgar Archive Update". Worcestershire Archive and Archaeology Service.
16. (3 July 2018). "Worcestershire Elgar archive moves despite local campaign". BBC News.
17. {{NHLE
18. "Visiting The Firs". National Trust.
19. "The Firs, Elgar's birthplace". Art UK.
20. George, Rob. (8 September 2018). "NT celebrates record breaking year at Elgar's birthplace". Malvern Observer.