THE RED House Museum and Gardens in Christchurch hosted a garden party and activities day to mark its 70th birthday celebrations for both the museum and its Friends association.

With the Mayor of Christchurch, Cllr Mrs Sue Bungey in attendance, the museum, which is operated by charity Hampshire Cultural Trust, also presented a range of activities for visitors to take part in.

Cllr Sue Bungey also unveiled a mosaic in the museum’s reception, which was created by staff and volunteers to commemorate 70 years of the Red House Museum and Gardens.

Among the guests to the event was Red House volunteer, Colin Ridley. Colin has been a member of staff and a volunteer at Red House Museum since the 1960s, starting when he was just 20 years old.

A spokesman from The Red House Museum and Gardens said: “For over 60 years, Colin has been involved with the museum, initially undertaking odd jobs around the museum and garden under its first curator Mr John Lavender and later becoming a front of house volunteer.

“Now in his 80s, Colin continues to and enjoys sharing his knowledge of the Red House and helping visitors to enjoy the museum and finding out more about the history of Christchurch.

The Red House Museum building dates from 1764 and was the parish workhouse for Christchurch and Bournemouth.

Bournemouth Echo: Colin Ridley has been a member of staff and a volunteer at Red House Museum since the 1960s, starting when he was just 20 years old

In 1886, a new union workhouse was built, and the old house was sold to the vicar of Christchurch Priory, the Reverend T. H.

The spokesman added: “Reverend Bush named the building ‘The Red House’ after the colour of the bricks. Later, the building became the private museum of Herbert Druitt, an avid local collector.

“It was his passion for textile and fashion, bygones and archaeological material that created the Red House Museum collections.

“In 1951, the Red House Museum became a charitable trust and its doors have been open to the public ever since.”

The museum is now operated by charity Hampshire Cultural Trust, established in 2014 to promote Hampshire as a great cultural county.