Gunnersbury Park Museum has been shortlisted for a national museum award recognising its exhibition on the history of activism in Southall and the communities who helped shape it.
The museum, jointly owned by the London Borough of Ealing and the London Borough of Hounslow, has been nominated for the Community Engagement Programme of the Year category at the Museums + Heritage Awards for its project Peoples Unite! How Southall Changed the Country.
The programme explored the history and legacy of activism in Southall and the communities that shaped the area. The exhibition ran from February 2025 to November 2025 and was extended beyond its original closing date.
Developed with local partners, contributors and participants, the project aimed to share community stories and reflect on the area’s collective history.
The exhibition captured how Southall’s residents turned resistance into culture. Archival photographs by Dennis Morris depicted Punjabi life in the 1970s, while Hark1karan’s contemporary Zimmers of Southall series celebrates the women and classic cars of today. A 1983 Southall Black Women’s Centre banner, created by Southall Black Sisters, underscored the intersection of art and protest.
Music was also a key theme. From Misty in Roots’ anti-racist collaborations to the rise of Panjabi Hit Squad’s genre-bending sound, the exhibition traced the sounds woven through Southall’s fight for justice. A custom-built sound system by Vedic Roots also honoured the area’s audio heritage.
Tom Crowley and Ishwari Giga, from the museum’s curatorial team, said: “It felt like an incredible privilege that our community partners trusted us with their stories. It’s really special to have this recognised by the Museum + Heritage Awards. Peoples Unite was a real team effort bringing together colleagues from across the museum.”
The museum’s next exhibition, Gunnersbury Unlocked: From Private Grounds to Public Park, opens later this month (28 March 2026) as part of centenary celebrations marking 100 years since the park opened to the public.
