Monday 6th July 2015

Opening of the new Huguenots Museum

In the 13th of July 2015 the doors opened on Rochester’s Huguenot Museum, located on the 1st floor of a large building on the High Street.

Hotrod has been engaged by the French Hospital, a venerable Huguenot charity, to create a new museum dedicated to telling the story of the Huguenots’ religious persecution, flight to Britain, and successful assimilation as the first ‘refugees’.

The interpretation focused on key emotional aspects of the Huguenot story – steadfast religious faith, a tradition of self-help, and passionate craftsmanship in materials such as silk and silver which revolutionised British fashions and manufactures. Powerful use of bespoke illustration supported the display of objects, and short interviews with modern day Huguenots emphasised their continuing community and traditions. The museum was pitched at non-expert audiences, and took time to explain the historical backstory and to place the Huguenots within a centuries-long British timeline of welcoming refugees.

As a secondary project, Hotrod designed a dramatic brand identity based on silkweaving patterns which ensures that the new museum is visible and high-impact for all visitors arriving in Rochester.