Delve into our criminal past at the Thames Valley Police Museum

Beautifully curated in a room in the elegant 18th century Sulhamstead House lives a treasure trove of policing history.

From the original mug shots of Great Train robber Ronnie Biggs, to handwritten letters about a Victorian serial killer; the Thames Valley Police Museum is a hidden gem of historical artefacts.

Colin Boyes - an officer on the rural crime taskforce, based in Newbury - took over as head of the museum in 2013, allowing him to “realise his two dreams” of being a police officer and a museum curator.

Colin, who grew up in South Africa and has an Art History degree, spoke to us last year and said that when he took over the role at the museum he made a conscious decision to make more use of volunteers.

“I now have 21 volunteers and they are involved in talks, tours, the Wednesday open days,” he says. “It’s proving very successful.

“It’s given me the opportunity to completely overhaul the museum. It is a much more modern space now, with better UV protection, better lighting.

“Walking into the room you can easily navigate the history of the force along the timeline.”

Thames Valley Police was established on April 1, 1968 and the museum has inherited all of the artefacts from the five constabularies that joined to create it.

“We own a huge amount of original artefacts from the train robbery, such as Ronnie Biggs’s original mug shots and the original Monopoly board they played in hiding; bits from the farm hideout,” adds Colin.

“We are constantly getting new pieces coming in regarding the Great Train Robbery.”

He recently met with relatives of Dr Ian Holden who was a forensic scientist charged with working on the robbery.

Dr Holden worked in the early version of forensics and the relative had the paint tin, shoes, his forensic notes and parts of the vehicle that were all analysed at the time.

Colin’s favourite artefacts, however, come from the Amelia Dyer case – a Victorian story of mass murder that took place in Reading.

Dubbed 'The Reading Baby Farmer', Dyer is believed to have killed over 200 children in the 1800s.

“It is a very good social commentary of the plight of women and children in the Victorian times,” Colin explains.

“People charged lots of money to take children born out of wedlock.

“We have handwritten letters, original photos of the bodies in the river, the booking in sheet from Reading.

“It is a really fascinating piece of history.

“It not only shows the plight of women but also the laws at the time.

“It would probably shock your readers.”

A production company has recently been carrying out research on Dyer at the museum and pupils at Theale Green School have also previously performed a rendition of a folk song about her.

The museum is now open for non-appointment Wednesdays – between 10am-12pm - when no visitor fee charged.

Private visits, for a suggested donation of £3, are also available on request.

“We also do talks, but they have reduced due to Covid and usually there are groups, such as the WI, who visit,” adds Colin, who lives with his wife in West Berkshire.

The talks and tours are given by the volunteers, a number of who are retired local police officers and include a former Newbury beat officer, a former Reading officer and a scenes of crime officer who worked on the Hungerford tragedy.

Colin said he finds it “really peaceful” at the museum and it allows him time to relax and forget that he is part of a massive organisation that polices three counties.

The White House, as the 1744 building that is home to the museum is sometimes called, belonged to the Thoyts family, who were large benefactors of the local community through education and the church.

The museum is constantly evolving with new additions being donated regularly.

“We get so much stuff given to us that I don’t have a team big enough to go through it all,” adds Colin.

“We do get a number of relatives of deceased officers who hand over stuff to us to preserve.

“It’s a really important part of social history and more importantly of policing history.”

The Thames Valley Police Museum will be open for a free open afternoon this Sunday (January 29).

It will be open for non-appointment visitors between 3pm and 5pm.

There is no need to book and no visitors fee to pay.

To find out more visit https://bit.ly/3JbbMEP

Museum guests are encouraged to bring their smartphone and headphones to benefit from the full interactive visitor experience.