The Thomas Layton Collection was scheduled to meet to discuss the Trust's accounts and investments, receive an update from the Museum of London, and discuss the Gunnersbury Stables project. Trustees were also invited to submit nominations for the position of Vice-Chair, with a vote intended to confirm the position during the meeting.

Gunnersbury Stables

Howard Simmons was scheduled to provide a verbal update on the Gunnersbury Stables project.

The Thomas Layton Collection had previously expressed an interest in relocating its collections to the Gunnersbury Stables, and Hounslow Council had submitted an expression of interest to the National Lottery Heritage Fund to seek grant funding for the project, but the initial bid was rejected.

The Gunnersbury estate is now managed by a charity, which may make it easier to attract external project funding.

Trust Accounts and Investments

Samantha Grey-Wilson, Hounslow's Strategic Finance Manager Commercial and Projects, was scheduled to provide an update on the Trust's accounts and investments, including final accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024 for approval.

According to the Trustees Report contained in the Public Reports Pack, the Trust relies heavily upon the funds generated from investment income to meet the day-to-day costs of restoring books and administrative overheads. Investment management is undertaken by BlackRock Investment Managers and CCLA Investment Management Limited.

The Trustees Report also stated that the trustees had adopted the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) Accounting and Reporting by Charities in preparing the annual report and financial statements of the charity.

The accounts included in the report pack show that the total funds held by the trust as of 31 December 2024 were £197,824.

The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Board of Trustees on 2025 and signed on its behalf by:

CHAIRMAN OF TRUSTEES

The report pack also included a letter of engagement from Azets Audit Services regarding their services as independent examiners for the charity.

Museum of London Update

Kate Sumnall, Curator at London Museum, was scheduled to provide an update on the Museum of London.

The update included in the Public Reports Pack noted that the Museum of London's new temporary exhibition, Secrets of the Thames, opened at the London Museum Docklands ¹ on 4 April 2025, and is scheduled to run until 1 March 2026. The exhibition features over 250 mudlarked objects, plus artworks and objects from the Museum's collections. A tranchet adze ² from the Layton Collection is included in a case exploring the special and the everyday from Prehistory, contrasted with a sculpture by Kabir Hussain.

The update also noted that work continues to audit the entire collections, bar code and repack in preparation for moving site from London Wall ³ to West Smithfield ⁴. There are 1069 objects from the Layton Collection stored in the General Store, including prehistoric tools, Roman lamps, Post Medieval tobacco pipes and some of the social history collections.

The Museum has been focusing on upgrading its presence and all on-line content, including information about the collections. Curators have been working through all the database records, checking and updating the information, which is estimated to be finished by the end of the year.