150 Years of the Exeter Chiefs
The highlight of the summer at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter is an exhibition to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the foundation of Exeter Rugby Club, known throughout the rugby world as the Exeter Chiefs.
The Devon Heritage Centre holds collections of programmes and photographs which relate to the club, and as a result Brian Carpenter, Community Outreach Officer and a long-time supporter of the club, was asked to curate and manage the exhibition.
Initial Preparations for the Exhibition
Initial preparations for the exhibition involved appraising a large amount of archive material which had been stored for many years at the home of Tony Rowe, the club’s Chief Executive. The records were then brought to the club’s stadium, Sandy Park, just down the road from the Devon Heritage Centre, where Brian spent some intensive but enjoyable days selecting items which could be used to tell the story of the remarkable journey which has led the club to be one of the most successful in the country and renowned throughout Europe.
The Display
The archives have been augmented by objects which are normally on display at Sandy Park, including many shirts worn by players in important matches, team photographs, and all the club’s major trophies. Other items have been loaned by supporters and former players, and a small number of exhibits are drawn from the existing Heritage Centre collections.
The exhibition runs until Sunday 28 August at RAMM in Exeter.
“The exhibition is a result of an extremely successful collaboration between ourselves, staff of the club and museum staff, all of whom have brought differing and complementary skills to the project,” Brian Carpenter
