Our Story 
 
The Centre was the brainchild of James and Stephen Smith along with their mother Marina who in 1991 visited Yad Vashem- Israel’s national Holocaust museum. This conscientious, thoughtful and considered Christian family were stunned and challenged by the information gathered during their journey. James and Stephen believed that their education of the Holocaust at school and university had been lacking as there had never been an opportunity to consider what the Holocaust might mean for them as individuals.The trip in 1991 changed the lives of the family as they came back to the UK and knew that the Holocaust had to be taught, discussed and understood by all. They were especially keen to see this done correctly for students learning about the Holocaust at school.
 
The Memorial Gardens
 
The Memorial Gardens are set in an acre of beautifully landscaped countryside and provide an important counterpoint to the historical museum. The gardens provide space for reflection and places for individuals to remember their families. To learn more about the gardens explore the links below.
 
The Collection 
 
The National Holocaust Museum holds a collection of artefacts relating to the Holocaust. As an actively collecting museum, we are always looking to expand this collection and collect in areas where we are deficient. We collect both actively and reactively. Reactive collecting occurs when we are looking for specific projects and acquiring specific items. The primary aims behind this are to collect to enable the museum to expand the collections on display in its main Holocaust exhibition and the Journey, as the objects, photographs, ephemera, documents and testimony on display are the direct evidence of the events surrounding the Holocaust.