The Official Royal Opening
by HRH The Duke of Kent

Upon his arrival, The Duke of Kent was welcomed by Marilyn Scott, Director, and Roger Umney, Chairman of The Lightbox. In the courtyard he was greeted by civic dignitaries, including The High Sherriff of Surrey, Mr Nicholas Sealy, and The Mayor of Woking, Cllr Bryan Cross.

Just inside the entrance lobby, The Duke of Kent was shown the hand painted sign commemorating his official opening of the stunning new £7m, 2,000sqm building.

“This visit marks the fulfillment of a vision for a high quality cultural venue for Woking,” said Marilyn Scott afterwards. “In 2003, I was privileged to present HRH The Duke of Kent with the architect’s plans for The Lightbox. It was therefore a special pleasure to be able to show him the finished building.”

At various stages of his tour The Duke of Kent was introduced to The Lightbox Staff, Volunteers, supporters, funders and the project team, including Architects Julia Barfield and David Marks.

Students from Woking College were using the Education Studio for a clay modelling class when The Duke of Kent stopped by. He spoke to both students and their teacher Jo Berry.

Waiting in Woking’s Story was Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry VC of The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment. He is the most recent living recipient of the Victoria Cross. He was on hand to show The Duke of Kent a new display created in partnership with the Queen’s Royal Surrey Regiment Museum. It commemorates the centenary of the formation of the Territorial Army.

After this, guest curator Anne Elliott took The Duke of Kent on a tour of 2D-3D: Discover the Art of Sculpture.

Then, in the Upper Gallery, The Duke of Kent met Brigadier Moslem Salamat of The Shah Jehan Mosque and members of Surrey’s Asian community. He also spoke to artist Said Adrus about his installation telling the story of the Muslim Burial Ground on Horsell Common.

The day ended with The Duke of Kent taking afternoon tea with staff and supporters of The Lightbox. Following a speech by Roger Umney, he was invited to cut a commemorative cake decorated with a picture of the gallery and museum.