Kate Knowles, Head of Communications at Dulwich Picture Gallery, looks forward to an amazing day on 19 June
“You can’t imagine the excitement at Dulwich Picture Gallery when we got a phone call from the Antiques Roadshow…
I’d approached them over the years and once they did come and visit the Gallery, and then declared it was too small. Crushing…
If I had one wish on earth for Dulwich Picture Gallery it would be that Dulwich Village was on the tube (then there’d be no excuse for not coming to Dulwich from all those north Londoners). My second wish was to be on the Antiques Roadshow.
It probably helped that many years ago I’d had a romance with Paul Atterbury, 
and later he’d done a wonderful lecture here on ceramics, and recently came as one of the experts in the Treasures Roadshow, organised by the Friends of DPG - so there were links. Apparently it was his influence that made the Antiques Roadshow come back and reconsider.
I don’t think any of us realized the enormity of having the Roadshow here - all the tents and marquees they must put up, all the staff, the changing rooms, the places for people to be made up if they are going to appear on the televised part of the show, and the worry that it is going to rain and then no one will come! But of course they will and there won’t be much chance of looking at the pictures - I think the thrill of being on the Roadshow will probably be more of an attraction even than our three Rembrandts, the outstanding 17th and 18th century collection of Old Masters, and the lovely exhibition of photographs taken in China in 1903. (See the article written by Ian Dejardin, director)
We are hiring portaloos, a burger and sandwich stand and ice cream stall - and we are handing out two-for-one leaflets inviting people to come to our next exhibition, ‘Painting Family: the De Brays, Master Painters of 17th century Holland’; and we are holding a raffle on the day with wonderful prizes - for only £1 a ticket. We will be open until 10 pm and in the evening the local ukulele band, Dulwich Ukulele Club, will be playing and we’ll be hosting some circus skills courses, a Chinese calligraphy workshop and short contemporary Chinese films. No one could say Thursday 19 June is going to be dull!
More info about Roadshow
More info about Late opening
