The Duleep Singh Family

Maharajah Duleep Singh's son, Prince Frederick, gifted Ancient House to the people of Thetford in 1921. The museum opened to the public on 11 December 1924. To mark the centenary, there are new displays telling the remarkable story of the Duleep Singh family open now with more coming in Spring 2025 and Spring 2026.

New interpretation and objects now on display tell the story of Maharajah Duleep Singh, his parents, Maharajah Ranjit Singh and Maharani Jind Kaur, and his first wife, Bamba Müller.

The new displays include an exquisite model of three of the room settings from Elveden Hall, the country house near Thetford where Maharajah Duleep Singh and his family made their home in the 1860s. Duleep Singh commissioned John Nash, architect, to turn Elveden Hall into an Indian palace, inspired by the Palace at Lahore.

Drawing on contemporary descriptions, archival photographs, inventories and other research, model maker Ethan Goodbody has spent many months building his miniature recreations of the Hall's Dining Room, Drawing Room and Library which reflect this rich Anglo-Punjabi heritage. With Elveden Hall itself not open to the public, these beautiful models are the closest visitors can come to experiencing the Hall as the Duleep Singh family would have known it.

The styles and motifs employed in Duleep Singh's transformation of Elveden Hall have also provided the inspiration for the designs of the new displays, with purple, cream and gold accents reflecting the Hall's rich decoration.

These include a new area styled the 'Treasury Room' which features displays on the Anglo-Sikh Wars, the Koh-i-noor diamond and the Great Exhibition (including replica diamonds showing how it was recut by Prince Albert), and the Maharajah as country gentleman.

Many of the objects relating to the Duleep Singh Princes and Princesses come from the private collection of Peter Bance, Sikh historian and consultant and partner on this project. Together they bring visitors closer to the family's everyday lives, with evocative items such as a bridge book and a set of sheet music written by Prince Victor, a childhood musical score book written by Princess Irene, a silver cigarette lighter belonging to Princess Sophia and a scent bottle belonging to Princess Bamba Duleep Singh.

Peter Bance, Sikh historian and consultant on the project says: "The Ancient House owes its very existence to the generosity of Prince Frederick Duleep Singh, son of the last Maharajah of the Punjab. It is fitting to be marking the museum's centenary with new displays about the family. I first visited the area and the museum nearly 30 years ago and I have been fascinated since then to research, collect and publish about the Maharajah and his family. It was the visit to Ancient House all those years ago that started my interests. The new displays will also showcase items from my collection used and owned by family members, including Prince Frederick, the museum's founder. It is a privilege to be part of this moment in history. Best wishes to the Ancient House Museum for the next 100 years."

One of the aims of the Prince Frederick's Thetford Museum project is to integrate the Duleep Singh story into the rest of the museum displays: new interpretation boards in the 1901 Kitchen tell the story of three servants at Elveden Hall, the Maharajah's valets and the Maharani's lady's maid.

All the interpretation has been created in close consultation with key partners over many years, many of whom are from the Sikh community, to ensure accuracy and authenticity throughout.

Dr Priya Atwal, historian and consultant on the project says: "I am delighted to be working with the team at Ancient House on this centenary project to tell the stories of the Maharajah Duleep Singh and his family. It has been particularly fascinating to consider ways to adapt cutting-edge academic research for museum visitors. We are increasingly uncovering new layers and greater nuance in our understanding of the lives of this young man and his family, whose extraordinary story sits at the cusp of South Asian and British history.

"The Duleep Singhs may have been royalty, but their experiences as exiles and members of the local community echo down the ages and are of poignant relevance to many people in Britain today. It's been so exciting working with the Ancient House team to help visitors learn to take on the role of a historian, and to work with us to make sense of the nuances in this rich, thought-provoking historical narrative."

The displays are part of the first phase of the Prince Frederick's Thetford Museum project which is supported by a generous grant from National Lottery players through The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with additional funding from Thetford Town Council, Breckland Council, the Friends of Thetford Museum, Norfolk County Council and Arts Council England.