Thetford has been in the news recently with unrest and agitation. Yet there is another, cultural side to Thetford – The Dad’s Army Museum, Thetford Priory, and the Ancient House Museum, housed in one of the best Tudor town houses in East Anglia.
In years past, Thetford was one of the most important towns in England during Anglo-Saxon times. It was a significant trading gateway to the county of Norfolk and the Ancient House is believed to have been the home of a merchant of some wealth.
It was through the generosity of Prince Frederick Victor Duleep Singh that in 1921 the Ancient House was purchased and given to the town expressly for the purpose of being a museum.
A century later, the life and legacy of Prince Frederick and his brothers and sisters is being celebrated in an exhibition at the Ancient House. And with the upcoming Heritage Open Days, there is free entry to the exhibition on 20 September.
Prince Frederick Victor Duleep Singh
Prince Frederick Victor Duleep Singh was born in London in 1868. He was the second son of Maharajah Duleep Singh, the last Maharajah of Punjab, and Maharani Bamba. His childhood home was Elveden Hall near Thetford, where he grew up with his sisters, Princesses Bamba, Catherine and Sophia, and brothers, Princes Victor and Albert Edward.
Educated at Eton and Cambridge, Prince Frederick studied history and served in the Suffolk and Norfolk Yeomanry during the First World War. He lived in Norfolk at Old Buckenham Hall, Breckles House, and Blo’ Norton Hall. He was a lover of history and culture, and his homes overflowed with paintings, books, and antiquities.
The museum’s newly developed displays comprise a temporary exhibition marking the centenary of Prince Frederick’s death (1926) and a new permanent gallery dedicated to the six Duleep Singh Princes and Princesses.
Art and artefacts
Objects on display include carved wooden and gilded angels from Prince Frederick’s home and artefacts and correspondence relating to the founding of the Ancient House in the 1920s, as well as his campaigns to successfully save many local landmarks including St Peter Hungate, Norwich, and Wymondham Abbey. Examples from Prince Frederick’s art collection on display include works by Sir Alfred Munnings and Leonard Squirrell as well as some of his own paintings and drawings of the local countryside.
Prince Frederick’s siblings were colourful characters in their own right. Princess Sophia Duleep Singh supported militant suffrage campaigns. She is renowned for throwing herself in front of Prime Minister Asquith’s car while displaying a placard reading “Give women the vote!” On display is an early 19th‑century Indian jewelled ring from her family collection and a rare suffragette hunger-strike medal awarded to Caprina Fahey, who marched with Sophia during the violent ‘Black Friday’ demonstrations in 1910.
Also on show is a contemporary portrait of Princess Catherine by celebrated Sikh artist Inkquisitive, and her sister Princess Bamba’s perfume bottle. The objects will be displayed alongside biographical information about all six siblings.
Additional displays reveal new links between the activism of the Duleep Singh princesses and the writings of Thetford-born Thomas Paine (1737–1809), whose works Rights of Man and Common Sense argue for universal human rights.
Prince Frederick’s parents, Maharajah Sir Duleep Singh, the last maharajah of the Sikh Empire, and Maharani Bamba lived at Elveden Hall. Details of their lives and exile in the UK are on display.
“We are delighted to share the extraordinary stories of Prince Frederick and the Duleep Singh family with our visitors”, says Oliver Bone, the curator at Thetford and King’s Lynn Museums. “Their lives are intertwined with some of the key moments in recent history, as well as with the rich heritage of Norfolk. Some of the items on display, including Princess Sophia’s jewelled ring, have never been exhibited before and we are incredibly grateful to the National Lottery players and The National Lottery Heritage Fund – as well as our other supporters – for making these new displays possible.”
The Ancient House is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-5pm. Admission prices and further details may be found on their website. On Sunday 20 September 2026 the Ancient House, along with the Dads Army Museum and the Charles Burrell Museum of steam engines, will be open with free entry as part of the Heritage Open Day Festival at the Marketplace at Thetford.
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