The Wernher Collection at Ranger's House

This elegant, redbrick Georgian villa on the edge of Greenwich Park houses a sumptuous art collection and also features the Meridian Line passing through its grounds.

Visit The Wernher Collection at Ranger’s House with Go City®

• With us, there are no entry fees on the day – all you've got to do is show your pass.
• Peruse hundreds of historic pieces collected from all over the world.
• Get a glimpse of the lavish lifestyles of one of 19th-century Britain’s wealthiest men.
• Your Go London pass gives you access to dozens more of the city's top attractions, so make sure to check them out!

The Wernher Collection at Ranger’s House showcases an extraordinary set of medieval, Renaissance and early modern artworks, unique wood carvings, religious statues, Gothic ivories and handcrafted furniture.

The 700-piece collection was amassed by 19th-century diamond magnate Sir Julius Wernher. Born in Darmstadt, Germany in 1850, he moved to London in his early 20s and later ventured to the newly discovered diamond mines in Kimberley, South Africa, where he developed a fortune that made him one of Britain’s wealthiest men at the time.

Wernher’s immense wealth allowed him to invest heavily in art, perhaps his primary passion. He was a fan of ‘splendidly ugly’ artworks, primarily smaller ivories, metalworks, wood carvings, and enamels from the Renaissance and medieval periods. These unique pieces often portrayed unusual subject matter and are richly - or garishly - embellished and decorative.

English Heritage acquired Ranger’s House—the former abode of the 4th Earl of Chesterfield, and later the home of Greenwich Park rangers (groundskeepers)—in 1986. A decade later, they worked with the Wernher Foundation to bring Julius Werner’s collection to Ranger’s House and saved it from being sold off to individual collectors and institutions. 

The Wernher Collection highlights

Diverse collection of art – a diverse collection of medieval, Renaissance, and early modern European art - one of the finest to be assembled by a sole collector.

How art developed in Europe – learn through the collection how art developed in Europe, as objects once admired only for their religious meanings and devotional uses came to be adored for their aesthetic beauty.

History of the collector – chart the history of the collector himself, learning about his life, work, and passions.

Ranger’s House – discover more about the historic Ranger’s House and those who called it home throughout its history.