Herbert Druitt

Herbert Druitt (4 January 1876 – 16 November 1943 ) was a solicitor and collector of antiquities. His collection formed the basis of the Red House Museum in Christchurch, Dorset.

Biography Herbert Druitt was born in Christchurch, Hampshire (now in Dorset) in 1876 , the son of Matilda and James Druitt, a solicitor. He studied classics at Oxford . The family wealth meant he did not have to work and he described himself as being of independent means in the census of 1911 . He served as a member of the Christchurch Town council for several years and was defeated for the office of Mayor in 1927 . His half-brother, James Druitt, became Town Clerk and then Mayor of Bournemouth . In 1909 Matilda Druitt bought the building known as the Red House, the old Christchurch workhouse. In 1916, after his mother’s death, it passed to Herbert Druitt who used it to house his collection . He sometimes opened the building to visitors but was often reluctant to show his collection. .