St Mary's University celebrates Twickenham's music heritage with new High Tide exhibition

St Mary’s University collaborates with The Patch to bring festival memorabilia, local music heritage, and community spirit to York Street.

Music lovers can now explore the vibrant history of Twickenham’s celebrated High Tide festival over their morning coffee. A new pop-up exhibition at The Patch showcases festival memorabilia, merchandise, photos, and historic event programmes dating back to the inaugural free festival in 2019.

The exhibition is a collaboration between High Tide’s organisers and the University’s School of Theology and the Arts. Designed by St Mary's Associate Professor of History, Mark Donnelly, alongside Annariel Goncalves, with support from Clare Mroz at The Patch, the exhibition celebrates a key annual event in the local cultural calendar.

High Tide began as an idea in 2017 when Eel Pie Records co-founders Kevin Jones and Phil Penman sought to reignite Twickenham’s legendary 1950s and '60s live music scene. Rather than staging a heritage event, they created a dynamic festival that bridges generations – providing a platform for emerging artists like Goat Girl and Sonic Daze as well as established favourites such as Dodgy and The Selecter.

Through quotes from local traders and festival-goers, the exhibition also highlights how High Tide has grown into one of London's largest free and independent music festivals.

Mark Donnelly said: "Telling this story was a brilliant opportunity for us to develop and extend our support for this fantastic community arts event."

Event Details:

• Exhibition Venue: The Patch, York Street, Twickenham
• High Tide Festival Date: Sunday, 26 July
• Exhibition Run: Open Mon-Fri until shortly after the festival ends