The destruction of parliament by fire, 1834.

Thomas Layton was a keen antiquarian and obsessive collector of books and all things old.  He was especially interested in local items and things from the Thames, but collected from all over the world.  A successful business man, he also served Brentford as elected councillor for over 50 years.  Layton deserves to be celebrated as a local benefactor and a great character of Brentford.

Discover more about Layton's life and his collecting. Find out what happened to this remarkable collection after his death.

Layton was involved with many improvements to Brentford and here you can find out about his civic legacy and follow the Brentford town trail to see what evidence still exists today.