Boris Johnson joined scores of history fans in West Hill this morning for the re-opening of the Wandsworth Museum.

Three years after it closed its doors, the museum has been reborn as a collection of relics telling the story of the borough's past.

The re-opening is thanks to new funds put up by the Balham-based Hintze Family Charitable Foundation, led by the philanthropist, Michael Hintze.

Addressing the crowd, Mr Johnson said: “This is a fantastic initiative by the council in opening a new museum, effectively, here on this fantastic site.

“People don't know so much about the history of Wandsworth. It is of crucial importance to the history, not just of London, but of the whole of the country.

“The important thing for me that this museum demonstrates, is that local people – local philanthropists – are willing to step up to the plate and give money to a fantastic cause.”

The museum was first opened in 1906 and has moved location three times – finally closing in Garratt Lane in 2007.

The council’s original plan was to close it altogether in a bid to save £230,000 a year in running costs.

But thanks to a resident campaign, backed by the Wandsworth Guardian, the Hintze family came forward and offered £2m to secure the museum’s future.

The museum, which is now an independent trust, has found its new home in a 2,000 square metre building at 38 West Hill.

Andrew Leitch, director of the museum and chief curator, joined the project in 2008 after leaving his job at at the Science Museum in Kensington.

He said: “The message to residents is that Wandsworth is an incredible borough. There's so much rich history here.

“Remember that history only started 15 minutes ago. Everybody can be part of it.”

A small selection of the museum’s 10,000 artefacts have been chosen for its first exhibition, which tells the story of the past 2,500 years.

Also present for its re-opening were Jeremy Hunt, secretary of state for culture, and Edward Lister, leader of Wandsworth Council.

The Wandsworth Museum will open to the general public on Friday.

It will be open every day of the week except Monday, from 10am to 5pm.

Adult pay £8 but ticking a Gift Aid donation box upon entry means repeat visits will be free.

Concessions are also offered.