Horsham Museum & Art Gallery is closed whilst we are refurbishing the museum.  We are working hard behind the scenes to improve our customer offer and hope to re-open in late Summer 2021.  Until we reopen, we unfortunately cannot answer research enquiries.

Blog

Written by the Museum team, the Blog brings you stories from Horsham District’s past, in-depth studies of curious objects, video tours behind-the-scenes in our galleries, and much more.

Use the search box and drop-down list to search for particular topics, or view all posts in date order.

Is there something you’d love us to write about? Email your ideas to museum@horsham.gov.uk

Find a blog post

Flints and fossils are displayed in a freshly painted white cabinet in the window. The display catches the light from the museum garden beautifully

Bringing the dinosaurs downstairs and a new Discover the District gallery

Our reorganisation of the displays continues and this week we're pleased to share a couple of key changes you'll see when we re-open

Published: 07 Jun 2021

Two volunteers paint a white undercoat over the museum's existing bright colours

So good we're painting it twice: The undercoat is underway

It's not quite the Forth Bridge, but our volunteers have been working hard painting a thick white undercoat on the museum walls these last few weeks, before it is gone over in heritage colours

Published: 04 Jun 2021

A cartoon depicting Horsham's busy market square during the 1847 election period. Lots of people are holding placards and the town hall clock is clearly visible.

Spilling the beans to a Parliamentary committee

Dominic Cummings attracted huge attention as he attended a committee recently. Imagine if a coach load left Horsham, stayed overnight and then spilt the beans to a parliamentary committee  on kidnapping, drunkenness, bribery and corruption involving the Attorney General. That is what happened to the good folk of Horsham in 1847 and the report, which is over 2 inches thick, details it all in sworn statements.

Published: 02 Jun 2021

Volunteers Week 2021

Volunteers Week 2021

Volunteers Week is an annual celebration of the hard work of volunteers across the country. This year, the week takes place from Tuesday 1 to Monday 7 June and to celebrate we want to share the stories of two volunteers who have given a great deal to Horsham Museum & Art Gallery over the years.

Published: 28 May 2021

A historic illustration of a man in a top hat and smart jacket selling hot spiced gingerbread in Horsham from a cart

Shelley's favourite biscuit: A short history of Horsham gingerbread

A titan of English poetry loved biscuits – especially ginger ones. Here, in honour of National Biscuit Day on May 29, we tell the story of Shelley's penchant for gingerbread and a present-day project to recreate Shelley's family recipe

Published: 18 May 2021

The prisoner in his cell, and the empty cell with the door open

The Horsham prisoner escapes

After serving 20 years of an indeterminate life sentence for a crime no one can remember, a Horsham prisoner has escaped. Here, we take a look at other famed escapes and the history of the Horsham jail

Published: 13 May 2021

Sarah Hurst Diary

Mass Observation Day - 12 May 2021

Today is Mass Observation Day! On the 12th May 2021, the Mass Observation Archive will be repeating its annual call for day diaries, capturing the everyday lives of people across the UK.

Published: 12 May 2021

The Discover the District gallery has been painted in a fresh modern sea blue, a modern take on a heritage colour that complements the original beams and the pale wood flooring

All at sea: A fresh coat of calm amidst the chaos

As renovation work continues and much of the museum building resembles a bit of a building site, one room has received a calming coat of blue paint that complements its historic features.

Published: 12 May 2021

A before image on the left shows the cement flooring. On the right is the original flagstone, revealed after laying hidden for 50 years

All in a day's work: Revealing the original flagstone flooring

After laying hidden for at least 50 years, we've revealed the original flagstone flooring at the back of the museum.

Published: 04 May 2021

Museum Garden

The Museum Garden

For National Gardening Week (April 26-May 2) we wanted to share with you some insights on Horsham Museum's Garden written by our volunteers who work tirelessly in the garden whatever the weather to maintain its stunning appearance!

Published: 27 Apr 2021