On 4 October the 2nd Broadbridge Heath Guides made history by being the first visitors to spend the night here since the building was repurposed for use as a museum. Read on for a report of the evening by Unit Leader Sharon Newman, as well as a final summary by our Curator, Nikki Caxton.
Sharon wrote 'Whilst on a monopoly type trail around Horsham one of the 'properties' was the Horsham Museum. I asked my group of guides if they had visited the museum; unfortunately only one or two had! I thought what a wonderful opportunity it would be if we could have a sleepover at the museum.
I contacted the Museum's Curator, Nikki Caxton, through Horsham District Council, who also thought that it would be a great way to get young people into the museum. Nikki completed all of the behind the scenes, practical checks such as risk assessments and insurance, and I arranged for the museum to become a Girlguiding approved venue. Six months later, our Night at the Museum event began.
Twenty very excited guides and four leaders arrived at the museum at 7pm. After some housekeeping, Nikki started the guides off on a 'who done it' type trail around the museum to find out which character form the main staircase's portraits was the museum's ghost. Once the girls had identifed the ghost then they could either complete other trails, or make up their own. The guides soon found the museum's dressing-up collection and spent the rest of the evening role-playing historic events.
Hot chocolate was served at 9pm and lights out at 10.30pm. The guides slept well although it was an early start to the following day - 5.45am! After dressing and tidying their bedding the girls headed downstairs for a continental breakfast. After breakfast we set the guides one last challenge before they were picked up at 10am. In groups they were to find a Horsham fact that would wow the leaders. Our thanks to the Horsham Museum team for making this event happen. I know that all of the girls had a great time as my phone was pinging all day with complimentary comments from parents.'
The museum's curator reports 'the attendees from 2nd Broadbridge Heath Guides were brilliant ambassadors for their group. I had a brilliant evening enjoying the museum with them and finding out which parts of the museum they gravitated towards. The trails were also challenging with them selecting some really tiny, but beautiful pieces of Roman glass and even the old servant bells from when the museum's building was a domestic house.
The guides slept amongst the displays and showcases in the Horsham Now gallery, with leaders next door in the library. I was a little bit nervous that I might not get much sleep myself, but had a relatively restful night in the World War Two gallery. It was really inspiring for me to see the guides exploring and interacting with the museum with such a sense of joy, and although they were the 'guinea pig' group it is definitely something that we would do again in the future.
Published: 16 Oct 2025