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

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A black and white photo of crowds around Horsham town centre water fountain dated 1897

Water, water everywhere... (Part 1)

Today as Sussex is facing issues with water supplies and possible droughts, we take a look at the history of public water supplies in Horsham District.

Published: 12 Jun 2020

A black and white photograph of two men sitting with the King's seat between them in

Our photo albums wow Bargain Hunters in their thousands

On Bank Holiday Monday (25th May) thousands of Bargain Hunters tuning in to BBC1 saw a selection of stunning photographs of a lost age. The remarkable images came from 4 beautifully bound albums in Horsham District Council’s Horsham Museum & Gallery’s collections and the story of these albums is as fascinating as the images within.

Published: 12 Jun 2020

A black and white photo of the electrified railway tracks at Horsham

Electrification of the Railway (part 2 of 2)

In the second part of our look into Horsham's railways we look at electrification. Today we take electric trains for granted. In fact it is a bit of a shock to find, when traveling north, that the trains are still diesel as the line to Horsham has been electric for over 80 years. It is equally remarkable that such a large investment was made in electrifying the railway in the years following the Great Depression.

Published: 12 Jun 2020

Artwork of a train with the caption 'The first Railway Engine to Horsham 1848'

The Return of Train Travel (part 1 of 2)

Today the news is all about the train stations across the country preparing for the return of those who are unable to work from home and cannot use a car, bike, or walk to work. Given this increased interest in rail travel let’s look at how the train came to Horsham; the first place in the District to have a train station.

Published: 12 Jun 2020

Two nurses pictured in uniform with four young children

The Early Days of Nursing

On 12 May 1820 Florence Nightingale was born. To mark the 200th anniversary of this event, we take a look at some stories about nursing in Horsham.

Published: 05 Jun 2020