Update on Horsham Museum and Art Gallery – 18 September

The museum is now open as normal, following a break-in that occurred in the early hours of the morning of 16 September.

The incident resulted in damage to the front window, which now requires repair. No artefacts were damaged or stolen in relation to the incident.

Sussex Police have been notified and are actively investigating the matter. We are currently helping with their enquiries.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused and appreciate the public’s understanding whilst we work to restore the site.

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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Guilded artwork

Illuminations – Contemporary Medieval Art by Judy Hurst

In autumn of 2021 we will welcome the artist Judy Hurst to exhibit her beautiful artworks of vellum and gold leaf.

Published: 13 Sep 2021

Archive boxes and corn dolls

Museum Reopening

After several months of preparation behind the scenes we are pleased to share with you that the museum will reopen on Saturday 2 October 2021.

Published: 03 Sep 2021

Two cabinets displaying a rich variety of artefacts

Updating the Displays: Cabinet reshuffles

As our re-opening draws closer, we're working hard on reorganising our display cabinets. Here's a sneak peek behind the scenes to give you a flavour of the changes ahead.

Published: 01 Jul 2021

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