Donate an object

Horsham Museum and Art Gallery has been collecting items relating to Horsham town and District for almost 120 years.  Thanks to the generosity of many people who have kindly donated objects and paper archives to us we now have an extensive collection that tells the story of life in the District. We are grateful for all the wonderful donations that have enabled us to build our collections.

Due to limited space we are currently not taking most offers of new donations, but if you feel that your object is of particular importance to the Horsham district then we would like to hear from you.

We cannot accept every item

We are unable to accept all offers that are made to us, often due to lack of storage space. We may also not accept an offer for one of the following reasons:

  • We already have a similar item in our collection
  • The item doesn’t meet the criteria of our collecting policy
  • The item isn’t in good condition
  • There isn’t enough information about the history of the item

Please note the following before making contact with us regarding a donation:

  • We are unable to give valuations
  • We don’t usually accept items on long-term loan
  • We can’t accept items with specific conditions attached
  • Please do not bring or send items to the museum without a prior appointment, we are not able to store them for you whilst we make decisions regarding the donation
  • We generally prefer to accept items that relate to, or originate from, Horsham District. If you are not sure of the boundaries of Horsham District please check on this Google Map
A Georgian silver and glass ink set that was given as a prize in 1804.

How to donate

If you feel that your item is of particular importance to local history of the Horsham district, please contact our team. As we are a small team please allow 2-3 weeks for a response.

Please include images of the item and as much information as possible about its history. If your donation contains multiple objects please provide an itemised list of everything you wish to donate.

  • Email museum@horsham.gov.uk
  • Write to Horsham Museum & Art Gallery, 9 Causeway, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 1HE

Alternatively, you can complete a Donation Enquiry Form at the museum reception. Please do not bring the object with you unless specifically asked to do so.

What happens next?

  • If we are interested in accepting the item a member of a team will be in contact to make arrangements with you.
  • If we feel it is not appropriate for us we will try to advise you of a suitable alternative.
  • As we check each offer individually it make take a few weeks for us to get back to you.
A Horsham baton