Horsham Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1893 |
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| Location | Causeway House, Horsham |
| Type | Heritage centre |
The Horsham Museum is a cool place to visit in Horsham, West Sussex, in South East England. It first opened its doors in August 1893. Volunteers from the Free Christian Church (now called the Unitarian Church) started it. Later, in 1974, it became part of the Horsham District Council.
Today, it's a fully recognized museum. It helps people learn about Horsham and the areas around it. Many friends of the museum and volunteers help keep it running.
Contents
Where to Find the Museum
The Horsham Museum has been in Causeway House since 1941. Before that, its collections were kept in the basement of Park House. The museum now uses the whole Causeway House building. Besides the main displays, the museum also has special areas for its collections.
The Museum's Archive
The museum has a special building for its archive. This is where important old documents and papers about the town's history are kept. It includes the famous Albery collection.
The Curator's Library
The museum also has a library with over 2,000 books. These books are all about the museum's collections. If you want to look at them, you can ask the curator.
The Museum Garden
The museum garden was once a messy, forgotten area until 1981. A group called the Horsham Museum Society (now the Friends of Horsham Museum) worked hard to fix it up. In 2007, their team won a special award for their beautiful garden. This shows how much effort they put into it all year!
A large sculpture by Edward Bainbridge Copnall is also at the museum. It's 10 feet tall and shows the Crucifixion of Jesus. It was moved to the museum in 2008.
What You Can See: Exhibits and Collections
The museum has many different things to see, spread across 18 galleries. You can find a lot of interesting items here!
The Shelley Collection
One of the most important collections is about the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822). He was born in Warnham, near Horsham. The museum has many early copies of his books. It also has books and letters from his second wife, Mary Shelley (1797–1851), who wrote Frankenstein.
Art by John Guille Millais
The museum also owns several prints by a local artist named John Guille Millais (1865–1931). You can also see a cool sculpture by Millais. It shows game birds fighting and is always on display.
Other Interesting Collections
The museum has many other collections too. You can see old ceramics (pottery), items from different cultures, and things related to local Sussex jobs and businesses. There are also displays about working life, geology (rocks and earth), archaeology (old artifacts), bicycles, and horses. The museum's archive, with documents about Horsham's history, is a very special part of its collections.
Museum Projects
In 2011, the Friends of Horsham Museum received a grant. This money helped them to protect and share the museum's large collection of old posters.
