Horsham Museum is a museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

 at Horsham

Horsham

Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...

, West Sussex

West Sussex

West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...

, in South East England

South East England

South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...

. It was founded in August 1893 by volunteers of the Free Christian (now Unitarian) Church

Horsham Unitarian Church

Horsham Unitarian Church is a Unitarian chapel in Horsham in the English county of West Sussex. It was founded in 1719 to serve the large Baptist population of the ancient market town of Horsham—home of radical preacher Matthew Caffyn—and the surrounding area...

 and became part of Horsham District Council in 1974. It is a fully accredited museum and serves both Horsham and its district with the support of the Friends of Horsham Museum and an active volunteer base.

Location

Horsham Museum has been situated in Causeway House since 1941, but prior to that the collections found a home in the basement of Park House, North Street in 1921 and before that anywhere the artefacts could be stored. The Museum occupies the entirety of Causeway House as well as a purpose built archive, a separate display and education building, and a reconstructed barn holding agriculture-related items. It also uses the nearby White Lion Barn for off-site storage.
Archive
The archive building at Horsham Museum was built after the arrival of the current curator, Jeremy Knight. He persuaded Horsham District Council to construct the store to properly hold the Albery collection. He discovered that the documents were considered to belong to the Horsham Museum Society by right but in the course of research, and the discovery of the will of William Albery, it became apparent that the documents belonged to the town, not the Museum Society. This meant that they could no longer be kept locked away, as they had been, in a sixteenth-century chest. In return for the archive store, a ground floor office was given over to the Horsham Council that become the Tourist Information Centre (previously destined to be a fine and applied art gallery). This gave the council an effective Tourist Information Centre.

Library
The Curator's Library has over 2,000 books on the Museum's collections and can be consulted upon request. The library also features some small displays, including Edward Bainbridge Copnall

Edward Bainbridge Copnall

Edward Bainbridge Copnall MBE was a British sculptor.Son of photographer Edward White Copnall, Bainbridge Copnall was born in Cape Town, South Africa and was moved to Horsham at an early age...

's (born 1903–died 1973) oil painting entitled 'Whither.' It is an unusual, allegorical painting of a funeral, set in a Horsham graveyard.
An oil on canvas painting by British painter Robert Wallace Martin (born 1843–died 1923) of Captain Thomas Honywood

Captain Thomas Honywood

Thomas Honywood new article content ...Born: 7 October 1819Died: 5 October 1888Thomas Honywood was born at Horsham on 7 October 1819, the son of Mary Anne Morth and John Honywood , a carpenter, builder and surveyor. Honywood became a man interested in creative and scientific endeavours...

, in 1869, can be seen in the library. In this painting Honywood is shown in his uniform as a Captain in the Horsham Volunteer Fire Brigade. This portrait was presented by the townspeople in recognition of his services to the Brigade. In the 1881 census, Honywood gave his occupation as "Captain of the Horsham Volunteer Fire Brigade". ( Honywood had been appointed Captain of Horsham's Volunteer Fire Brigade sometime in the early 1860s ). Thomas Honywood took an early interest in photography and is thought to have taken the earliest known photographs in Horsham.
A number of clocks including a beautiful, working Striking Vienna regulator style pendulum wall clock can be viewed also.

Stairwell
On the landing hang works of art from the Museum's extensive painting collection, featuring a large eighteenth century portrait of Charles Eversfield

Eversfield Baronets

The Fermor, later Eversfield Baronetcy, of Welches in the County of Suffolk and of Sevenoak in the County of Kent, was a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 4 May 1725 for Henry Fermor, with remainder in default of male issue of his own to Charles Eversfield, of Denne Park,...

 and his wife of Denne Park House, along with portraits of Horsham worthies and characters.

• In the painting Eversfield is giving his wife some violets which signifies fidelity, love and honesty. It is likely that the picture was cut down at some time as it was unusual to stop just below the knee. The picture remained at Denne House until the last of the Eversfields died out and the house was sold off for flats just after World War II. The picture was bought following a fund raising campaign in 1948. It may have been painted by more than one person: someone who specialised in clothing, another in drapes, and so on, with perhaps the great court painter Sir Godfrey Kneller painting the heads, for it was the portraits that gave the sitters their identity, everything else is rather formulaic. There is nothing in the background to identify it as Denne House, so the picture was probably painted in a London studio rather than the artist travelling to Horsham.
• Under the portrait of Charles Eversfield and his wife (to the bottom left) a painting of a Young Boy, c.1820 can be seen. Unfortunately nothing is known of the boy. The painting was in the museum collection by 1988 but it is not known who donated it. From the style of clothing worn, the painting dates to around 1820 or 1830.
• To the right of the painting of a Young boy is an oil on canvas painting of an Old Fisherman by Edith Harms. It was painted between 1920–1930. Edith Margaret Harms worked in Horsham, Sussex 1897-1932. Edith Harms was the art teacher - or as recorded in the County's Educational year book, "Drawing Mistress" - employed at Horsham Girls School in 1909/10. She was a member of Horsham Art School, which grew out of the art classes established by the Horsham Mutual Improvement Association in 1881. Some 10 years later the School moved to Hurst Road.
• Next to the Old Fisherman is a portrait of a gentleman. It is unclear who the gentleman is, who the painter is and when the portrait was painted.
• Two oil paintings of a Husband and Wife, c.1840 can be seen opposite the portrait of Charles Eversfield and his wife though unfortunately their names are unknown. They are though typical of the type of portrait painted by jobbing artists who would tour country towns offering to paint portraits before the age of photography.
• To the top left of the oil painting of the Wife is the portrait of Joseph Marryat. Artist unknown. In 1808 Joseph Marryat became MP for the Borough of Horsham. His son became the celebrated novelist "Captain Marryat." He was a very wealthy West Indies merchant who petitioned Parliament against the abolition of the slave trade. He had stood as MP for Horsham back in April 1807 but was defeated, so appealed and it was while the appeal was going through the motions that he petitioned Parliament. In February 1808 Marryat won the appeal and became one of Horsham's two MPs, though by then the campaign for the Abolition of Slavery had been successful.
• To the left of Joseph Marryat's portrait is the oil on canvas portrait of Reverend George Marshall
  Reverend George Marshall
  Reverend George Marshall, served as a curate in Horsham for over thirty years, from about 1778 until his death in 1819, although he was not fully ordained as a minister until 1802. Marshall also acted as chaplain to the prisoners in Horsham gaol...
  
   by unknown artist c.1820.
• Two portraits of Henry Michell (father), born 1809 died 1874, and Henry Michell JP (son), born 1843 died 1908 can be seen. In 1834 Henry Michell moved to Horsham to take over a brewery run by Mr. Allen, who would later be come famous for one of the largest tax frauds schemes in British history, where he hid barrels of beer to avoid paying tax. Henry Michell had previously worked in his father's Steyning Brewery and he made a success of brewing in Horsham, buying up a number of pubs along the way. Michell also got into brick making, often linked to the pub trade as the brick makers drank a great deal and it was a seasonal business, and property development, buying the old Horsham gaol which he then demolished and sold the salvage to the railway company to make various bridges and embankments, the gas and water industry as well as the local church, all of which he recorded in an autobiographical account he wrote towards the end of his life. He and his family lived in the Carfax. The portrait of the son was painted by 'J.B.' dated 1905.
• Horsham Pie Men by F. Burstow, c.1850 is the last painting to be viewed on the stairwell. The painting is of John Hamilton-Smith and Charles Price. Charley Price was a pie man who would today be known as a 'character,' with all that entails. Henry Burstow, in his well known book Reminiscences of Horsham remembered Charley thus: "Price was an ugly little brass-whisker'd man with a club foot; dressed in a pot hat, red neckerchief, white smock frock, drab breeches and white stockings; on his good foot he wore a low shoe with a flash buckle; on his other foot he had a thick boot ... (he) used to attend the fairs, markets, club feats in Horsham and the neighbouring villages (with Charlotte Venn aka Cherry Ripe) each with a basket. Price selling pies and cakes, and Venn selling sweetbread, whelks, fruit &c. Charley had a well to do sister who lived in a nice little house in Brighton Road, and when he had drunk all his money he used to replenish by serenading her with such shocking language that she used to throw money out of the bedroom window to get rid of him." Charley was also the last person to be punished in the Horsham stocks as in 1837 the stocks and Pillory were officially abolished as punishment. Horsham stocks were last used on Charley in 1834 and soon after, on 5 November, they were set alight. New stocks were made, but never used and after the abolition they were kept at the south end of the town hall. The painting of the pie men shows them standing in a brick archway with a seat. It is likely that this was the old Town Hall before being re-built.

Garden
The museum garden was, until 1981, a derelict area after many years of neglect. A project run by the Horsham Museum Society (now Friends of Horsham Museum) led by Sylvia Standing was developed to restore the garden to a fit state. For 23 years, Sylvia led the team to restore the garden before retiring in 2004, allowing a team of volunteers to continue the project. A plaque was placed on a wall in the garden commemorating Sylvia's success. In 2007 the team won the Community Services Gold Award in the Horsham in Bloom Floral Display competition, recognition of the hard work put in to the garden throughout the year.
Edward Bainbridge Copnall

Edward Bainbridge Copnall

Edward Bainbridge Copnall MBE was a British sculptor.Son of photographer Edward White Copnall, Bainbridge Copnall was born in Cape Town, South Africa and was moved to Horsham at an early age...

's 10-foot-tall (3.0 m) sculpture of the Crucifixion of Jesus

Crucifixion of Jesus

The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...

, made of coal dust and resin, was installed in St John's Church, Broadbridge Heath, Horsham, in 1964, but was removed in December 2008 to Horsham Museum.

Exhibits and collections

The Museum has a large and varied collection arranged in 26 galleries. It has a significant collection of books and memorabilia relating to the Warnham-born poet Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...

 (1792–1822), including many early editions of his works and that of his second wife Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley

Mary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley...

 (1797–1851). It also possesses original letters and books relating to the wider Shelley circle.

The Horsham Museum owns a number of prints by local artist John Guille Millais

John Guille Millais

John Guille Millais , known as "Johnny" Millais, was an English artist, naturalist, gardener and travel writer who specialised in wildlife and flower portraiture. He travelled extensively around the world in the late Victorian period detailing wildlife often for the first time...

 (1865 - 1931). They also have a significant sculpture by Millais of fighting game birds that is now on permanent display

Other collections include ceramics, ethnography, local Sussex trades and industries, working life, geology, archaeology, bicycles, and horses. A particular feature of the Museum's collections is the Archive of documents relating to Horsham and its history, including the collection of William Albery.

Galleries

There are 26 galleries at Horsham Museum, most of which are given over to permanent displays. There is currently a 3-year programme of display and interpretation updating. The permanent displays are:

• Blazing Saddles - Fire engines and bicycles
• British Craft & Art - Objects as works of art
• Cabinet of Curiosity - Weird and wonderful objects from a range of locations and times. Cabinets of Curiosity
  Cabinet of curiosities
  A cabinet of curiosities was an encyclopedic collection in Renaissance Europe of types of objects whose categorical boundaries were yet to be defined. They were also known by various names such as Cabinet of Wonder, and in German Kunstkammer or Wunderkammer...
  
   were the forerunners of museums. They were the personal collections of wealthy owners and were assembled to evoke a sense of curiosity and wonder. In their own way they offered means to categorise and understand the world. They eventually developed into museums as we know them today. This Cabinet of Curiosity is in the style of a typical Cabinet of Curiosity from the 1550s, with all the objects coming from Horsham Museum's collection. By looking at this Cabinet you will see how people in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries would display the objects in their collections. Objects on display include:

1. a Narwhal Horn (at one time thought to have been a unicorn horn) which comes from a medium sized toothed whale, called the Narwhal
   Narwhal
   The narwhal, Monodon monoceros, is a medium-sized toothed whale that lives year-round in the Arctic. One of two living species of whale in the Monodontidae family, along with the beluga whale, the narwhal males are distinguished by a characteristic long, straight, helical tusk extending from their...
   
   , that lives year-round in the Arctic. The tusk (or horn) can be up to 3 meters (9.8 ft) long.
2. Unicorn Horn. No museum or Cabinet of any standing was considered complete without a unicorn
   Unicorn
   The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
   
    horn. It was believed to have magical and healing powers. The horn in fact comes from the narwhal (see above).
3. the Mummified Cat which was found behind the fireplace of a farmhouse in Southwater
   Southwater
   Southwater is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England with a population of roughly 10,000. The village is administered from the Horsham District Council Offices. Much of the population of Southwater originated from the brick industry which thrived in the...
   
    (a village near Horsham) and given to the Museum sometime before 1965. In the 16th and 17th centuries, live cats were bricked up behind fireplaces, as it was thought that the cries of the cat as it slowly died in the heat were evil sprits leaving the house. As the cat was walled up the dry conditions in its cell helped to preserve it.
4. a Pre-Columbian Pot. This means the pot was made before Columbus
   Christopher Columbus
   Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
   
    arrived in the Americas
   Americas
   The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
   
   , that is pre-1500AD. The Cabinets' owners collected contemporary items because they were unusual. This pot was made by one of the three great Empires in South America
   South America
   South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
   
   , the Incas
   Inca Empire
   The Inca Empire, or Inka Empire , was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political and military center of the empire was located in Cusco in modern-day Peru. The Inca civilization arose from the highlands of Peru sometime in the early 13th century...
   
    (based around the coastalstrip and the Andes
   Andes
   The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
   
    mountains of Peru
   Peru
   Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
   
   ), the Mayan
   Maya civilization
   The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...
   
    and the Aztec
   Aztec
   The Aztec people were certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who dominated large parts of Mesoamerica in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, a period referred to as the late post-classic period in Mesoamerican chronology.Aztec is the...
   
    (based around the Gulf of Mexico
   Gulf of Mexico
   The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
   
   ).
5. Romano Greek Stone Sculpure. This carved head of an unknown boy comes from an area of Greece
   Greece
   Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
   
    that around 200AD was under Roman control. At that time Rome
   Rome
   Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
   
    was thought of as the great military power, whilst the Romans viewed the Greeks
   Greeks
   The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
   
    as the great cultural elite. If a Roman wanted to appear cultured he filled his home with Greek art or Roman copies of Greek art. Some 1,000 years later the Italian city states of Venice
   Venice
   Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
   
   , Florence
   Florence
   Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
   
    and Rome
   Rome
   Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
   
    rediscovered the ancient world of Greece and Rome finding in monasteries scattered throughout Europe early manuscripts of Greek and Roman literature. Instead of dealing with religious debate, this literature dealt with human emotions; their gods had human foibles. Essentially man not God became the centre of debate, with much deliberation about man's relationship to the world and to God. Instead of being destroyed because they were considered pagan, statues along with manuscripts were now admired. This boy's head is just the type of object to feature in the Cabinets.
6. The Crystal Skull
   Crystal skull
   The crystal skulls are a number of human skull hardstone carvings made of clear or milky quartz rock, known in art history as "rock crystal", claimed to be pre-Columbian Mesoamerican artifacts by their alleged finders. However, none of the specimens made available for scientific study have been...
   
   . Crystals have always been regarded as magical. Skulls, meanwhile, are a potent symbol of death in cultures across the globe. Together they make a powerful artefact. The crystal skull in Horsham Museum's Cabinet of Curiosity is a modern example made in China and was bought for this Cabinet.
7. Renaissance
   Renaissance
   The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
   
    book covers. One of the key differences between the museum and the Cabinet of Curiosities is that the museum tends to display old objects and the Cabinets would display contemporary objects. When these book covers were donated in the 1930's (by Mrs (Emma) Henderson), they were said to be from the Renaissance period, therefore contemporary with the Renaissance Cabinet and not out of place in such a setting. They are, however, fakes made around 1880-1900. They may have been made by Icilio Frederico Joni, a Siamese painter who specialised in making fake painted book covers at the time the donor was travelling through Europe.
8. A Podanipter. Possibly a foot bowl 340-300 BC. Made in Taranto
   Taranto
   Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
   
   , Apulia
   Apulia
   Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
   
    in Southern Italy, this bowl was said, according to the label on the back, to have been excavated in Naples
   Naples
   Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
   
    in 1845. However, this is thought to be unlikely. It was probably given this false provenance by dealers hoping to deceive the English tourist. This type of 'sharp practice' is not new and was common at the time Cabinets of Curiosity were constructed, when false locations, some of them mythical, were given to unusual objects. That said, Greek and Roman antiquities were still popular items in Cabinets.
9. Corals and Shells. Coral
   Coral
   Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
   
    became a highly desirable object for a Cabinet because although dead, it was also seemingly alive as it continued to grow. The fascination for this world between life and death led to coral being fixed to the walls on the outside of the compartments of a Cabinet, as it did not fit into any defined order. Occasionally coral was used to adorn other objects giving them an air of mystery. Shells
   Seashell
   A seashell or sea shell, also known simply as a shell, is a hard, protective outer layer created by an animal that lives in the sea. The shell is part of the body of the animal. Empty seashells are often found washed up on beaches by beachcombers...
   
    brought a touch of the exotic to the Cabinet, diplaying the wonder of the natural world, bringing colours and shapes that skilled craftsmen and artists were unable to create. Occasionally, making objects and ornaments from the shells would capture this wonder. For example, the nautilus shell
   Nautilus (genus)
   Nautilus is a genus of cephalopods in the family Nautilidae. Species in this genus differ significantly in terms of morphology from those placed in the sister taxon Allonautilus. The oldest fossils of the genus are known from the Late Eocene Hoko River Formation, in Washington State and from...
   
    could be turned into a fine goblet or the body of a swan through the skill of the gold or silversmith. Such objects combined the ingenuity of man and the wonder of nature so became celebratory pieces in Cabinets. Other collectors would admire the shells, building up sizable collections with very little attempt at classification.
10. Nature Deformed. In a time when belief in the monsters of myths, fables and legends were commonplace, creatures born with abnormalities gave credibility to these beliefs. Often dying at birth these creatures were preserved by pickling, stuffing or stripping their flesh from their bones and turning them into skeletal models. Their freakishness made them much sort after for Cabinets of Curiosity. Even in Horsham a photograph of a hairless horse from New Zealand
    New Zealand
    New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
    
     and a photograph of a potato in the shape of a human foot were exhibited at the Museum, as was the deformed piglet you see on display. The mummified rat is a freak of preservation.
11. Egyptian items.
12. Human skull.
13. Fossils and Stones.
14. Plaster Cast Reliefs. Plaster casts
    Plaster cast
    A plaster cast is a copy made in plaster of another 3-dimensional form. The original from which the cast is taken may be a sculpture, building, a face, a fossil or other remains such as fresh or fossilised footprints – particularly in palaeontology .Sometimes a...
    
     became popular towards the end of the 17th century. They are included in this display, as collecting and displaying Roman and Greek antiquities was popular with the owners of Cabinets of Curiosity. Henning made these small plaster reliefs around 1812 to 1819. Sold at the British Museum. The moulds were used for a number of years so the exact date of manufacture is not known. He made these ones as small tourist souvenirs.
    • Childhood Gallery - The history of childhood and toys
    • Costume Gallery - Selections of costume throughout the ages, changed once a year
    • Costume Accessories - Everything you wear from shoes to hat pins
    • Crime & Punishment - Gaols, prisons and the justice system in the Horsham area
    • Drying Courtyard - Currently used to display large objects related to the wheelwright industry
    • Ethnography - A small collection of oversees objects collected by Horsham explorers and antiquarians. This small space is in the oldest part of the Museum, dating back to the 1420s. The landing features items brought back from overseas by Charles and Emma Henderson, who travelled to the Far East in the 1880s and 1890s. They returned with many unusual items to decorate their home at Sedgwick Park
      Sedgwick, West Sussex
      Sedgwick is a small hamlet, located about 3 miles south of Horsham in West Sussex, England.Nearby is Sedgwick Park, a largely nineteenth century house but with one wing possibly dating from 1608. In the extensive grounds are the fragmentary remains of the medieval Sedgwick Castle, surrounded by a...
      
      , near Nuthurst
      Nuthurst
      Nuthurst is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England, 2.5 miles south Horsham.The parish has a land area of 1697 hectares . In the 2001 census 1711 people lived in 702 households, of whom 875 were economically active.Its Church of England parish church...
      
      , Horsham. These include (on the plinth):
15. The reclining bronze Buddha
    Wat Pho
    Wat Pho , is a Buddhist temple in Phra Nakhon district, Bangkok, Thailand. It is located in the Rattanakosin district directly adjacent to the Grand Palace. Known also as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, its official name is Wat Phra Chettuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Ratchaworamahawihan...
    
     from Thailand
    Thailand
    Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
    
    
16. The Death of Buddha: Japanese bronze stele of the Meiji period
    Meiji period
    The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
    
    . This bronze 'Death of Buddha', according to the inscription on the back, is said to have been made in the 6th year of Enpo (1678) by Fujiwara Ienaga, a sculptor of Kyoto. However, it is now thought to be a 19th century copy of a stone carving or a 19th century fake made for the tourist market. The item is cast in bronze and depicts the death of Buddha.
17. A 19th century Japanese enamelled grey stoneware vase and cover. Purchased in Japan
    Japan
    Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
    
     in 1885 by Mr & Mrs Henderson. Although the Hendersons thought the vase to be at least 700 years old, experts today think that it is mid to late 19th century and made for the tourist market. Reading the letter written to the Victoria & Albert Museum
    Victoria and Albert Museum
    The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
    
     one can sense the 'chase'; the Hendersons being shown the object, being tantalised by it, negotiating over a long period then finally being allowed to buy it. This bears all the hallmarks of a well thought out 'sting' with the Hendersons being duped. That said, the vase is an extremely decorative piece of Japanese pottery and has a great deal of merit as a fine example of the tourist trade. The fact that the vase is not as old as the Hendersons thought does not detract from its artistic quality.
18. (by the stair post) A bronze Qilin
    Qilin
    The Qilin is a mythical hooved Chinese chimerical creature known throughout various East Asian cultures, and is said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a wise sage or an illustrious ruler. It is a good omen that brings rui . It is often depicted with what looks like fire all over...
    
     figure (also known as a Kylin figure), or Dog of Fo
    Chinese guardian lions
    Chinese guardian lions, known as Shishi lions or Imperial guardian lion, and often incorrectly called "Foo Dogs" in the West, are a common representation of the lion in pre-modern China...
    
    , from China
    China
    Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
    
    . Probably an outdoor tomb guardian. This mythical beast who appears in both Japanese and Chinese art consists of the body of a deer, the tail of an ox and a single horn. Occasionally the head might be that of a horse or goat or the pug nose and round eyes of the Buddhist lion. According to tradition, Buddha, or Fo, was accompanied by two tame lions who were instructed to wait outside the temple for him. The bronze Qilin displayed in Horsham Museum was brought back by the Hendersons and was used as an incense burner with smoke pouring from the mouth.

Emma and her husband Charles, businessman, director of R & J Henderson, East India Merchants and Director of the Bank of England, travelled to the Far East collecting large decorative items with which to dress her home.
Mrs Henderson offered these items to the V&A , who declined to accept them and later, on her death in 1931, they were donated to Horsham Museum. Also donated were some smaller items including the 'Renaissance' book covers on display in the 'Cabinet of Curiosity' gallery and jewellery on display in 'Horsham Its History Room'.

Also featured in this gallery (on the plinth) is:

1. Temple from India
   India
   India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
   
   . In 1901, Mr Bray gave Horsham Museum this fine model of an Indian temple. Unfortunately, no records survived indicating which temple it is or when he bought it. Did he buy it in India while on a holiday or while in service there? Was it bought in a curiosity shop in England and then presented to the Museum? We shall probably never know.
2. Wooden Panel. We know very little about this panel, who donated it or when. However, we do know for stylistic reasons, that it is Japanese and we also know that it formed the top of a three legged table (though the legs may have been solid panels of wood). It was most probably made for the tourist market.

There are four framed black and white photographs on display:

1. (Top): Execution at Bankok (Bangkok
   Bangkok
   Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
   
   ) (An unusual choice by our standards but for the Victorians it was considered to be normal).
2. (Bottom): A Malay Family
3. (Under the jacket): Yokohama, Japan taken by Beato
4. (Above the plaque): Indian Cobbler

The four framed photographs are copied from four albums given to the Museum by the Countess of Leitrim, daughter of Mrs Emma Henderson. Said to be four of ten, the other six going to other museums, the albums contain over 300 photographs taken whilst on a world tour conducted between 1873 and 1874. When travelling at this time, people could visit the studios of photographers who displayed their more popular prints and were able to order reprints from the negatives. Mrs Henderson obviously took advantage of this as her albums contain photographs by the top photographers of the day including Samuel Bourne and Felice Beato amongst others.
According to the newspaper account based on the curator's report, Mrs Henderson travelled before marrying, perhaps using part of the £12,000 settlement from her mother's death. However it has been suggested that the albums were from Mr Henderson who travelled to the far East for business. Either way they are a fascinating record of society in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Malaya, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 and Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 and the United States of America

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Further items on display within the Ethnography gallery include:

1. Carved Paddle. The 'paddle' comes from the Austral Island
   Austral Island
   Austral Island is a small Antarctic island in the extreme southern lobe of Penney Bay, in the Windmill Islands. The island appears in air photos taken by USN Operation Highjump , but was not charted on subsequent maps...
   
    in the Pacific
   Pacific Ocean
   The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
   
    near the present day Panama Canal
   Panama Canal
   The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
   
   -Australia shipping route. Their use is not known. The fact that they were decorated all over and in some cases very thin, suggests a ceremonial use. The ornamentation itself is thought to derive from the human figure. It has been suggested that they were used in dances as in Tonga
   Tonga
   Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
   
    and the Easter Islands
   Easter Island
   Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
   
   . Most paddles are thought to come from a period after contact with the West when they became curios for travellers.
2. (on the panel): 'Married Woman's' Girdle made from coconut shells from the Solomon Islands
   Solomon Islands
   Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
   
    and a Mother of Pearl Ornament worn around the neck also from the Solomon Islands.
3. Club. The carved lettering on the side of the club reads, 'This club was brought to England from TU...HESTA by the Missionary Ship Duff. 1798 for J. Witton'. It is not known who J. Witton was or which island the ship visited. It has been suggested that J. Witton might have been a mis-transcription for J. Wilson (especially as in 1790s the long S was used) as Witton does not appear in published accounts of the journey. J. Wilson was the Captain of the 'Duff'. Timeline of Christian missions
   Timeline of Christian missions
   This timeline of Christian missions chronicles the global expansion of Christianity through a listing of the most important missionary outreach events.-Apostolic Age:.Earliest dates must all be considered approximate...
   
   

Other Items on Display:

1. A Solomon Island
   Solomon Islands
   Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
   
    comb with 15 teeth and a zig-zag decoration.
2. A New Island, Melanesia
   Melanesia
   Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia...
   
    carved face.
3. A black wood paddle with a stirrup grip outlined in white pigment, said to come from the Pacific Islands
   Pacific Islands
   The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
   
    but more likely to be Indonesian
   Indonesia
   Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
   
   .
4. Chinese Lady's Short Jacket. During the Qing period
   Qing Dynasty
   The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
   
    (1644-1911) of Chinese history, ladies were largely excluded from official life so their clothing was not subject to the same dress codes as the men. The shorter robe, worn over the skirt, is based on the native Chinese tradition, whereas the full length robe is derived from the Manchu
   Manchuria
   Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
   
    tradition, introduced into China after the Manchu invasion. As time went on, the long robe of the Manchu became shorter and the lower part of the sleeve disappeared altogether. It is probable that the embroidered motifs were taken from another garment and either used as patches on the silk jacket or applied in a random manner. Women's clothing in China
   Women's clothing in China
   In China, women had different kinds of clothes in ancient times. Those clothes changed with the revolution of dynasties.In the 1920s, the Cheongsam was made fashionable by socialites and upperclass women....
   
   . The Allington family brought the jacket back to Horsham during the Edwardian period. The photograph beneath the jacket is 'Yokohama
   Yokohama
   is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
   
   ' (Japan
   Japan
   Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
   
   ) taken by Felice Beato
   Felice Beato
   Felice Beato , also known as Felix Beato, was an Italian–British photographer. He was one of the first people to take photographs in East Asia and one of the first war photographers. He is noted for his genre works, portraits, and views and panoramas of the architecture and landscapes of Asia and...
   
   .
5. An Iranian Tile. The tile, according to the former Deputy Minister of Culture and Higher Education of Iran
   Iran
   Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
   
   , Dr Mehdittodjat, comes from the Golestan Palace
   Golestan Palace
   Golestān Palace pronounced "Kakheh Golestān" is the former royal Qajar complex in Iran's capital city.The oldest of the historic monuments in Tehran, the Golestan Palace belongs to a group of royal buildings that were once enclosed within the mud-thatched walls of Tehran’s Historic Arg...
   
    built around 1810-20, one of the foundation buildings of Teheran
   Tehran
   Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
   
   . It comes from the entrance to the Salone Beriliyon (brilliant diamond) room and was probably a reject or it may have been retrieved from the rebuilding of the palace in the period 1867-92. It was found, smashed beneath a gatepost in Shipley
   Shipley, West Sussex
   Shipley is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies just off the A272 road six miles north east of Storrington....
   
    by Mr & Mrs Ayling, who kindly donated it to the Museum. The plaque has been set in plaster and unfortunately not all the glazed decoration survived. Above the tile there is a photograph, 'Indian Cobbler', from the Emma Henderson bequest. (See caption to the left of the entrance to the Childhood Gallery).
6. Dhal Shields
   Dhal Shield
   Dhal ShieldDhal. The Indian shield, also used in Persia and other countries between. It is nearly always round and varies in diameter from about eight inches to about twenty-four. Some are very nearly flat while others are strongly convex....
   
   . Dhal shields were a popular type of shield
   Shield
   A shield is a type of personal armor, meant to intercept attacks, either by stopping projectiles such as arrows or redirecting a hit from a sword, mace or battle axe to the side of the shield-bearer....
   
    that spread across from India
   India
   India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
   
    to Persia and were made from animal hide or occasionally steel. The steel shields are usually inlaid with silver and gold, though on some occasions they are covered with inscriptions.

From left to right on the panel:

• Hide Dhal from Afghanistan
  Afghanistan
  Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
  
  . According to a label on the back, it was bought on 27th November 1923 for six shillings at Cold Ashby Hall sale.
• Hide Dhal with brass edge from Bhutan
  Bhutan
  Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
  
  . Bhutan is a kingdom in central Asia
  Central Asia
  Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
  
   that has been disputed over by Tibet
  Tibet
  Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
  
  , China
  China
  Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
  
  , India
  India
  India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
  
   and Britain
  United Kingdom
  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
  
   since the 18th century. It contains inaccessible stretches of the eastern Himalayas
  Eastern Himalaya
  Eastern Himalaya is situated between Central Nepal in the west to Myanmar in the east, occupying southeast Tibet in China, Sikkim, North Bengal, Bhutan and North-East India. The area has been declared a biodiversity hotspot by Conservation International....
  
   to the north.
• Metal Dhal dating from the 19th century and has a script running around the outside and etchings of animal and facial markings in the central area.

The Misses Hoper of Cowfold

Cowfold

Cowfold is a village and civil parish between Billingshurst and Haywards Heath in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England, located at the intersection of the A272 and A281 roads. The parish has a land area of 1926 hectares . In the 2001 census 1,864 people lived in 729 households, of...

 donated both the large shields in 1947 along with a number of other weapons. The central shield came from the Godman family of Storrington

Storrington

Storrington is a village in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England, and one of two in the civil parish of Storrington and Sullington. Storrington lies at the foot of the north side of the South Downs. As of 2006 the village has a population of around 4,600. It has one main shopping street...

 who might be connected to the Godman's of Lower Beeding

Lower Beeding

Lower Beeding is a village and civil parish in the Horsham District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the B2110, B2115 and A281 roads 3.5 miles southeast from Horsham...

, a well known family of collectors.

• Flints and Fossils - Local geology and skeletal remains, including part of a dinosaur
• Garman Gallery - Cooking and gardening during the last 400 years
• Georgian Room - Eating and serving, as well as the site of civil marriage ceremonies
• Horsham Its History - 1000 years of Horsham history
• Living Galleries - The garden and large items usually found out of doors
• Local Trades - The Piper family of blacksmiths and wheelwrights
• Saddlery - William Albery and his Saddlery display
• Shelley Gallery - The life of Percy Bysshe Shelley
  Percy Bysshe Shelley
  Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
  
  . There are very few surviving Shelley relics and what there is has been donated to major national collections. Horsham Museum has built up a collection of first and early editions that tell his life through books. Also on display there is:

1. a very rare bronze bust of Shelley
2. a model of the 'Ajax,'
   HMS Ajax (1798)
   HMS Ajax was an Ajax class 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was built by John Randall & Co of Rotherhithe and launched on the Thames on 3 March 1798...
   
    which saw action in the Battle of Trafalgar
   Battle of Trafalgar
   The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
   
    captained by Shelley's uncle, Captain John Pilfold
   John Pilfold
   Captain John Pilfold, RN, CB was an officer of the Royal Navy whose solid naval career during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars was most noted for his command of the ship of the line HMS Ajax in Nelson's division at the battle of Trafalgar whilst only a lieutenant.-Family...
   
   
   • Shopping Gallery - Shopping in the Victorian and 1950s and 60s periods
   • Trades & Transport - Trade signs, carts and other wheeled vehicles throughout the ages
   • Wealden Farmer - 200 years of agricultural tools and equipment from the 18th century to the 1950s

The temporary exhibitions spaces are:

• British Craft & Art - home to six exhibitions yearly
• Costume Gallery - Yearly themed costume exhibitions
• Main Exhibition Room - Four exhibitions and Charity Christmas Card Shop from October to Christmas
• The Hurst Room - Education centre and occasional small exhibition room, with some previous exhibition text panels on display
• Photographic Gallery - Small photographic display area displaying themed collections

External links

• Official site with collections database access
• Horsham Museum at Sussex Museums
• Tourist Information for Horsham