Cabinet of Curiosity: Museums Past, Present and Future

Our 2026 exhibition focuses on the history of early museums known as cabinets of curiosity. Look out too for children's activities at the Museum this Easter.

As well as investigating the early roots of today’s museums the exhibition also looks at why people collect, the purpose of museums and what the future of museums could look like.

The exhibition also showcases some of the more unusual and rarely seen items in Horsham Museum’s collection, such as Captain Thomas Honywood’s patented nature prints, a taxidermy piglet and a collection of jewellery items made from human hair.

The Community Collection

One section of the exhibition, the Community Collection, invites visitors to lend their own objects to be displayed within the exhibition. These objects don’t have to be rare or historic, only of personal significance to their owner. Submissions will be open for the duration of the exhibition.

The aim of this section is to challenge how we think about what should be preserved in museums and how they can authentically represent the communities that they serve. Full details on how to submit an object can be found on the Museum’s website.

This new exhibition is open until Saturday 9 May 2026.

Easter at the Museum

Visit the Museum during the Easter holidays to take part in our Easter trail where we invite eagle-eyed visitors to find eggs hidden around the Museum. The Easter trail runs from Saturday 24 March to Saturday 18 April.

Our popular family activities will also be returning during the school holiday where you can take part in creating a spring-themed craft from Tuesday 31 March to Friday 10 April. Booking is recommended at: www.bookwhen.com/horsham-museum.

The garden at Horsham Museum is the perfect relaxing spot at any time of the year, but in spring it comes to life as the flowers bloom.

The garden is carefully tended to by a team of dedicated volunteers who ensure that the Museum’s garden is always a beautiful oasis within Horsham town.

The Museum is open from 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Over the Easter bank holiday weekend, we will extend our opening days and will also be open on Sunday and Monday.