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The History of the Museum

In December 1925 the town's first museum opened in the tower of St Swithun's church.  The collection was small but included photographs, paintings, tokens, and First World War objects, amongst others.  However, the museum was closed in 1955 and many objects disappeared.  The Urban District Council tried to locate the missing items, and in 1960 decided to dedicate two cabinets to the remaining collection, which were then displayed at East Court.

In 1975, the East Grinstead Society, which had hoped there would be a local history museum, was offered a room in East Court by the Town Council for use as a museum.  After several months of preparation, the East Grinstead Town Museum opened on 13th July 1976.  Object donations to the museum flowed in steadily, the collection being significantly increased by items from Charles Goolden, a local self-employed agricultural engineer, in 1981, and eventually it expanded to three rooms in East Court.

By the 1990s, the Museum trustees decided to achieve Registration status – the Museums and Galleries National Scheme for all museums. A qualified curatorial advisor was appointed  and provisional registration was achieved in 1994 (with full registration being gained in 2002). However, owing to the out of town location, difficult access and limited opening hours, it was decided that more suitable premises would be needed. So in 1997 work began to find a site and secure funding.

After East Grinstead Town Council sold the a building on the site of the old cattle market to the trustees for £5, securing a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and significant fund-raising by the trustees, volunteers and the community, building work began in 2005.  The new East Grinstead Museum opened in Cantelupe Road on 1 September 2006, 81 years after the first small town museum.  Its contemporary architecture, low maintenance and environmentally-friendly features have proved to be a talking point amongst visitors and residents alike.

The old market auction house in Old Market Yard                                     The new museum building now in its place