East Grinstead Museum
Free town museum in East Grinstead with local history and the story of Sir Archibald McIndoe and the Guinea Pig Club.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
East Grinstead's first museum opened in 1926 in the tower of St Swithun's Church, under the vicar, the Reverend Golding Golding-Bird, and closed in 1955. The East Grinstead Society later opened the East Grinstead Town Museum in 1976 in rooms at East Court.
The museum became an accredited museum in 1995. Because of its out-of-town location and limited space, the trustees looked for new premises, and the museum moved to a purpose-built building on Old Market Yard, Cantelupe Road, on the site of the former cattle market just off the High Street. Funding came from the Heritage Lottery Fund and money raised by the local community.
The collections cover the town and nearby villages. An important part relates to the work of Sir Archibald McIndoe and the Guinea Pig Club, former plastic surgery patients of the Queen Victoria Hospital in the Second World War, and the medical drawings of Mollie Lentaigne.
Highlights
- Permanent exhibition Rebuilding Bodies and Souls on Sir Archibald McIndoe and the Guinea Pig Club
- Medical drawings by Mollie Lentaigne
- Local history of East Grinstead and nearby villages
- Free entry
Permanent exhibition
- Rebuilding Bodies and Souls – A permanent exhibition on the pioneering plastic surgery of Sir Archibald McIndoe and the Guinea Pig Club at the Queen Victoria Hospital.
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Admission is free.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
All public areas are on the ground floor with step-free access, and the entrance door is automatic. Stewards are on hand to help. There is one marked Blue Badge space in front of the museum, a few steps from the entrance, and visitors can be dropped off at the main door.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By car
No on-site parking at the museum.
Other parking nearby is limited and charged. The nearest car park is opposite the Chequer Mead Arts Centre.
- Accessible parking
The museum is on Old Market Yard, Cantelupe Road, just off the High Street.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
