Midhurst Museum

About the museum

Midhurst Museum opened in December 2011 during the town's Christmas street party. It was set up by the private benefactors Peter and Gill Nightingale and began with a single room measuring 8 ft 6 in by 8 ft 6 in, which led to claims that it may be the smallest museum in the world. It is housed in Knockhundred Market, a well preserved sixteenth-century building in the centre of the market town.

The museum has since grown to four rooms. Museum One, the original room, hosts themed displays that change every month and are put together by local collectors, enthusiasts and organisations. Museum Two, opened in 2016, gives a timeline of Midhurst from the Stone Age to the end of the twentieth century. Museums Three and Four opened in 2023. The first shows a huge range of everyday objects from the past, collected by the brothers Dave and Tim Rudwick. The second covers Victorian solicitors, a Sussex Yeomanry soldier who worked on the Cowdray Estate, an early twentieth-century infant school and general Victoriana.

The museum is run by volunteers and was funded privately by its founders for many years. A charitable incorporated organisation, the Midhurst Museum Association, has since been set up to secure its future. Entry has always been free so that the museum stays open to everyone.

Highlights

• Timeline of Midhurst from the Stone Age to the end of the twentieth century
• Monthly themed displays by local collectors and groups
• Large collection of everyday objects from yesteryear (Museum Three)
• Victorian solicitors, an estate worker and an infant school (Museum Four)
• Possibly the smallest museum in the world when it opened in 2011

Permanent exhibitions

• History of Midhurst – Museum Two gives a timeline of Midhurst and the surrounding villages from the Stone Age to the end of the twentieth century.
• The Rudwick collections – Museum Three holds a vast number of everyday objects from the past, collected over many years by Dave and Tim Rudwick.
• Victorian Midhurst and the infant school – Museum Four shows items on the Victorian solicitors Albery & Lucas, a Sussex Yeomanry soldier and Cowdray Estate worker, an early twentieth-century infant school and general Victoriana.

Founded

2011

Operated by

Midhurst Museum Association (charitable incorporated organisation)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is free, but donations towards the running costs are welcome.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is in a historic 16th-century building and is not fully accessible to wheelchair users. The central courtyard and Museum One are accessible for most wheelchairs and pushchairs. Museum Two has three steps down into it and is then fully accessible. Museums Three and Four are on the first floor up a flight of stairs, as are the toilets. Well-behaved dogs are welcome.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in Knockhundred Market on Knockhundred Row in the centre of Midhurst.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit