Bexhill Museum To Re-open At The End Of July

Visitors can enjoy a truly interactive experience through new audio visual displays.  The motoring gallery features moving examples of how engines work and even gives you the chance to change a spark plug. 

The revamp has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund (£0.9m), Rother District Council (£0.7m) and the Society of Bexhill Museums (£0.25m), plus other donations.

Car enthusiasts who attended the event enjoyed the permanent exhibition celebrating Bexhill’s rich motoring history – the gallery contains the world record breaking electric-powered Volta, a replica of the steam driven 1902 Serpollet and the rare Bexhill built sports car, the Elva.  Engineers who worked on the restoration of the car posed with the vehicle.

Bexhill’s costume collection, arguably the finest in the South East, has a spectacular new home.  The collection of social history pieces has been moved from its former location in Bexhill’s Old Town and now sits proudly in new display cabinets complete with information explaining their historical context.

The refitted main gallery, now renamed the Henry Sargent Gallery, showed off its fresh look, housing exhibits on natural history and Bexhill’s past.  The architect’s model of the De La Warr Pavilion remains an eye-catching centrepiece.

For the first time the museum offers a dedicated education room to support school visits and host community activities.

Society of Museums chief executive Peter Fairhurst said:  “People were queuing down the street and knocking on the door before the opening because they were so eager to see inside.

“It’s difficult to describe how satisfying this is.  Everyone involved with the project has done us proud.

“Without Rother District Council and the help of councillors and officers this new museum wouldn’t exist today.”

Rother District Council leader Cllr Carl Maynard said: “This shows just how committed the Council is to regeneration.  It is not just for the people here today to enjoy but people in the future.”

Cllr Deirdre Williams, project sponsor for the museum, said:  “This project makes the museum so special – it’s not like other museums which can be stale and put people off, but is vibrant while being sympathetic to the old building.  It is a fantastic use of Rother District Council’s money and one of the best things we could have done for the town.”

The museum opens its doors to the public on Friday, July 31 at 10am.