I

Why an Extension was Needed

Our storage space was inadequate and difficult to access but we always continue to add objects of local importance to our collection. Our aim was to add to our storage space and greatly improve the conditions under which the objects are held. Now they will be more accessible both to Museum staff and to our visitors. With more space we can branch out into activities which lack of space prevented us from doing in the past. We will be able to host exhibitions by local groups and to offer participative activities and practical displays.

Teaching is central to our efforts

Children, particularly those with handicaps, gain so much by visiting the Museum, but there was no room to talk to full size classes inside the existing building. This was a problem when it rained or when members of the general public were in the Museum. We needed the space to provide for all sorts of groups without disrupting the enjoyment of other visitors. We also want to add features such as a children's corner.

Research matters

One part of the new space will increase research access. There is a growing interest in local and family history research and we have already built an extensive archive of local material. Much of this ccould not be housed in the public area of the Museum . We have also been taking part in a county-wide project, led by the Library Service, to digitalise a selection of old photographs. We now have computer equipment to make these and other material more readily available.

The Plan

Our plans received local council approval (together with support from various local bodies) to build an extension at the back of the existing museum. It has increased the ground floor area by about 50% and added some roof space storage. The building cost £135,000, including furnishings. We succeeded in our application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for 69% of this money. This is why we also energetically pursued other sources of funding and ran a campaign of local fund raising.

Our Heritage

The Museum holds the heritage of Steyning and its neighbouring parishes in trust for the future. It makes this heritage available to local people, and many from much further afield, through displays and special exhibitions and a research library of archives and photographs. It is also an educational resource providing object based learning, linked to the National Curriculum, for a number of local schools.

It is a very successful local history museum, run entirely by volunteers, which welcomes more than 4,500 visitors each year. It is set up as a charitable trust and receives no direct public funding. But it does have and has always had the support of local people. This is our greatest advantage.

Our address is:

The Museum,
Church Street,
Steyning,
West Sussex
BN44 3YB

Telephone: 01903 813333
Email: contact@steyningmuseum.org.uk .