Horsham Museum will unveil a new exhibition Cretaceous Horsham: Discovering Dinosaurs which will open on Saturday 18 January 2025. The exhibition tells the story of the dinosaurs that would have walked the Horsham District millions of years ago, and features fossil bones, geological specimens, manuscripts, and artworks which bring these stories to life.
A key story of the exhibition looks at the discoveries of early 19th century physician, Gideon Mantell who found large, fossilised teeth in Sussex. These would be the catalyst for discussions within Victorian Scientific communities to define the enormous creatures that were being uncovered, but tensions would arise between scientific and religious theories; dinosaurs are not mentioned in the bible. The 19th century ‘dinomania’ is explored through some of the key personalities of that time, including Horsham based George Bax Holmes, who uncovered the Great Horsham Iguanodon, the bones of which would be used to judge the size for the Crystal Palace iguanodon sculptures. The exhibition showcases artefacts including handwritten manuscripts by Mantell on loan from the Royal Society, and two rare publications by Gideon Mantell, on loan from Lord Egremont of Petworth House.
Visitors to the exhibition can see fossilised dinosaur bones from Horsham Museum’s own collection, alongside loans from the Booth Museum of Natural History and the Natural History Museum, London. The Museum’s Horshamosaurus fossils are also on display. The Horshamosaurus has been described by some as a dubious genus of dinosaur, and the exhibition explores the differing viewpoints and controversies around this unique specimen.
There is also a children’s dinosaur trail so that budding palaeontologists can enjoy a series of dinosaur themed challenges.
Horsham District Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture Cllr David Skipp commented on the new exhibition:
“Great that we are starting the New Year with a new exhibition.
“Horsham has a brilliant history with dinosaurs going back for some 200 years, and we are delighted to be able to tell the stories of amazing discoveries, great scientific rivalries and controversies that go on even to this day.
“This new exhibition offers a rare opportunity to view a real piece of Horsham’s history. There is something for everyone to learn about and enjoy and I would encourage as many of you as possible to come along.”
The exhibition will be open Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 4pm until Monday 21 April (Easter Monday) and is located on the first floor of the Museum where stairs must be navigated to access the exhibition gallery. There is a challenge sheet for younger visitors to interact with the exhibition and tactile installations to explore the shapes and textures of dinosaurs.
The exhibition has been curated by the Museum’s Assistant Curator, George Graham-Payne.