Worthing tourist attraction to close until next winter - This is why

From Sunday (March 2) until the winter of 2025, the historic building will be temporarily closed for ‘essential work’, which ‘aligns with our commitment to a greener future’.

A statement read: “Worthing Museum & Art Gallery will temporarily close its doors to the public as part of an exciting and forward-thinking initiative to upgrade the building fabric and connect to the Worthing Heat Network.

"This sustainable energy project, led by Worthing Borough Council in partnership with Hemiko, is a vital step in reducing carbon emissions and supporting Worthing’s Climate Neutral Strategy.”

Low-carbon energy company Hemiko was selected to develop the Worthing Heat Network – a pioneering scheme, which aims to bring sustainable heating to buildings and homes to Worthing.

From late March to June 2025, Hemiko will be laying new pipe infrastructure under the roads up to the museum and art gallery and is scheduled to switch heat on for the building later this year.

Amanda O’Reilly, CEO and artistic director of WTM, said: “The inclusion of Worthing Museum & Art Gallery in the Worthing Heat Network exemplifies how arts and culture can be at the heart of our transition to a sustainable future.

"By taking this step, we are ensuring that our institution is part of a greener future while continuing to serve as a beacon for creativity and community.”

Chris Horner, project manager for the Worthing Heat Network, said Hemiko is ‘delighted to support’ the museum and gallery ‘in its transition to a low carbon future’.

He added: “By connecting the museum and art gallery to Worthing Heat Network, we are helping to lower the building’s carbon footprint whilst ensuring it can serve as a vital cultural hub for years to come.”

It was reiterated that the temporary closure does not relate to the ‘Let The Light In’ project.

“The museum will reopen as planned in winter 2025,” a spokesperson added.

"We look forward to welcoming visitors back and enhancing collections and exhibitions with new sustainability measures.

“The closure will allow for essential construction and safety measures, as the museum is connected to the heat network. WTM’s website, blog, and social media channels will share regular updates on progress.

"Visitors can also look forward to detailed posts about the museum’s collections and future exhibitions during this time.”

Worthing Theatres and Museum said the business remains committed to ‘enriching the community through culture’ and ‘looks forward to welcoming visitors back with enhanced sustainability measures’ in place.

A social media post added: “As part of this project we will be decanting all of our displays, safely storing them until the major works have been completed.

"Our curatorial team will be working on new narratives and displays for when we reopen later this year and we will be posting updates of this work on Facebook throughout the period of closure.

"The archaeology walk programme is going ahead as usual this year, and we are still offering outreach sessions for schools in the Worthing area and beyond.

"During the Spring the popular Remarkable Women series of talks by Monika Lind will continue and we will be running children's workshops (both to be held in the Richmond Room next to the Assembly Hall).

"There will also be ‘Meet The Curator’ events – dates for these will be announced once we have access to the gallery areas after the first stage of installation work is complete.”

Details for a ‘very exciting archaeological excavation project’ this summer will be revealed in June.

If you have any questions, the museum team are contactable via [email protected].