New exhibits at Bognor Regis museum as it reopens for Summer

The volunteer-led attraction usually opens just before Easter, but the reopening was delayed by works on a new exhibition area.

Members of the Bognor Regis Local History Society, which runs the museum, had hoped the new area would be completed ready for the usual Easter opening date, but delivery problems pushed the reopening date back until later in the season.

Even so, with a range of new items and exhibits, it appears the wait was worth it.

The all-new exhibition area will house an original Bognor Regis Bathing Machine, alongside a range of other artefacts. It’s hoped that the new space will give staff the chance to rearrange existing displays and introduce new material, giving guests who are familiar with the museum a new reason to return.

Used from the eighteenth century until the early twentieth century, bathing machines were four wheeled carriages covered in canvas which allowed users to change into their swimming costumes and wade into the water. Since even the comparatively modest bathing suits of the day were not considered appropriate for a public setting, the privacy of a bathing machine allowed men and women to enjoy the beach without sacrificing their sense of dignity.

New for 2022, the museum will now also feature an exhibit devoted to previous jubilees, as well as the return of a model of the Rivera Lido Holiday Camp, which used to operate in Nyetimber.

The sundial from Hotham Park has also returned to the museum, on loan from Arun District Council. It was removed from the park due to vandalism and plans are in place to install a replica in due course.

Bognor Regis Local History Society Chairman Greg Burt said the delayed reopening has only made volunteers more excited to get out there and greet visitors: “We are all so excited about the new exhibition area and can’t wait for it to open in hopefully a few weeks’ time; it will be a real gamechanger for the Museum in that we will be able to offer and do so much more.”

The Bognor Regis museum will be open on Tuesdays Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, as well as bank holiday Mondays.

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