NEWS RELEASES
Horsham's History Retold - Out Now!
28th November 2006
Horsham Museum has produced the perfect alternative for boring Christmas television. Horsham’s History is a monumental two volume book that, over some 650 pages tells Horsham’s rich and fascinating history from 100 million years ago to 1880.
What makes this book remarkable is that for the first time Horsham’s history is retold chronologically, not by themes. It draws on, re-tells, and also adds substantially to the previous, classic accounts of the town. This 340,000 word tale of the town discusses new stories: the medieval armaments industry, woodland management, game reserves, the Black Death, the intellectual history, scientific research, the geography of poverty, leadership, gender studies, polite society, astronomy, reading, book ownership, protectionism, football, swimming, cricket, washing, medicine, witches, riots, roads, debauchery and decadence etc.
It also places Horsham within a wider context, so that the struggles that King John had with the Barons is told from a Horsham perspective, as is the abolition of slavery, and the development of café society. On virtually every page there is a new fact or story about Horsham’s history.
There are also short biographical accounts of forgotten people - famous people born in Horsham, or who lived in the town but for some reason are no longer remembered as sons of Horsham. Those who enjoyed the recent TV docudrama on Nuremburg may be surprised to learn that the architect of the trial was a Horsham man, Sir Cecil Hurst.
The author has spent over two years writing this history in his spare time and has marshalled thousands of historical facts, weaving the disparate strands into a densely woven chronological narrative of the town. Although published in two volumes this is not the end of the story as the years 1880-2004 will be explored in a future volume. Volume 1 starts with the age of dinosaurs up to the French Revolution, whilst Volume 2 carries the story on to the 1870s with the creation of local government.
Horsham’s History has been published with two aims in mind; the first to give the people of Horsham a readable, full history of their town and secondly to raise money for Horsham Museum. All monies after printing costs will go to the Museum, enabling it to continue to acquire important items of the town’s history.
As well as being a chronological overview, the book also explores some of the objects in the Museum’s collections like the portrait of Charley Price (pie man), the clocks and watches, the books published by Lintot, and the stocks.
Horsham’s History is the 'must have' Christmas gift for 2006, in fact an essential book for anyone with an interest in Horsham. The two volumes are available only from Horsham Museum at £12.50 per volume, or £22.50 for both when purchased together.
For further information please contact Jeremy Knight, Curator.
Horsham Museum, 9 Causeway, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1HE
Tel: (01403) 254959. Fax: (01403) 282594
Email: museum@horsham.gov.uk
Museum Website: http://www.horshammuseum.org/