NEWS RELEASES
The ABC of Horsham Park Nursery
23 January 2008
Some 500 years ago it was realised that one of the best ways to create a better future was to teach children up to the age of 7. It took another 450 odd years for the people of Horsham to put this idea into practice, which they did - but in a time of war, not peace. For in the dark days of World War II Horsham Park Nursery was created, in what was a temporary permanent home. The remarkable story of this much loved institution is told in the new temporary exhibition at Horsham Museum THE ABC OF HORSHAM PARK NURSERY.
The exhibition draws together memories from both parents and pupils, comments from the local press as well as minutes and snippets from official reports. These have been woven together by a team from the Nursery who have also scanned various archives looking for the all elusive photographs of the nursery itself. The result is a richly fascinating story that not only shows how Horsham interpreted new ideas on education but also, and more importantly, how the children enjoyed their time there.
The Nursery began life in 1942 as the local paper reported: "The building is planned on the most modern lines and is light, airy and warm. The playroom which is now in use has a wooden block floor with the walls washed in an attractive shade of green. There are two well equipped kitchens, where midday meals are cooked … At the Nursery comfortable beds and blankets are provided for the children to sleep on for a short while during the afternoon."
As the exhibition relates, healthy eating was just as important – no “burger and chips” or “turkey twizzlers” here: "Children were given a hot lunch every day. They were fed green vegetables such as spinach, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. They also had fish and meat when it was available. They had to have a teaspoon of cod liver oil every day." It is stories and tales such as these which make the exhibition more than just a chronology of events.
ABC of Horsham Park Nursery, unlike the nursery itself, is genuinely temporary; the Nursery lasted for 65 years on its Horsham Park site. This exhibition will last 82 days opening on 29 January at 4pm, running until 19 April 2008 in Horsham Museum’s Hurst Room. It is a must for those that went there, those interested in local history and those who are just curious to see how the future has a past.
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
Wed: www.horshammuseum.org