Wide view of the Historic Dress gallery at Worthing Museum, featuring elegant period garments displayed in illuminated glass cases. A richly embroidered 18th-century-style gown takes centre stage, surrounded by historic dresses, accessories and textiles from different eras. Decorative archways frame the exhibition, while interpretive panels explain the history of dressmaking, Worthing's textile heritage, and the Pavilion Theatre's centenary. The spacious gallery has polished wooden flooring, soft lighting, and a calm, contemporary museum setting.

What's On At The Museum

About our events

Exhibitions

Burpham Big Dig

Sat 4 Jul - Sat 17 Oct
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Walking With The Crow

Sat 31 Oct - Sat 30 Jan
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Oil painting of four stylised women’s faces with glossy black hairstyles, yellow eye make-up and red lips, arranged symmetrically against a blue background.

Cathy Lomax, Reflexion: enchantment, self-identity and film

Sat 26 Sep - Sat 13 Feb
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Lectures, Talks & Workshops

List of Events

  1. Black-and-white linocut print of a bird standing in profile, rendered with bold, simplified shapes and strong contrast. White carved lines define the bird's eye, wing and tail feathers against a solid black silhouette, creating a striking, graphic composition.
    Workshops

    Black & White Lino-Cut Printmaking with Gary Goodman

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Discover the creative process of linocut printmaking in this practical workshop, where you'll design, carve and print…
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  2. Workshops

    Kids Workshop: Lantern Making with Twigs and Tissue

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Create your own glowing lantern in this fun and creative hands-on workshop. Using willow rods, twigs and colourful…
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  3. Children & Family

    Kids Workshop: Autumn Crafts

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Celebrate the colours of the season in this fun autumn-inspired craft workshop for children. Using leaves, pine cones,…
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  4. Workshops

    Kids Workshop: Spooky Crafts

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Get ready for a frightfully fun creative workshop this Halloween. Make spooky pumpkins, witches, bats and cats using a…
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  5. Black-and-white portrait of Marlene Dietrich wearing a top hat and tailored tuxedo jacket with a white shirt and bow tie. She faces the camera with a confident, slightly playful expression, holding a cigarette near her lips. Dramatic lighting creates soft shadows across her face, highlighting her curled hair and refined features against a dark background.
    Talks

    Talks Revisited: Marlene Dietrich

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Hollywood icon, performer and cultural trailblazerJoin Monika Lind, retired university lecturer in Culture and…
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  6. Two oval mixed-media artworks are shown side by side, each featuring the same imaginative design. The left artwork is a black-and-white line drawing, while the right is partially coloured with blue sky, an orange sun, green plants and pink ground. Both depict a cloud containing a single eye above a landscape with a crescent moon, dark circle, stylised sun, trees, plants and a crocodile-like creature, demonstrating the progression from sketch to finished artwork.
    Workshops

    Tetra Pak Printing with Gary Goodman

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Turn everyday recycling into original works of art in this creative Tetra Pak printmaking workshop with Gary…
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  7. Monochrome artwork of a dark, ghostly tree with a thick twisted trunk and bare, sprawling branches against a pale textured background.
    Workshops

    Mythic Monsters and Ghost Trees with Shona Macdonald (AM)

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Workshop Details: Charcoal and ink drawing workshop with a spooky seasonal theme. Drawing from imagination, using…
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  8. Monochrome artwork of a gnarled, ancient-looking tree with a thick dark trunk and twisted, drooping branches against a pale textured background.
    Workshops

    Mythic Monsters and Ghost Trees with Shona Macdonald (PM)

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Workshop Details: Charcoal and ink drawing workshop with a spooky seasonal theme. Drawing from imagination, using…
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  9. Talks

    Autumn Lectures: The Archaeology of the Arun Valley

    Richmond Room
    A brand-new talk from our curator, James, looking at the archaeology of the River Arun from the Palaeolithic through to…
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  10. Workshops

    Lino-cut printmaking (3 colour) with Gary Goodman

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Discover the exciting process of reduction lino printing in this hands-on workshop with artist Gary Goodman.You’ll…
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  11. Talks

    Autumn Lectures: The Archaeology of the Adur Valley

    Richmond Room
    A brand new talk from our curator James Sainsbury - looking at the archaeology of the river Adur from the Palaeolithic…
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  12. Talks

    Gallery Talk - Reflexion: Enchantment, Self-Identity and Film with Cathy Lomax

    Museum & Art Gallery
    A gallery talk by the artist Cathy Lomax exploring themes in the current exhibition Reflexion.Lomax will discuss the…
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  13. Talks

    Autumn Lectures: Photographic History of Worthing Part One: 1860-1914

    Richmond Room
    The first of two talks looking at the photography of Worthing. This lecture will feature dozens of photographs from…
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  14. Portrait of an elderly woman artist, Rosa Bonheur, seated in a studio, holding a sheet of paper. She has short, light grey hair and wears a dark, formal jacket. Beside her is an easel with a painting of a dog and a table with paintbrushes, suggesting her work as an animal painter. The background is softly lit in warm brown tones, creating a calm, reflective atmosphere.

    Remarkable Women in the History of Art: Rosa Bonheur

    Museum & Art Gallery
    A pioneering artist of 19th-century FranceJoin Monika Lind, retired university lecturer in Culture and Humanities…
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  15. Talks

    Autumn Lectures: Photographic History of Worthing Part Two: 1914-1960

    Richmond Room
    This talk will look at Worthing through the lens of photography from 1914-1960, showing the homefront in both World…
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  16. Workshops

    Adult Workshop: Wreath Making

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Get creative this festive season in our annual Wreath Making workshop. Learn how to weave a traditional willow wreath…
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  17. Portrait of Audrey Hepburn wearing an elegant white lace dress and a wide-brimmed black-and-white striped hat adorned with pink flowers, looking directly at the camera. A flowing black ribbon wraps around her against a clean white background, creating a striking, stylised composition.
    Talks

    Talks Revisited: Audrey Hepburn

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Film legend, fashion icon and humanitarianJoin Monika Lind, retired university lecturer in Culture and Humanities…
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  18. Collagraph printmaking plates and prints featuring detailed animal designs, including a fish and other textured illustrations, arranged on a workshop table.
    Workshops

    Collagraph: Crows and Wolves with Shona Macdonald

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Discover the creative possibilities of collagraph printmaking in this two-part workshop exploring the atmospheric…
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  19. Children & Family

    Family Workshop: Christmas Decorations

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Get creative together in this fun, festive family workshop, making a selection of Christmas decorations using a mix of…
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  20. A section of the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the Battle of Hastings, showing Norman cavalry charging on horseback while English soldiers defend with shields and spears. Fallen warriors lie beneath the horses, arrows fly across the scene, and decorative borders above and below feature birds, animals and mythical creatures embroidered in the tapestry's distinctive medieval style.
    Talks

    Museum Talk | The Bayeux Tapestry with Monika Lind

    Museum & Art Gallery
    The Bayeux Tapestry is one of the world's most famous medieval artworks, best known for telling the story of the Norman…
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  21. Three handmade circular textile corsages decorated with layered fabric, sequins, metallic embroidery and beads, including floral and photographic designs.
    Workshops

    Letty Lynton Corsage Making with Alex Michon

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Inspired by the Letty Lynton dress, artist Alex Michon will lead a workshop for you to make your own fashionable fabric…
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  22. A simple black line drawing of a jug and angular still-life forms displayed on an easel, with drawing and printmaking materials arranged on the table below.
    Workshops

    Still Life Drawing with Anna Twinam-Cauchi

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Develop your drawing skills in this taught still life drawing workshop with artist Anna Twinam-Cauchi.Using carefully…
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  23. Black-and-white oval portrait of a young Victorian woman looking directly at the camera. She has dark hair swept up in a neat updo and wears a high-collared dress with a patterned shoulder detail. The formal studio portrait is set against a plain light background.
    Talks

    Lady Butler: Defying Victorian Conventions

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Discover the remarkable story of Elizabeth Thompson (1846–1933), later known as Lady Butler, whose powerful paintings…
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  24. Black-and-white portrait of physicist and chemist Marie Curie looking directly at the camera. She wears a dark high-necked dress, with her hair swept back in a loose updo. The softly lit studio portrait highlights her calm, thoughtful expression against a plain, dark background.
    Talks

    Talks Revisited: Marie Curie

    Museum & Art Gallery
    Discover the extraordinary story of Marie Curie, the pioneering scientist whose groundbreaking research transformed…
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