Arundel Museum

Arundel Museum Society was founded in 1963 by a group of local people. At this time heritage was under threat from new development and was generally undervalued. The Museum Society set out to rescue and conserve as much as possible of Arundel's past, and aimed to create a town museum with the advice of Sussex historian Roy Armstrong and archaeologist Con Ainsworth. In March 1964, the first museum was established in the old prison cells in the undercroft of Arundel Town Hall. In this evocative but somewhat cramped and damp environment the Museum Society built up displays of the history of Arundel and the surrounding villages. From the beginning, the museum relied totally on volunteer…

The Museum's first big opportunity came in 1975 when the former Borough Council Offices at 61 High Street became redundant following the major local government re-organisation. Arun District Council offered the Museum Society the opportunity to take a lease on this Grade II* listed Georgian building. The Society created a new museum which was opened in 1977. At this time AMS became a Charity (No 273790). During the 1980s and 1990s, Arundel Museum Society faced new challenges. Standards of curatorial care became more demanding. Techniques of conservation were more complex and scientific. With a new national structure for the management of museums and galleries came the requirement for…