Leonard ‘Len’ Hurst, was born in Kent, on the 28th December 1871. As a brick maker by trade, Len didn’t make much money and quickly moved into running professionally, winning his first race at the age of 15. He retired from running in 1908 at the age of 37, using…
Imagine a solid sphere of iron hurtling towards you at 250 mph! Welcome to historical warfare! Among the exhibits at Crawley Museum is what appears to be an English civil war cannonball. It’s a 3.1 lb hunk of metal, which is now pitted and rusted, held together by wire, but…
Ifield Mill, A Survey by J. Gibson-Hill and E.W. Henbery In 1975 I was fortunate enough to spend the summer with a friend, Keith Young, working with archaeologist John Gibson-Hill. I was reminded of this the other day when, whilst having a clear out at home, I found a little…
The author in 1965 (© CC BY-SA 4.0 – David Stoker)I recently returned to Crawley for the first time in more than a decade, to attend the cremation service for an old friend, Don Nunn. At the ceremony I met several other friends from my school days and afterwards we…
We have lots planned for this festive season, all the details can be found here, HOHOHO Meet Santa at Crawley Museum Come join us at Crawley Museum on various dates in December for a magical experience! Get ready to meet the jolly man himself, Santa Claus, in person! Bring your little ones along…
“Now boys with squibs and crackers play, And bonfires blaze turns night to day.” ‘Poor Robin’s Almanac’ dated 1677 For many people today, Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night means a chance to get together to watch fireworks, and perhaps attend a bonfire party somewhere in the community. The…
Join us for some spine-tingling family fun this October half-term. Available during museum opening hours Saturday 21st October 10.30 – 16.00 Wednesday 25th October 10.30 – 16.00 Thursday 26th October 10.30 – 16.00 Friday 27th October 10.30 – 16.00 Sat 28th October 10.30 – 16.00 Admission free. Suggested donation £3/person.
We have been stocking the Death of a… series by Derek Farrell in the museum shop for over a year now, but it was only recently that I got round to reading one. Having looked at the cover, I expected the story to be set in the 1920s as the…
The defibrillator, bellows and Bag Valve Mask on display at Crawley Museum to celebrate 75 years of the NHS. As part of the celebrations of 75 years since the inception of the NHS I was asked to write a piece about the part of the NHS that I know most…
Over the past few years Crawley Museum have been asked to host work experience students from schools and colleges in the surrounding area. This year we hosted 4 students over June and July. Each student came in for between 3 and 5 days depending on their school requirement and got…
