Annual Review 2015

Annual Review 2015
Welcome
2015 has been an extraordinary year of success and progress for the
Novium, and on behalf of the entire Museum and Tourist Information
Centre team I am delighted to share some of the highlights in this review.
The last year has seen a dramatic increase
in visitor numbers and the Novium is now
established as one of Chichester’s leading
visitor attractions.
There have been extensive improvements
to the galleries and the introduction of free
admission in November 2014 has led to greater
accessibility for all of our visitors.
The fourfold increase in visitor numbers is
not only beneficial to the museum but also
to Chichester District – with 50,000 visitors
a year generating £1.4 million of economic
value for the local economy. (AIM economic
impact assessment).
learning sessions. The introduction of
sleepovers has been a resounding success
and the Novium Museum is one of only a
handful of local museums in the country to
offer this experience.
More than 300 young people from 32
different schools in Chichester District and
neighbouring areas were inspired to enter the
Novium’s creative writing competition. As well
as attracting students, the competition also
attracted sponsorship from local businesses
including Chichester Festival Theatre and
Summersdale publishers.
Our Patchwork Communities project
engaged communities across the length
In addition to more than 1000 objects on
and breadth of Chichester District with the
permanent display we have installed 6 new
museum and resulted in the creation of a
temporary exhibitions telling fascinating
stunningly beautiful quilt,
stories of Chichester
with each of its twelve
District’s past, spanning our
patches representing a
Donations
are
steadily
local history from Bronze
different District parish.
increasing
as
the
Age ‘Racton Man’ to the
Approximately 900 hours
Sidlesham Land Settlement
of work went into the
Novium
proves
itself
Association movement in the
production of this quilt
1930’s. Our exhibitions have to be a much loved
which is a cherished addition
brought Chichester local,
to the museum collection.
community
asset.
national and international
media coverage. The
Two of Chichester’s most
research carried out into the Racton
exciting and innovative events of 2015 were
dagger created intense interest amongst
led by the Novium Museum. The ancient and
archaeologists all over the world. University
vibrant Indian art of Kathakali enthralled
researchers from across the country regularly
hundreds of local people and concluded with
request opportunities to work with our unique
a magical performance inside The Guildhall in
and nationally significant collection.
May. Our ground-breaking ‘24 Hour Inventive
Factory’ was the result of the Novium Museum
More recently, our HLF funded ‘Murray or None’
winning Culture 24’s national Connect!
exhibition, which celebrates the life of local
Museum’s at Night competition. Not only were
and naval hero Admiral Sir George Murray, was
we shortlisted by Turner Prize nominated artist
featured on BBC South Today and BBC Radio
Yinka Shonibare MBE, but almost 3000 people
Sussex, who recorded a feature on our Sidlesham
then voted to secure the win, which came with
Land Settlement Association exhibition described
a £3000 grant to fund the event.
the Novium as ‘a great museum’.
We will be continuing our track record of
The Novium worked with the Horniman
establishing innovative events with the launch
Museum to bring a rare and valuable Japanese
of ‘Chichester Roman Week’ in 2016, which is
Shogi set to Chichester. Funded by the Arts
set to bring tens of thousands of visitors and
Council England, this was the first loan of its
income into Chichester City Centre.
kind to the museum and has paved the way for
future loans and touring exhibitions.
Our commercial services continue to develop
and are playing an increasingly important role
Our learning and community engagement
in safeguarding the future of the museum
work has gone from strength to strength. In
service. The launch of our wedding service
2015, 1,928 children participated in museum
at The Guildhall, combined with income
generated by the Tourist Information Centre,
our learning service, improvements to the
museum shop, development of a café and
sales of venue hire are all playing a part in
building greater resilience for the museum
following our first year of free admission.
Donations are steadily increasing as the
Novium proves itself to be a much loved
community asset.
We have been fortunate to receive funding
from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts
Council England, Culture 24, South Downs
National Park and the Sussex and Surrey
Museum Development Fund over the past
year which has enabled us to develop our
services further and reach wider audiences.
The Novium continues to develop new and
innovative projects and to work with funders
to engage new and diverse audiences with our
collections.
Our Tourist Information Centre serves to attract
and serve visitors to the Chichester District on
a daily basis, and in 2015 we handled 33,609
enquiries in person, by phone, email and letter.
Finally I must mention our Friends of the
Novium, volunteers and visitors who
continue to inspire us with their support
and encouraging feedback.
Thank you to everyone who understands the
value of local heritage, and is as passionate
about preserving our collection and inspiring
audiences as we are. Everyone who supports
us helps to make the Novium Museum the
wonderful place it is. To see how far we have
come in only one year creates an exciting and
encouraging shape of things to come.
Cathy Hakes, Novium Museum Manager.
Inspirational Collections
As the custodians of the heritage of the Chichester District, the Novium
Museum cares for a unique collection of 500,000 objects which help to
tell the fascinating story of the area. These include artefacts of national
significance. Here are just some of the fascinating artefacts we discovered
more about in 2015:
Westhampnett Iron Age
cemetery
The University of Leicester has worked with the
Novium team to research the Westhampnett
Cemetery. Excavated in 1992 prior to the
construction of the Westhampnett Bypass it is
one of the most important sites in Europe for
the study of Iron Age ritual and religion. This is
because of its size (161 graves were found) and
the presence of numerous pyres (structures
made of flammable material, usually wood,
built to burn bodies during funeral rites), and
the seemingly short time that the cemetery
was in use.
Racton Burial
The crouched burial was discovered as a result
of a metal detector find in 1989, when a dagger
blade and a number of rivets were discovered. A
scheduled excavation then revealed a complete
burial with a number of additional rivets.
The dagger is one of the earliest Bronze
objects to have been discovered in Britain.
Not only is the dagger an extremely rare and
nationally important item, but as a result of
a recent research project undertaken on the
archive, with the help of grant funding from
the South Downs National Park we now have
a fascinating story to tell about the life and
death of the individual buried with the dagger
which attracted national and international
press coverage.
‘What makes his dagger so
stunning is the rivet studded
hilt… he would have been a
very prominent member of
society, someone of great
seniority’
Dr Stuart Needham, Bronze Age specialist
Bosham Head
The Bosham Head, discovered in the flower
bed of the Vicarage garden in Bosham, is one
of very few pieces of Roman sculpture to have
been discovered in Britain. Researched by Miles
Russell of the University of Bournemouth, the
colossal statue head was 3D scanned, picking
out facial features allowing for specialists to
conclude that this statue head is most likely
that of the Emperor Trajan. His findings were
published in Britannia in May 2015.
‘We spent a splendid few
hours wandering around
this lovely museum. The
Roman Bath is amazing
and the history of the
area is very interesting.
Lots of interactive things
for kids to do. Well laid
out over three floors. We
learnt quite a bit and will
go back again to spend a
bit more time there.’
Trip Advisor Review, December 2015
Exhibitions
Our exhibitions over the past year have attracted many new visitors and
engaged thousands of local people and tourists with Chichester’s local
history. In 2015 Novium exhibitions generated a wide range of media
interest and were featured on BBC television and radio.
Priez Memorial
The Royal Sussex Regiment Association (RSRA)
and Cllr Martyn Bell worked with the Novium
Museum to mark the centenary of the Battle
of Marne, fought in Priez, France in 1914 and
commemorates four local soldiers who lost their
lives in the battle.
Priez Memorial
World Objects
The Royal Sussex Regiment Association (RSRA)
and Councillor Martyn Bell worked with the
Novium Museum to mark the centenary of the
Battle of Marne, fought in Priez, France and
commemorates four local soldiers who lost
their lives in the campaign.
‘A Curious Case of Collecting; World Objects
in Chichester’ was inspired by the loan of a
Japnese Shogi Set from the Horniman
Museum & Gardens.
Sidlesham Land Settlement
Association
This exhibition, celebrating the lives of 120
unemployed mining and shipbuilding families
who were relocated to the local parish of
Sidlesham in the 1930s, resonated with
individuals across the District.
The exhibition includes a film featuring oral
histories of the early tenants, many of whom
remain in the area with their families today –
some having passed their smallholdings down
the generations.
The exhibition was covered by the Chichester
Observer, BBC Sussex, who also made it their
headline news online and BBC Radio Sussex
who recorded an interview at the Novium.
Murray or None
The ‘Murray or None’ exhibition, our newest to
date, launched in December 2015. It was made
possible thanks to a grant of £63,200 from
the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The Murray project, along with the exhibition,
will continue to inspire new audiences next
year by providing family events, re-enactments,
themed museum sleepovers, and outreach
work-shops. The exhibition tells the story of
how Admiral Sir George Murray played his part
in significant world events, as well as leaving a
lasting legacy in Chichester.
Inspired by the loan, the museum team
researched our own little-known collection of
world objects, also known as ethnographic
collections, and curated the “World Objects”
exhibition which launched to tie in with the
beginning of the Horniman loan. The exhibition
features 18 world objects from the museum’s
collection, including a Samurai sword and an
African beaded necklace.
‘Excellent newish
museum offering
interesting exhibits.
The Roman ruins were
fascinating and really
well detailed. Staff are
friendly and helpful
and the interactive
exhibits kept my kids
entertained for ages!
Really interesting and
well managed with a
keen focus on local
history as well as it’s part
in national culture. Would
recommend as it’s a
perfect rainy day activity’
Visitor feedback 2015
Collaboration
The Novium has continued to work in partnership with a wide range of organisations
in 2015 ranging from the Horniman Museum and Gardens to the Universities
of Chichester and Brighton. By instigating and investing our energies in these
partnerships we work to achieve our objectives of making more of the Novium’s
wonderful collections accessible to everyone.
Horniman Museum & Gardens;
Object in Focus
Brighton University – SEWS
Development Grant
The loan of an ancient Japanese Shogi set
from the Horniman Museum & Gardens was
secured as part of Object in Focus, a project
funded by Arts Council England. Object
in Focus widens access to the Horniman’s
collections by offering objects on short term
loan to different museums across England.
The Shogi set was on display at the Novium
Museum from August until November.
In October the Novium was successful in its
application to the SEWS Development Grant
Fund. The South East Museum Development
Programme awarded the Museum a grant of
£4,000 to enable the development activity:
‘Learning to work in partnership with the
Higher Education sector; development of a
collections based volunteer programme with
the University of Brighton.’
Westhampnett Iron Age
Cemetery
When the excavation report was written in
1997 it was not possible to radiocarbon date
the cremated bone. Instead the brooches and
pots found in the graves suggested that the
cemetery was only in use for a few generations
between circa 90-40 BC. Research is currently
being undertaken by the University of Leicester
on this archive. 54 samples of cremated human
bone and 10 samples of material such as seeds
and nuts are in the process of being radiocarbon
dated. This will provide definitive dating for
the Iron Age cemetery site and may call into
question previously accepted typological
methods of dating.
Six students from the University of Brighton
were recruited to undertake work on the
museum’s documentation backlog. This work
is extremely important for the museum to
maintain its accreditation. The project includes
an update of the museums database from
Modes for Windows to Modes Complete, a much
newer system which will enable us to meet
higher collections documentation standards.
Racton Man
Specialists from England, Wales and Scotland
spent months scientifically analysing the teeth,
bones and dagger of the Racton Man to start
creating a picture of who he was, how he died
and where he was from.
Natural History Museum
After necessary and relevant consultation,
the museum took the decision to transfer a
collection of butterfly specimens. These were
the only natural history specimens in the
Novium’s collections and originated from the
old museum in the Guildhall 1933-1940. They
were in a poor condition and the museum
team decided it did not have the necessary
resources and expertise to care for such
items. It was discovered that the Natural
History Museum in London held much of the
documentary records relating to the collector
and the specimens were therefore reunited
with this documentation at the Natural
History Museum.
Racton Man
Durham University – undertook
Isotope analysis on one of his
teeth, which showed he could have
been brought up in southern Britain
Scottish Universities Environmental
Research Centre in Glasgow –
undertook radiocarbon dating of
the remains
London Institute of Archaeology –
carried out analysis of his bones
Inspiring the future
Learning Sessions: 59
schools used the Novium
for school workshops and
loans boxes in 2015 – most
of these schools are repeat
visits and will continue to
engage with the museum
in 2016. Although the
majority of these schools
are local to the Chichester
District and surrounding
areas, we have had schools
visit us from Woking,
London and Eastbourne.
Map of schools who visited the Novium for learning workshops in 2015
‘My son visited the museum last night as part of the Beavers night
at the museum overnight stay and has come home buzzing. He
hasn’t stopped talking about what an amazing time he had – all
the amazing things he did, what he saw, where he slept, what was
in the museum. I can’t thank you all enough – it sounds like you’ve
got a winning formula and have certainly got him hooked. He
can’t wait to come back again – you have really fired a 7 year olds
imagination. Thank you – an unforgettable experience.’
Mum of sleepover visitor
‘Your colleagues were so lovely
and made such a huge joint
effort to run the afternoon. It
was a great mix of activities and
the treasure hunt at the end
was a massive hit!’
Teacher at St Anthony’s School
‘I just wanted to thank you for yesterday’s trip. I overheard the
children talking to their parents about ‘how cool’ it all was and
that was largely due to how you spoke to the children and your
enthusiasm about the subject. What could have been a real wash
out due to the weather, turned into a very successful trip. I know
from experience that people are always quick to complain when
something goes wrong, so I thought I would buck the trend and
thank you because it all went right!’
60%
83%
97%
visited the museum for the first
time for the sleepover
Teacher at Jessie Younghusband school
Sleepovers
Creative writing competition
Our sleepover programme is the most
successful educational initiative we have
introduced to the Novium, and has been
proven time and again to provide a unique
platform for families and groups to see
museums in a different light and to learn
by having fun. Developed as a means of
increasing and improving our educational offer,
our aim was to become the go-to museum for
a new and exciting, educational event that
was not run anywhere nearby.
In September, children from the Chichester
District and surrounding areas were asked
to put into writing what they thought might
happen after dark in a museum, in our first
Creative Writing Competition for children.
Aimed at children up to the age of 12, and
developed to help inspire creative writing, the
winner was offered the chance to experience
a museum sleepover for their whole class – to
experience first-hand what really happens in a
museum at night.
Sleepovers have become particularly popular
with Brownie, Beaver and Cubs groups. Since
the first sleepover in 2014, 360 people have
spent the night in the museum, and the
demand is rapidly increasing with the majority
of new bookings resulting from word-of-mouth
recommendations alone.
The competition proved a great success,
with an unprecedented number of entries
received from budding writers – more than
300 from 32 schools in the Chichester District
and neighbouring areas. In addition, the
competition also attracted interest from many
local sponsors who supported the project by
offering prizes and sponsorship towards the
marketing and running of the event.
The timetable of events we have created for
the sleepovers is excellent, both in terms of the
practicality of running the sleepover but also
as a unique educational experience visitors
will not find elsewhere. Activities include a
museum-wide torch lit treasure hunt, sit down
craft activity, cardboard-build activity and an
interactive bedtime story. The programme
engages children with our collection in a
unique way, and we see many children return
with their families.
Out of 103 people who
responded to our sleepover
evaluation forms:
Given the popularity of this competition,
feedback received from entrants and parents,
and the enjoyment of the children who put
pen to paper, this competition is one we will
certainly be repeating on an annual basis.
would come to another sleepover
reported that the atmosphere was very
friendly and welcoming
1,928
children visited the museum with their
teachers for learning sessions during 2015.
Our Creative Writing
competition was supported
by sponsorship from Stansted
Park, Chichester Festival
Theatre, Wiley, Kumon Maths
& English, Summersdale
Publishers and Hotel Chocolat.
Sharing Skills
The Novium opens its collections, facilities and resources to people of all
ages and backgrounds. Sharing our collections is invaluable to schools, work
experience students and university research projects.
Peter approached the museum to help
with guiding 3 years ago. He has plenty
of experience of volunteering in other
museum and heritage sites – leading
tours and engaging with visitors. He
is our longest serving guide and has
gathered lots of information about local
history and the museum visitors. Peter
has become the go-to guide for new
volunteers to shadow tours.
‘Thank you very much for having
me, I had a fantastic time and
would love to come back and
volunteer here in the future!’
Charlotte Elliott, work experience placement
March 2015
Universities
We regularly work with universities across the
country on research projects, work experience,
volunteer work, archiving and independent projects.
Universities who have worked with us during
2015 include;
University of Bournemouth
University of Southampton
University of Chichester
University of Reading
University College London Institute of Archaeology
University of Leicester
University of Winchester
University of Bradford
University of Portsmouth
University of Cambridge
University of Brighton
Volunteers
37 regular volunteers have worked with us over
the past year, dedicating around 7,200 hours of
work to the museum during 2015. The age range
of our network of volunteers spans from just 14
years old to over 75.
The difference that volunteers make in the
museum is the difference between a visitor having
a good visit and a brilliant one. We are lucky to
attract diverse range of people who volunteer
in every aspect of the museum from guiding to
sorting archaeology to handing out leaflets. The
museum is very grateful for the time and effort
volunteers contribute. They help to tell local stories
which bring the objects on display to life.
‘We visited the museum with
some visitors from Canada,
and were shown around by a
volunteer guide who shared
his expertise and knowledge
to enhance our visit.’
The Novium had 17 research visits
in 2015 equating to approximately
114 hours of research carried out
in our archaeology stores.
Three people from Chichester District
Council’s Choose Work scheme worked
with us for a collective 24 weeks
supporting business development and
sales opportunities.
10 work experience students from eight
schools in and around the Chichester
District completed placements at
the Novium Museum during 2015 –
contributing a collective 300 hours work.
Trip Advisor review, June 2015
Work Experience
Whether work experience for a school pupil or an academic research project, every work
experience placement is structured to meet the needs of the individual. They are given the
opportunity to learn from the museum professionals and to create their own mark on the museum.
During 2015 placements at the Novium developed films, heritage trails and museum interactives
and learnt how to conserve objects.
Four foreign work experience students from
Germany, France and Italy contributed 120
hours work between them over the summer
holidays. They worked on independent
projects, continuing the accession register
project and helped out with summer
holiday family activities.
West Dean College Ceramics and Related Materials
Conservation students have been working at the
archaeological store to audit, condition check
and re-box material from the St Pancras Roman
Cemetery Archive.
Marta Diaz-Guardamino – working on the
Leverhulme funded project ‘Making a Mark:
Imagery and process in the British and Irish
Neolithic’ – accessing a variety of materials
including Neolithic chalk and Neolithic
human remains.
Engaging Communities
The Novium team are passionate about engaging a diverse range of
communities from across the Chichester District and beyond with the
museum, its collections and facilities. These are just some of the events
and activities we have brought to the Chichester District in 2015.
Kathakali
Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the
Novium Museum hosted the exciting ‘East
Meets West’ series of Kathakali events,
bringing ancient Eastern culture to the
modern Western world.
Kathakali is the traditional dance drama
of Kerala, a region in Southern India, and
a magnificent combination of storytelling,
dance, drama and make up. As well as a
sell-out performance to 90 people at The
Guildhall, local school groups benefited
from outreach workshops.
Patchwork Communities
As the Chichester District Museum we actively
engage people across the area with their
local heritage. We also work with those in
harder to reach rural communities who may
have fewer opportunities to be part of such
projects. Producing a quilt proved an ideal way
of achieving accessibility for rural residents,
whilst actively collecting histories and
presenting a commentary about the district.
The quilt is an embodiment of how these areas
are seen and loved today.
The Patchwork Communities project ran for
just over a year, involved more than 50 people
in its making and took approximately 900
hours of nimble finger work to create. The quilt
has been on display at the museum since its
launch in May 2015, and has just begun a tour
of the district. This will be an excellent way of
making sure the museum itself reaches the
entire district, engaging a whole new audience.
‘The best thing about
our patch is that it has
been a community effort.
People were very willing to
contribute if they felt able’
Chichester group
12 groups representing 12
areas of the Chichester District
took part in the making
of the quilt:
Bosham Women’s Institute Bosham
Boxgrove Village Hall Boxgrove
Coastal West Sussex Mind Bury
Chichester Regnum Women’s Institute
Chichester
Camelsdale Primary School
Camelsdale & Fernhurst
Chichester Quilters Lavant
St John’s Craft Club Southbourne
‘I was thrilled to be
selected by Yinka
Shonibare as one of the
artists to participate in the
Inventive Factory. It was
a real pleasure to be a
part of such an ambitious
and innovative event and
I hope to work with the
team at the Novium again
in the future.’
LSA Exhibition
The Sidlesham Land Settlement Association
Exhibition engaged and united the local
community – many of whom discovered they
were connected through the LSA. This local
story depicting the history of how an entire
community and horticultural industry came to
be has attracted many to the museum and led
to BBC Radio Sussex describing the Novium
as ‘A Great Museum’.
Artist feedback 2015
24 Hour Inventive Factory
In May 2015 we were announced the winners
of Culture 24’s national Connect! Museums
at Night competition, having received several
thousand votes and beaten off competition
from museums around the country. The win
meant that renowned artist Yinka Shonibare
MBE would lead a Museums at Night event in
the museum, and came with a grant of £3000.
The event, ‘The 24 hour Inventive Factory’
depended heavily on involvement from local
artists including professionals, community
groups and students, who ran creative stations
around the museum.
Witterings Quilters Witterings
Outreach
Group talks and outreach sessions were
delivered to 21 community groups and care
homes in 2015, engaging a total of 303 people.
Living with Dementia Festival
The Novium participated in The Living with
Dementia Festival which received a very
positive response from the 30 people who
participated in events at the museum.
Selsey Quilters Selsey
Ifold Local History Society & Bourne
Quilters Ifold & Plaistow
Midhurst Society Midhurst
Bourne Quilters Chidham
This is the first time I’ve done
anything like this and I feel a
huge sense of achievement’
Boxgrove group
Community Group Starburst Arts leading their
‘Inventive Factory’ - recreating the Novium logo
as a Roman mosaic
‘I just wanted to say how
very much we enjoyed the
visit to the museum today.
My husband has quite severe
dementia and I must say that
for him it was pitched just
right! He was engaged all
of the time and thoroughly
enjoyed his time there.’
Visitor feedback 2015
Safeguarding our Future
The Novium continues to make the best use of all of its assets to drive
commercial growth by generating income in a variety of ways. In 2015 the
Museum and Tourist Information Centre team achieved full Accredited
Museum Status and the Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance award.
Accreditation
Wedding Ceremonies
The Novium Museum also manages the
Guildhall in Priory Park. A Scheduled Monument
and Grade 1 listed building The Guildhall has
a rich history dating back to the 13th Century,
when it was built by the Franciscans as a church
for the Greyfriars. After the dissolution of the
monasteries in 1538 the church became the
Town Hall. It was also used as a courtroom with
famous trials held in the building including that
of William Blake in 1804.
The Novium was awarded a wedding license
in April 2015, meaning that for the first time in
history couples will be able to become legally
married within The Guildhall. It is an idyllic
setting for a fairytale wedding, proven already
by the vast interest from couples looking for
the perfect venue for their wedding ceremony.
With our first wedding set to take place in May
2016, The Guildhall is attracting interest from
those who have grown up in the Chichester
District and hold fond memories of Priory Park,
as well as those living further afield, for example
London, who have been drawn to the Guildhall
purely for the settings it offers. With each
wedding ceremony securing significant income
for the museum, as well as many other City
Centre businesses including florists, reception
venues and caterers, this is an exciting and
significant new stream of income which will
not only help to safeguard the future of the
museum but will also bring with it substantial
revenue for the Chichester economy.
In November the museum retained full
Accreditation status from Arts Council
England. Accreditation is of vital importance
to the museum not only as evidence that the
Novium’s collections and audiences are being
cared for and engaged in the best possible
manner, but also as a means to attract more
grant funding for the development of the
museum. The accreditation scheme is regarded
as one of the most innovative and effective
developments in the museum sector, leading
the way in raising museum standards in the
UK, and has been used as a model and source
of inspiration for similar schemes overseas.
Friends
Our Friends of the Novium programme is
continuing to develop. One of our earliest
Friends has been appointed as the Chair
of the Friends committee, and is building a
committee of members dedicated to exploring
how the Friends can best add value to the aims
and objectives of the museum. The friends are
committed to becoming an important driver of
fundraising for the museum which will help us
to maintain and develop our services.
‘Since finding out about your
museum, I am fascinated by
its entire concept. This is my
third or fourth visit. I have,
as you will see from your
records, joined ‘the friends
of the museum’ (I have been
so impressed, at my age it
takes a lot to impress me). The
museum offers many aspects
such as peace and tranquillity
to study the exhibits and
learn about, not just Roman
history, but a wide spectrum of
knowledge to be acquired from
thousands of years, to more or
less present-day Chichester.
CDC and the museum should
be proud, rightly proud of its
achievements.’
Visitor feedback 2015
Visit England
The Novium Museum was awarded the
Visitor Attraction Quality Assured Scheme
accreditation by Visit England in June. The
Museum and Tourist Information Centre team
are committed to demonstrating the highest
possible levels of service to all of our visitors.
The Tourist Information Centre
received a total of 33,609 enquiries
during 2015 – including phone calls,
emails, letters and face-to-face
enquiries.
212 accommodation bookings were
made with a value of £39,197.10 to
providers in the Chichester District.
The Year Ahead
Building on the success of 2015 the
Novium Museum is continuing to bring a
range of innovative and exciting projects
to Chichester.
2016 will see the introduction of the
first ever Chichester Roman Week. We
are proud to be leading this ground
breaking seven day festival in celebration
of Chichester’s rich Roman Heritage.
Working in partnership with Chichester
BID the festival will feature talks,
heritage trails, guided tours and family
activities at cultural venues, shops
and restaurants throughout the city
centre. The week will culminate with
a spectacular chariot and re-enactor
display and is set to attract thousands
of visitors into Chichester.
One of this year’s major exhibition
projects is the transformation of our
Ground Floor gallery, which from August
2016 will relaunch as our dedicated
Roman Gallery. Already home to the
spectacular Roman Bathhouse remains
and the Chilgrove Mosaic, the gallery
will include Roman objects from our
extensive collection as well as two
more mosaics discovered within the
city centre.
We will continue to focus on attracting
new audiences, developing new
partnerships, building resilience and
keeping the heritage of Chichester
accessible to everyone. We anticipate
that the year ahead can only build on the
success of all that we’ve achieved during
2015, and look forward to continuing to
deliver an exceptional level of service to
all of our visitors.
Thank You
We would like to thank all of our
supporters over the past year, and
moving forward:
Public and Lottery Funding
Chichester District Council
Heritage Lottery Fund
Arts Council England
South Downs National Park
Culture 24
South East Museums Development
Programme
Project Sponsors & Partners
Chichester Visitors Group
Visit Chichester
Fishbourne Roman Palace
Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Cathedral
West Dean College
Pallant House Gallery
West Sussex Record Office
Stansted Park
Kumon
Summersdale
Vanderbilt
Wiley
Hotel Chocolat
RL Austin Ltd
Buzzword Creative
University of Chichester
University of Brighton
Sidlesham Heritage Trail Project
Chichester College
West Sussex Coastal Mind
Bishop Otter Gallery
A very special thank you to all of our
loyal Friends and volunteers who have
supported us during the past year.
The Novium Museum
Tower Street, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1QH
Tel: 01243 775888
Email: thenovium@chichester.gov.uk
Website: www.thenovium.org
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