What's On

Showing 19 events for 20 October 2025 to 20 January 2026:

• The Selsey Tramway

  13/07/2024 to 31/03/2026

  Location: The Novium Museum

  This exhibition recounts the fascinating but ill-fated story of Selsey Tramway.
  
  The exhibition recounts how a railway line was proposed to link the then remote and isolated village of Selsey with Chichester. By August 1897, the Selsey Tramway was born, operated by The Hundred of Manhood and Selsey Tramway Company.
  View more details for Selsey Tramway
  

  

  Exhibitions

• Hurrah for Shippam's

  12/07/2025 to 28/02/2026

  Location: The Novium Museum

  Step into the story of one of Chichester’s most iconic companies in this nostalgic and surprising exhibition.
  Discover quirky adverts, colourful packaging, factory memories and family-friendly interactives.
  From potted meats to pioneering marketing, explore how Shippam’s became a household name.
  Admission is free, with donations welcome.
  View more details for Hurrah for Shippam's
  

  

  Exhibitions

• Shippam's Memory Morning

  22/10/2025 to 22/10/2025

  Location: The Novium Museum

  Free, drop in. 10.30am – 12pm.
  
  Do you remember the sights, sounds and smells of Shippam’s?
  Join us for a friendly drop-in session where you can visit the exhibition, handle original Shippam’s objects, and share your stories of Chichester’s famous factory.
  Whether you worked there, had a family connection or just loved the taste of the pastes, we’d love to hear your memories.
  Tea, coffee and biscuits provided.
  

  

  Special Events

• Roman Villa – Live Like an Emperor

  25/10/2025 to 25/10/2025

  Location: The Novium Museum

  The Romans loved a good show, and their homes were where they did their entertaining, business deals and plots. Villas were aspirational and their owners wanted to impress their wealth and culture upon their guests. Floor and wall mosaics were so much more than pretty patterns, they demonstrated the owner’s taste and ability to choose the right designer with the latest mosaic designs. The Novium Museum’s mosaics provide examples of the local style with motifs that appear in different places.
  
  We’ll look at what makes a mosaic Roman, how mosaic design changed, and how and where the mosaics went wrong. You’ll have the opportunity to either follow a Roman mosaic pattern, or design your own, and make it with paper for an impressive result for your own home.
  
  Book Roman Villa – Live Like an Emperor
  

  

  Talks and Tours

• Make your own Jarvis Jar!

  29/10/2025 to 29/10/2025

  Location: The Novium Museum

  Meet Jarvis - our very own Shippam’s-inspired character created especially for the Hurrah for Shippam’s exhibition! 

  Using colourful plasticine, children can design and personalise their very own mini Jarvis, taking inspiration from the iconic Shippam’s jar. Will yours have googly eyes? A bow tie? A big smile? This playful drop-in activity is perfect for younger visitors and helps bring the Shippam’s story to life through creativity and imagination.

  
  

  10.30am – 2pm | Free | Drop In

  
  

  

  Family Events

• Introduction to Indian Miniature Painting

  01/11/2025 to 01/11/2025

  Location: The Novium Museum

  Spend an engaging day in this workshop learning the fundamentals of a beautiful, traditional painting genre with artist Neeta Madahar.
  
  The class is suitable for adults (16+) that are complete beginners through to those that enjoy painting details as in botanical painting. All materials and tools are provided. Attendees are asked to bring a notepad with a pen or pencil to take notes and an A4 protective envelope to take home their artwork.
  
  Indian Miniature painting is known for its intricate detail, opulent colours and rich narratives. The paintings are usually small, but majestic in their artistic expression. With precision and artistry, craft an exquisite A5-size painting on paper, guided step-by-step with demonstrations and using authentic materials from India.
  
  Tutor Biography
  
  Neeta is a professionally trained artist based in West Berkshire. She exhibits internationally and has work in numerous collections. Since 2021 she has been specializing in Indian Miniature painting. She spends 3 months each year in Jaipur, India, studying intensively with her painting master to perfect her craft.
  
  Tickets are priced at £80 per adult. All materials and tea/coffee provided. 
  
  Book tickets for Introduction to Indian Miniature Painting
  

  

  Workshops

• The Guildhall - Open Morning

  06/11/2025 to 06/11/2025

  Location: The Guildhall, Priory Park

  Come along and see inside this beautiful building! Open 10:00am - 11:30am
  
  Situated in Priory Park, The Guildhall is a Grade 1 listed building with a rich history. The Guildhall was built in the 1270s by the Franciscans and was dissolved In October 1538 by King Henry VIII. The building witnessed many dramatic events in its history including the trial of members of the Hawkhurst Gang and the trial of the poet and artist William Blake. It later served as the town hall and museum but is now mainly used for weddings and events and is rarely open to the public.
  
  Free, drop in event.
  

  

  Special Events

• Shippam's Memory Morning

  12/11/2025 to 12/11/2025

  Location: The Novium Museum

  Free, drop in. 10.30am – 12pm.
  
  Do you remember the sights, sounds and smells of Shippam’s?
  Join us for a friendly drop-in session where you can visit the exhibition, handle original Shippam’s objects, and share your stories of Chichester’s famous factory.
  Whether you worked there, had a family connection or just loved the taste of the pastes, we’d love to hear your memories.
  Tea, coffee and biscuits provided.
  

  

  Special Events

• Dragons and Gold: The art of the Anglo-Saxons

  15/11/2025 to 15/11/2025

  Location: The Novium Museum

  Anglo-Saxon art is well known through the Sutton Hoo treasures and illuminated manuscripts like the Lindisfarne Gospel. Their artwork straddles the Pre-Christian and Christian worlds, the visual and oral tradition, and the written word. This workshop explores Anglo-Saxon metal work, carving and manuscripts.
  
  Using Anglos-Saxon creations as inspiration, we will develop our own designs or try to replicate their intensity. We will work with brush, pen and ink to explore the intertwined beasts of the manuscripts.
  
  To book Dragons and Gold: The art of the Anglo-Saxons
  

  

  Talks and Tours

• Highlights from the Shippam's Advertising Archive

  20/11/2025 to 20/11/2025

  Location: The Novium Museum

  Join us for a lively and illustrated evening as Sally Jones, Shippam’s Project Officer, shares her favourite finds from the Shippam’s advertising archive.
  
  From eye-catching posters and quirky slogans to rarely seen TV stills and print adverts, this talk will explore the bold, imaginative, and sometimes bizarre, world of Shippam’s marketing. You’ll see a selection of adverts featured in Hurrah for Shippam’s, alongside never-before-seen gems from the archive.
  
  With stories behind the slogans and insights into changing tastes and trends, this relaxed talk is perfect for anyone curious about advertising, design, or the golden age of British branding.
  
  6pm – 7pm. Doors open at 5.15pm, when you’ll have the opportunity to view the Hurrah for Shippam’s exhibition prior to the talk.
  Tickets £8 per person. 
  Book Now
  

  

  Talks and Tours

• Starlight Trail

  22/11/2025 to 22/11/2025

  Location: The Novium Museum, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester Library and Chichester Cathedral

  Saturday 22 November 2025- 1pm to 4:30pm. Tickets £10 per child.

  
  

  Join The Novium Museum, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester Library and Chichester Cathedral for a festive family afternoon of craft and fun. Book your place and get a Starlight Trail passport and make your way to the different venues where you can create a star lantern to light your route and take part in festive crafts and activities.  

  
  

  
  

  
  Book the Starlight Trail
  

  

  Family Events

• Shippam's Memory Morning

  03/12/2025 to 03/12/2025

  Location: The Novium Museum

  Free, drop in. 10.30am – 12pm.
  
  Do you remember the sights, sounds and smells of Shippam’s?
  Join us for a friendly drop-in session where you can visit the exhibition, handle original Shippam’s objects, and share your stories of Chichester’s famous factory.
  Whether you worked there, had a family connection or just loved the taste of the pastes, we’d love to hear your memories.
  Tea, coffee and biscuits provided.
  

  

  Special Events

• The Guildhall - Open Morning

  04/12/2025 to 04/12/2025

  Location: The Guildhall, Priory Park

  Come along and see inside this beautiful building! Open 10:00am - 11:30am
  
  Situated in Priory Park, The Guildhall is a Grade 1 listed building with a rich history. The Guildhall was built in the 1270s by the Franciscans and was dissolved In October 1538 by King Henry VIII. The building witnessed many dramatic events in its history including the trial of members of the Hawkhurst Gang and the trial of the poet and artist William Blake. It later served as the town hall and museum but is now mainly used for weddings and events and is rarely open to the public.
  
  Free, drop in event.
  

  

  Special Events

• Gonk Trail

  06/12/2025 to 03/01/2026

  Location: The Novium

  Back by popular demand, find the gonks hidden around the museum. There will be a puzzle to complete and prize for each person who completes puzzle.
  
  
  Puzzles cost £2 and are available on the day from the museum reception desk.
  

  

  Family Events

• Shippam's Memory Morning

  17/12/2025 to 17/12/2025

  Location: The Novium Museum

  Free, drop in. 10.30am – 12pm.
  
  Do you remember the sights, sounds and smells of Shippam’s?
  Join us for a friendly drop-in session where you can visit the exhibition, handle original Shippam’s objects, and share your stories of Chichester’s famous factory.
  Whether you worked there, had a family connection or just loved the taste of the pastes, we’d love to hear your memories.
  Tea, coffee and biscuits provided.
  

  

  Special Events

• Shippam's Memory Morning

  14/01/2026 to 14/01/2026

  Location: The Novium Museum

  Free, drop in. 10.30am – 12pm.
  
  Do you remember the sights, sounds and smells of Shippam’s?
  Join us for a friendly drop-in session where you can visit the exhibition, handle original Shippam’s objects, and share your stories of Chichester’s famous factory.
  Whether you worked there, had a family connection or just loved the taste of the pastes, we’d love to hear your memories.
  Tea, coffee and biscuits provided.
  

  

  Special Events

• Mystery Warrior: The North Bersted Man

  'In more than thirty years of archaeology this is the most spectacular discovery that I have witnessed' - James Kenny, District Archaeologist.

  The 'Mystery Warrior' was discovered in 2008 by Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd. This was found during archaeological investigations, prior to the construction of Berkley Homes' Bersted Park.
  

  Arguably the most elaborately equipped warrior grave ever found in England, archaeologists believe he was a refugee French Gallic fighter who fled Julius Caesar's Roman Army as they swept across continental Europe around 50BC.
  

  
  View more details for Mystery Warrior - The North Bersted Man
  

  

  Exhibitions

• King Charles I Bust

  This important historical sculpture depicts King Charles I wearing a gold crown and chain of office.
  

  The unique bust, which was created by Hubert Le Sueur — an appointed sculptor to King Louis XIII of France who spent most of his career at the English court of King Charles I — was presented to the City of Chichester, West Sussex, where it was displayed in the niche of Chichester's Market Cross from the 1660s.
  

  
  View more details for King Charles I Bust
  

  

  Exhibitions

• The Racton Man

  'Racton Burial', a permanent exhibition located in the first floor gallery, delves into the history of a fascinating burial discovered in 1989, but only recently thoroughly investigated by a team of specialists. Find out about this individual's captivating story of life and death.
  View more details for The Racton Man
  

  

  Exhibitions