Bognor Regis museum celebrates stunning new exhibit ahead of spring reopening

The museum, on West Street, is due to reopen for the season on Saturday (April 1) and, this year, guests will be able to see an original Bognor Regis bathing machine, of the kind which would have been available to rent throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

The beautiful blue and white bathing machine takes pride of place, with its original interior mirrors intact, in the heart of the museum’s new exhibition space, and gives visitors a glimpse into Bognor’s history as a seaside resort town for the wealthy. Held up by four sturdy six-foot-tall wheels, the bating machine would have been pulled into the sea by horses. From there, a wealthy patron could change in the privacy of the hut, and step out into the restorative waters with their dignity intact.

The new display has been in the works for the Bognor Regis museum for quite some time – with the committee securing planning permission for the exhibition space some ten years ago – and, last summer, the machine was set-up in-situ for filming on an episode of Channel 4’s The Great British Dig, starring Hugh Dennis. On top of this, the new area also features a display dedicated to local legend Mary Wheatland, who sold bathing machines on the seafront and, famously, saved the lives of over 30 people at sea. Another displays marks the sixtieth anniversary of the filming of the Punch and Judy Man in Bognor Regis. A 1973 comedy starring Tony Hancock, it follows the misadventures of Punch and Judy Man Wally and his socially ambitious wife Delia, played by Sylvia Syms.

Local History Society chairman Greg Burt said the new area is likely to be ‘the star of the show this year’, adding that the work has cost, to date, approximately £65,000 largely accrued from grants, requests, fundraising and the museum’s own resources.

"My sincere thanks not only to all those who have worked through the closed months to not only prepare new and tweak existing displays and ensure our high standards are maintained, but those that diligently undertake those important back office functions all year round,” he added. "I would also like to thank, in advance, all the stewards who have volunteered, yet again, to get us from 10am on the 1st April when we open, through to the close at the end of the year.”

But there are other changes, too. The museum team has been hard at work rejuvenating the entire space ahead of the spring season, and look forward to introducing visitors to a range of new displays.

In the main area, one new display marks the upcoming coronation of King Charles III, while another explores the ruins of a section of Mulberry Harbour on Bognor Regis beach. Existing displays have been adjusted and tweaked to give returning visitors something new to see, and a full-size poster promoting David Bowie’s 1967 gig in Bognor Regis.