Soldiers of Caterham
The museum has for several months been hosting a major exhibition, The Soldiers of Caterham, to commemorate the end of World War I. The exhibition took visitors, year by year, through the war, looking at what was happening on the Western Front and at home. This has now been replaced with a splendid new display focusing on the aftermath of the war both nationally and locally. Subjects covered include the flu pandemic, war memorials, demobilisation, rationing, the new post war order and local news like what was happening on rationing and profiteering. Please do come along and take a look. Copies of Peter Saaler's book, The Soldiers of Caterham, on which much of the personal information was based, is on sale in the museum, price £5.
Victorian Lace
A new display of exquisite examples of Victorian lace will be found in Room 1.
Irons
A display of flat irons, the type used for ironing clothes, is on show in a glass cabinet in the Junior Room. Examples, some of which are extremely rare, include electrical and steam-heated irons, and even one heated by inserting red-hot charcoal bricks.
Cartes de Visite
In the Victorian Room there is new exhibition of cartes de visite photographs kindly lent by Roger Packham and arranged by Ingrid King. These small albumen prints mounted on cards, largely depicting couples or individuals posed in a studio, were exceptionally popular during the early 19th century as they allowed relatives and friends, for the first time, to exchange portraits by post.
Typewriters In the Victorian Room you will find an exhibition of vintage typewriters dating as far back as the 1880s, some of them of extreme complexity.
Fossils
In Room 1 there is an exhibition of fossils from the Cretaceous period, together with an explanatory wallchart, all beautifully put together by assistant curator Ray Butler.