My current obsession with chemists and druggists reminded me of a display in Horsham Museum. Amongst their many wonderful exhibits and displays they have a recreation of a local chemist’s shop.
I took the opportunity this week to pop into the museum and have a quick look at the ‘shop’ and try and imagine my 6x great-grandmother standing behind a similar counter in Hailsham, Sussex.
In my imagination the GEERING’s shop in Hailsham had once looked like this, neat and tidy, clean and with a highly polished counter, but I imagine it didn’t last long and over the years it became more and more neglected. I might be doing my ancestors an injustice but the situation described by Thomas Geering in his book was not one of a pristine, well maintained shop.
When I visited England with my husband about 30 years ago one of the things that most impressed me was the number of ingenious little museums scattered all over the country, that were built around industrial and retail themes.
I don’t know whether your Horsham Museum is small or large, but thanks so much for sharing this photograph.
Evelyn in Montreal
Horsham Museum is a bit like the Tardis. From the front it looks quite small but inside it is packed with displays on so many different aspects of the town’s history.