The Novium Museum and Chichester Tourist Information Centre will reopen safely to visitors from Tuesday 28 July in line with Government guidelines.
Chichester’s award-winning museum, which has been closed since March in response to the coronavirus pandemic, will be opening its doors again with the revised opening hours of Tuesday to Saturday, 11am-4pm.
A number of social distancing and safety measures have been introduced to keep visitors and staff safe while in the museum. These include:
- Free, pre-booked visitor slots to manage numbers in the museum galleries;
- One-way circulation through the museum, with clear floor signage;
- The availability of hand sanitiser at the entrance and throughout the museum; and,
- Regular deep cleaning of the building.
The museum has also announced that the current headline exhibition, Mystery Warrior: The North Bersted Man, which was due to end on 26 September 2020, has been extended and will run until 17 April 2021.
Arguably the most elaborately equipped warrior grave ever found in England, archaeologists believe the Mystery Warrior was a refugee French Gallic fighter who fled Julius Caesar's Roman army as it swept across continental Europe around 50BC. The museum has received fantastic reviews from visitors who were able to view the exhibition prior to lockdown.
“We are really excited to welcome visitors back to The Novium Museum,” says Councillor Roy Briscoe, Cabinet Member for Community Services and Culture at Chichester District Council. “The team have been working really hard to ensure that our visitor experience is a safe and enjoyable one, and we are delighted to be able to extend the run of our Mystery Warrior exhibition to enable as many people as possible to visit.
“Cultural venues play a vital part in a thriving city or town centre, and can be tremendously beneficial to our wellbeing during these challenging times. The team have done a brilliant job connecting us virtually with our heritage over the last few months, but it will be great to be able to visit the museum in person once again.”
While the guidelines mean that the museum’s galleries cannot be as interactive as usual for the time being, activity sheets have been created for children and activity backpacks will also be available to hire.
Online booking to visit The Novium Museum is open now via the museum’s website: www.thenovium.org/reopening. Admission is free of charge, with donations gratefully accepted.
A limited allocation of tickets will be available on the door to allow for Chichester Tourist Information Centre drop-in enquiries. The Tourist Information Centre will operate with a slightly amended service, and visitors are advised that Box Office and National Express bookings can only be made online: www.thenovium.org/chitic or by phone: 01243 775888.
For more information about the museum’s reopening, including how to book, visit www.thenovium.org/reopening or email thenovium@chichester.gov.uk