Galleries & Displays

The galleries and displays cover Godalming’s history all the way from the stone age to present day, and are spread across two (and a half) floors of our historic building.

The Arts & Crafts Gallery looks at the work of Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens and includes a suffrage banner designed by Jekyll herself. The Living Landscape and Local History galleries include objects and stories that highlight Godalming’s unique history, whilst the recently refurbished Jack Phillips gallery tells the story of the young telegrapher on the RMS Titanic and his role in saving hundreds of lives. We also have a wonderful display sharing the history of Witley Camp in the two world wars.

Find out more about the fascinating objects and stories in our galleries and displays by clicking the arrows below.

Photograph showing several large glass cases full of objects.
Photograph of a collection of old glass bottles, most of which previously contained medicines.

  • In the later 19th century this beautiful corner of west Surrey was home to an extraordinary collection of artists and writers. This gallery looks at several key figures such as gardener and craftswoman Gertrude Jekyll, architect Edwin Lutyens, and the artists Myles Birket Foster and Helen Allingham.

  • Explore the prehistory of the local area, the origins of the town and the main themes of its history. Investigate the museum’s fossil collection and displays of archaeological finds from the Stone Age to the Saxons.

  • Godalming’s association with the woollen industry dates back to medieval times; the town’s last knitting factory closed in 1990. This gallery features framework knitting machines from Godalming’s Victorian and 20th century knitwear companies: Allen & Solly; Pitchers’; Paine’s and Jaeger.

  • Travel back to a time before dishwashers and washing machines, before electricity and gas, and discover the ingenious and practical solutions people found to the everyday challenges of cooking and cleaning, as well as lighting and heating their homes.

  • This display shares the life stories of over 300 local characters including the founder of Georgia, the hero of the Titanic, the rabbit woman of Godalming, artists, scientists, voluntary worker, poets and sporting heroes. Visitors can nominate new people to Godalming’s own ‘Hall of Fame’, just pick up a form from the front desk!

  • A display of finds from the areas of Witley Common that were occupied by army camps in the two world wars.

Photograph showing a framed painting of a young man (Jack Phillips) alongside a photograph of the same young man in a decorative copper frame.
Photograph showing a text panel and mannequin wearing a military uniform. The panel is titled "The Witley Camps in the Two World Wars".