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“We had over forty people come down, so it was a really good day – we had lots of positive comments,” said Greg Burt, chairman of the Bognor Regis Local History Society, which runs the museum.

"One man found a ceramic elephant with present from Bognor on the top, so we had a discussion about why they might use an elephant as an icon. It turns out, circuses used to come to the town all the time and we found some pictures of elephants bathing in the sea. That’s what I love about the museum – you never know what’s going to come through that door.”

The museum was originally due to open earlier this year, but the date was pushed back due to building works on a new exhibition area.

Jane Barnes, Steward. Bognor Regis museum has opened for a new season, with some new exhibits. Pic S Robards

The all-new exhibition area, which is set to to open later in the season, will house an original Bognor Regis bathing machine, which would have preserved a visitor’s privacy as they bathed in the restorative waters of the sea.

"It’s a really lovely space. And it’s really exciting to have the bathing machine, it will bring a wow factor to the museum. It’s almost like a USP. So anticipation is definitely building,” Mr Burt said.

Along with the reopening, the museum’s opening times have changed. This year, it will open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, plus bank holiday Mondays, from 10am to 4pm.

Exciting things ahead as Bognor Regis museum reopens for summer