Hurrah for Shippam’s: The Making of an Exhibition

By Rachel Ng, Collections and Exhibitions Officer at The Novium Museum

If you’d told me three years ago that I’d soon be able to quote the Shippam’s Cameo advert word for word, I would’ve asked two questions: What’s Shippam’s? and Why do I know this?

Fast forward to today, and I’ve spent the past year immersed in the world of this famous Chichester brand - researching its history, interviewing former employees, and re-watching decades of quirky adverts. Why? Because this summer, we’re launching ‘Hurrah for Shippam’s’, a major new exhibition at The Novium Museum celebrating one of Chichester’s most iconic businesses.

But how do you turn 200 years of local history - and a brand remembered across the nation - into a vibrant, accessible, and meaningful exhibition? Here’s how it all came together.

The Idea and the Artefacts

Every exhibition begins with two key questions:Do we have an idea for the exhibition?Do we have the objects to tell that story?

Fortunately, for Hurrah for Shippam’s, we already had both. In fact, Shippam’s is one of the most well-represented stories in our collection. From glass jars and XXX to original adverts and packaging, these objects trace the business’s deep roots in Chichester and its far-reaching influence across the UK.

Shaping the Story

Once we knew we had the material, we began to ask: what stories do we want to tell?

When this project first started, we compiled ideas about what stories we could tell using the Shippam’s archive and after lots of discussion, we narrowed down the content to six main sections:

1.        History of the business: we need to tell the history of Shippam’s and how it became this national brand.

2.        Working with Shippam’s and the community involvement: the excellent working conditions at the factory and Shippam’s involvement in the local community is something we cannot skip over.

3.        Product line: you mean they didn’t just produce Bloater Paste?

4.        Advertising: no brainer! With over 1,000 objects in the advertising archive alone, one of the main factors of the exhibition needs to be Shippam’s advertising history.

5.        Representation: but what about a modern look at the advertising archive? How did Shippam’s reflect social norms, gender, family, the Empire through their adverts?

6.        The end: how did the company end? Where is it now? What happened to the East Walls factory?

Condensing these stories into short, engaging interpretation panels has been no small feat. Each section is a careful balance of rich historical detail and accessible storytelling - designed to spark curiosity without overwhelming.

Initial text hierarchy. Creating a document like this allows us to clearly see what is going to be in an exhibition and any of the sub-sections that follow from each theme.

Selecting the Objects

With over a thousand Shippam’s-related items to choose from, object was a major task. We considered:

• How well the object fit our themes

• Its condition and size

• The material it was made from

• And possibly most importantly - would it engage our visitors?

  
  

We spent days carefully going through our records and allocating objects to each section that enhance the interpretation, ensuring there is a balance between objects from the advertising archive and other objects relating to Shippam’s. We’ve also worked closely with West Sussex Records Office, who care for Shippam’s business archive, selecting key documents and photographs to add further depth.

A visit to West Sussex Records Office, measuring up possible objects for the exhibition.

The Design

Now the fun part! One of the most exciting stages has been watching our ideas come to life through design.

We’re working with an external company to develop a fresh exhibition identity inspired by Shippam’s colourful packaging and catchy slogans. Using our text and object lists, the designers have created fun, accessible layouts for interpretation panels and promotional materials. The bold shapes and nostalgic aesthetic of the advertising archive have been a rich source of inspiration throughout.

Colours and shapes used in Shippam's advertising provide a source of inspiration for exhibition design.

Community Engagement

Shippam’s wasn’t just a business—it was a major part of Chichester life. Generations of local people worked at the factory, consumed the products, or remember the smell of the East Walls site. We want this exhibition to have a large amount of community involvement because ultimately, we’ve been entrusted with this history by the public.

We hosted three public focus groups to test our early ideas and gather stories. The feedback we received helped shape the direction of the exhibition, from the themes we prioritised to the language we use in interpretation.

We’ve also been lucky to record oral histories with former employees, adding a personal voice to the objects on display.

A focus group in progress

Final Preparations

As the 12 July 2025 launch date draws near, work continues towards our final goal of launching Hurrah for Shippam’s. With three months to go, our focus turns to finer details such as object placement, wall colours, interactive elements, and proof-reading designs

Stay tuned for another blog post in the coming months as we begin the exciting task of installing the exhibition.

‘Hurrah for Shippam’s’ opens at The Novium Museum on Saturday 12 July 2025. Admission is free. Find out more about the project by visiting www.thenovium.org/shippams