Refugee Voices from World War II: Cultural Crossroads in Dorking (Exhibition)

Join us for this day of creativity and discovery of Surrey’s long history of refugee solidarity.

This all-day pop-up exhibition  (10am-4pm) shares the stories of people forced to flee their homes and those who helped them to find refuge in Surrey. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss with curators, historians and teachers and reflect on how acts of kindness from ordinary people formed Dorking’s response to an international crisis.

This exhibition will center on the theme ‘Accessing Refugee History in Surrey’ and the archive of the Dorking Refugee Committee (1938-1949), an important collection  held at Dorking Museum  that records the difficulties faced and the support received by those fleeing the Nazi regime. 

Explore the new website, developed by Surrey academics, that brings the details of the archive to life. Come and learn about the teaching resources created by the Ashcombe school to explore the Committee’s archives within the History curriculum.

Attendees can also sign up for a zine-making workshop running 11am-12pm.

This event is part of Being Human Festival, the UK’s national festival of the humanities, taking place 5-14 November 2026. Led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy.

For further information, please see beinghumanfestival.org

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