Renowned Horsham artist who had his own museum

On this day (March 24) back in 1865 the distinguished artist and collector John Guille Millais was born in Scotland.

Sixty-six years later, on his birthday, he died at his home, Comptons Brow, on the edge of St Leonards Forest, Horsham.

John Guille was the seventh child of the painter Sir John Everett Millais and he took up an interest in art himself.

However, he was also passionate about wildlife and much of his work and life would revolve around these two interests.

After travelling the world and an interesting time during World War I, during which he worked as a spy for the Royal Navy in Norway, John Guille settled down to write a series of books on a variety of wildlife topics.

He and his wife, Frances, had moved to Horsham years before and in 1904 organised the building of a house, Comptons Brow, on the edge of St Leonards Forest.

On his many travels John Guille had amassed thousands of specimens including a salmon, weighing 59lbs which he caught in 1908 (part of Horsham Museum’s archives).

He used all of the items to create his own Museum at his house which, along with his magnificent garden, made Comptons Brow a popular place for friends and family.

John Guille was a good friend of Sir Edmund Loder, who had bought Leonardslee Gardens.

The two men shared a fascination for rhododendrons and John Guille cultivated new ones that he named after his wife and daughter.

He died on his birthday in 1931, aged just 66. Sadly, his home, with its eight acres of gardens, did not survive.

However, many of his books, sketches and his fighting birds sculpture are part of Horsham Museum’s collection.