Members’ Meeting Programmes

Heritage Forum members’ programmes

Events/meetings organised by members of the Forum 2019 and 2020

Barns Green and Itchingfield Local History Society

Programme of meetings to be added.

Beeding and Bramber Local History Society

Meetings are usually held at 7:45pm in Beeding and Bramber Village Hall, High Street, Upper Beeding, BN44 3WN, on the first Wednesday of the month.

Non-members are welcome for a £3 entrance fee.

Wednesday 1st April 2020

“Further Ramblings of a Railwayman” by Geoff Burch

Wednesday 6th May 2020

“Place names in the Landscape” by Judie English

Wednesday 2nd September 2020.

“The Archaeology of the South Downs National Park” by Dr John Manley

Wednesday 7th October 2020.

“British Seaside Holiday” by Jackie Marsh-Hobbs

Wednesday 4th November 2020.

“The Battle of Hastings” by Mark Perry-Nash

Billingshurst Local History Society

Meetings are held at the Billingshurst Community Centre at 7.30 pm. Everyone welcome. Visitors £5 Annual sub £20.

Thursday 9 April 2020

A film about the restoration of the Blue Idol.

Cowfold Village History Society

Meetings now take place in The Allmond Centre at 7:45pm for 8:00pm.

Everyone welcome. Members free and non-members £3.50 including refreshments.

Friday 17th April 2020

“The Veteran Car Run since the first in 1896” by David Ralph

Friday 18th September 2020

“Shepherds of the Sussex Downs- their lives and times” by Ian Everest

Friday 16th October 2020

“The story of Swallowfield” by Tony Turner

Henfield History Group

Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of the month at 8 pm (doors open from 7.40 pm) in the Free Church Hall, High Street, Henfield, BN5 9HP (via the side entrance in Coopers Way).

Everyone welcome. Admission £3 Non-Members (Members by Subscription)

Enquiries to Maureen Fletcher, Tel. 01273-492194.

Tuesday 14 April 2020

AGM followed by a talk TBA.

Horsham District Archaeology Group

The Group meets regularly to carry out research into the history of Horsham and the surrounding West Sussex/Surrey countryside. New members are always welcome, with or without archaeological experience. All talks start at 7.30 pm and are at the Brighton Road Baptist church, Horsham RH13 5BD. Non-members £3.

For further information on these events please contact: horshamarch@hotmail.co.uk or 01903 872309

Saturday 28th March 2020

SUSSEX ARCHAEOLOGY SYMPOSIUM 2020 – 10am-5pm at Kings Church, Brooks Road, Lewes, BN7 2BY.

The Sussex Archaeology Symposium is an annual event, organised by the Sussex School of Archaeology, which showcases recent archaeological research in Sussex. The speakers are Stewart Angell, Lynn Cornwell, Thomas Hayes, Daryl Holter, Carolina Lima, Tessa Machling, David Martin, Steve Patton, David Rudling, Jo Seaman, Simon Stevens, Richard Toms and Roland Williamson. Various stands and bookstalls. The Symposium fee (to include refreshments and a buffet lunch) is £35. For further details and to make bookings please contact/see: info@sussexarchaeology.co.uk; www.sussexarchaeology.org

Horsham Society

The Society publishes articles in its own newsletter and has also contributed articles to the West Sussex County Times since February 2008.

All events start at 7.30 pm at St Andrew’s School Hall, Nuthurst RH13 6LH. Free entry to members – £3 on the door to non-members Contact the Secretary Nick Cowley at:nuthursthistsoc@gmail.com. Tel: 01403 891266 or the Speaker Secretary Derek Bradnum at derekbradnum@aol.com Tel: 01403 891181

Friday 27 March 2020

“Coffee and London’s coffee houses” by Norman Berry

Friday 24 April 2020

“The Japanese invasion of Malaya and the consequences for our family” by Robert Arbuthnott

Friday 29 May 2020

“Treasures in store” by Nichola Court

Friday 26 June 2020

“An MP’s history of Parliament” by Jeremy Quinn MP

Friday 31 July 2020

“The mushroom industry in Thakeham” by Malcolm Linfield

Friday 25 September 2020

“Crawley: Past, Present and Future” by Helen Poole

Friday 30 October 2020

“A history of the Copsale Village Hall” by Michele Harrison and Dennis Livingstone

Friday 27 November 2020

“Mannings Heath’s Elite Garage” by Tony Turner

Parham House and Gardens

See Parham House web site for entrance fees.

Rudgwick Preservation Society

Meetings are held in Rudgwick Village Hall at 7:30pm.

All welcome (Free for members and £2 entry for non-members).

Rusper Chronicle

Shipley Local History Society

Meetings are held in the Andrew Hall, commencing at 7.30 pm.

Membership dues remain at £10.00 per person for the entire season. Visitors are always welcome at £3.00 per person.

Thursday 16 April 2020

“The history of the Knights Templar in Sussex” by Oliver Tempest

Event postponed due to the coronavirus situation

Thursday 18 June 2020 at 6pm

Local summer evening walk to Shipley church where Peter Sanderson will give a guided tour of the historical features of the church, followed by the annual social evening at the Old Vicarage, hosted by Colin and Lucy West.

September 2020

A visit is being organised with date and details to be confirmed later.

Thursday 26 November 2020

AGM.

Southwater Local History Group

Our meetings are held at 7.30pm on the first Monday of each month in the Beeson House, Lintot Square. Everyone Welcome . Non Members £3 please.

Steyning History Society

Visitors are welcome at all our meetings, for a small entrance fee of £3.00. The annual membership fee is £10 per person (and the Society year runs from September through to May).

The meetings are held in the Saxon Room, Steyning Centre, Fletcher’s Croft, Steyning, commencing 7.45 pm and running until approximately 9.30 pm with a refreshment break in the middle; we ask for a £1 donation per person at each meeting towards tea, coffee and cake, in the interval.

Wednesday 8 April 2020

“Brides, booty and battles”- the Tudors and the golden age of Spain” by Helen Pool

Event cancelled due to the coronavirus situation

Wednesday 13 May 2020

AGM followed by “The historic story behind The Race- based on the book by Ian Ivatt” by Ian and Mary Ivatt.

Event cancelled due to the coronavirus situation.

Wednesday 9 September 2020

“Sussex villages on film” by Roy Powell

Wednesday 14 October 2020

“Wiston House and the English Civil War 1642-1649” by Dr Janet Pennington

Wednesday 11 November 2020

“The way we were” by Timespan

Wednesday 9 December 2020

“Glorious Goodwood: England’s greatest sporting estate and the Dukes of Richmond” by James Peill

Wednesday 13 January 2021

“Newhaven Fort” by Ian Everest

Wednesday 10 February 2021

“Doodlebugs and Rockets” by Bob Ogley

Wednesday 10 March 2021

” Hillaire Belloc- Sussex Laureate” by Kevin Newman

Wednesday 14 April 2021

“General Wolseley- Victoria’s greatest general?” by Peter Crowhurst

Wednesday 12 May 2021

Annual general Meeting followed by “History of the Panama Canal” by John Cutting

West Grinstead Local History Group

Public meetings with a guest speaker are held on the third Tuesday of alternate months (January, March, May, July, September and November), commencing at 7:30pm, and take place in Partridge Green Village Hall, High Street, Partridge Green RH13 8HP unless otherwise stated. Members £3.50, non-members £5.00.

Museum Events

Christ’s Hospital Museum

Welcome to 460 Years of History!

The Museum has a remarkable collection of some 35,000 artefacts and archives dating from 1552 to present day. Paintings, photographs, prints, china, sculpture, costume, social history, books, medals, coins, ephemera and much more chart the history of our unique school from its founding and 350 years in London, through its time at Hertford and finally Horsham since 1902. We are staffed by a small team of curators and volunteers who regularly respond to numerous research and family history enquiries, donations, conservation and exhibitions on and off site, learning sessions for pupils across all academic departments, tours for staff, public visitors and Verrio tours.

Extensive displays occupying what used to be the old isolation wards for the Infirmary or “Sicker” allow you to explore the school’s illustrious history, boasting patronage from all British monarchs dating back to Edward VI, links with important historical figures such as Samuel Pepys, Isaac Newton, Captain Cook, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Charles Lamb, Edmund Blunden and Barnes Wallis. Yet perhaps the most interesting areas celebrate the day-to-day life at Christ’s Hospital for its many generations of pupils and staff. Where else at CH can you marvel at a perfectly preserved 1902 Nurse’s Kitchen, a “Lav End” or observe how the uniform and customs at the school have changed, yet equally some remain unchanged for over four and a half centuries?

If you’ve no idea what a “Beadle” did and you’ve never seen the “Punishment Bands” for Hertford girls, or indeed realised the devastating impact two World Wars had on CH in the 20th century or the harsh reality of life for pupils in the past….then you need to visit the Museum!

Our opening times are: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10am – 4pm

View by prior arrangement: 247444; chmuseum@christs-hospital.org.uk

Current Exhibition at CH Museum: Brangwyn’s Cartoons at Christ’s Hospital

23 April 2019 – 27 April 2020

This ground-breaking exhibition is the culmination of Horsham District Council’s Year of Culture 2019 project to restore seven beautiful cartoon drawings for the mural cycle in Christ’s Hospital Chapel. Click on the left hand image to find out more. Brangwyn’s Cartoons at Christ’s Hospital also feature on Horsham District Council’s Year of Culture Events webpage: https://www.hdculture2019.co.uk/events/

In celebrating Horsham District’s Year of Culture 2019, the exhibition, Brangwyn’s Cartoons at Christ’s Hospital, displays these hidden treasures now that they have been conserved and stabilised for future generations to enjoy.

Museum Curator, Laura Kidner, says “this exhibition reveals the splendour of the cartoons to new audiences from the Horsham District and beyond. To see them in the context of the mural sequence is to understand and fully appreciate the grand scale of Brangwyn’s achievement”.

The conservation process, as carried out by a Sussex based Paper Conservator and Framer, involved careful surface cleaning of the vulnerable cartoons, their original mounts, frames and old glass as well as interleaving acid-free barrier board.

This pioneering exhibition invites comparison between the figurative, subtle sketches and the rich and decorative murals. It inevitably encourages fresh interpretation and discussion about Brangwyn’s renowned work and career. Important loans from private collections referencing the CH designs alongside original photos and letters from Brangwyn and a film about his later life serve to enrich the display.

Laura Kidner said: “Let’s not forget that Brangwyn never intended these cartoons drawings to be revered in the same way as his finished murals. They do, however, offer insight into Brangwyn’s working practices and how he interpreted and changed his
designs and subjects within the process of making. It is remarkable how they have survived so well.”

Henfield Museum and Friends

Henfield Museum: Temporary exhibition

Horsham Museum and Art Gallery

John R Abbey – Horsham’s Greatest Book Collector

This event runs from 10th January 2020 to 28th March 2020

Thanks to e-books, people are discovering the book as a physical object, beautiful print, stunning pictures attractive bindings.

For over 30 years one time Storrington resident Major J R Abbey built up one of the greatest collections of books based on those attributes. This small exhibition celebrates his passion with books and photographs. Major Abbey died on Christmas eve 1969.

Causeway House, Horsham: 600 Years and Counting

This event runs from 17th January 2020 to 21st March 2020

Now home to Horsham Museum and Art Gallery this house began its life 600 years ago as an office, workshop for a medieval merchant, later in middle age becoming a tailors home, before in its more mature years helping out in the war effort, 1940s and 50s civil defence rather than Home Guard. Its rich and varied life has been etched in to its “skin and bones”.

This exhibition celebrates its 600 birthday by revealing its hidden history and just like “Who do you think you are” there are some surprises.

Highlights from the Archives

This event runs from 5th March 2020 to 18th April 2020

Horsham Museum & Art Gallery is home to thousands of photographs that depict the people and places of Horsham District, as well as images brought back to Horsham from around the world. The images range from sports team photos, travel souvenirs and family portraits, to street surveys and records of buildings. The photographic collections are an extremely valuable resource for local historians as they chart the changing fashions, activities, landscapes and sights of the area and its people.

The photographs in our collections range in date from the 1860s through to present day, and encompass the work of professional photographers through to the family snaps of local people. Many of the images have come to us via donation and the level of information that donors are able to give us varies. Several local photographers have donated their entire archives to us, along with accompanying newspaper clippings and documents, so we know lots about the images and their subjects. Other items in the collection have been found in antiques shops and house clearances and therefore little is known about them.

Our dedicated volunteers have been cataloging, researching and scanning the photographs in our collections for more than 20 years and a great deal of work has been done to make them available to the public. We hope to develop an online collections search in the future, thus ensuring that this hard work is accessible to as many people as possible.

In order to highlight the variety and importance of our photographic collections our staff and volunteers have each selected a small number of images that are of particular interest to them. Each panel in the exhibition is dedicated to the selections of one member of the team, and they explain, in their own words, why they have made their choices. We hope that this will not only demonstrate the breadth of the collections, but also emphasise the importance of the work that our volunteers do every day.

Alison Milner-Gulland – A Life in Art

This event runs from 7th March 2020 to 27th June 2020

Always changing, inspired by her surroundings, the past and the present, Washington based artist Alison Milner-Gulland has created an outstanding contribution to the artistic culture of the region.

Horsham Museum & Art Gallery are delighted to be holding a major retrospective of this much loved and admired artist, with artwork selected by her friend Rupert Toovey, of Toovey’s Auctioneers, that showcase her talent.

Radically Different Landscapes: The New Art of Robin Alexander Elliott

This event runs from 21st March 2020 to 23rd May 2020

Developing and evolving his traditional techniques of landscape painting Robin’s art shifted dramatically from traditional landscape works to these new inspired architectural, regional scenes. These works are simplified executions of nature and refined representations that express a deep personal response to the terrain and the wonders of nature. It is a truly inspirational show that reveals an artist at the top of his profession.

Steyning Museum