Seven Cultural Hotspot Highlights of East Sussex to Visit!

From the 9^th -19^th of September this year I went on a lovely holiday to East Sussex with my family. We visited some wonderful stately homes and several good museums. Therefore I thought I’d share with you some of my highlights from the trip that I recommend to visit if you’re passionate about history, art, fashion or design. 

One of the first places we visited was called Farley Farm; this was the home of the model and war photographer Lee Miller and her artist husband Roland Penrose. The house is uniquely decorated with Roland’s artwork and murals that he painted and many of Miller’s photographs are on display around the house and in the gallery / ticket area.  You are taken around the house on guided tour which was very insightful as you are able to learn about the stories behind many of the artefacts in the house.

Fire Place Harvest Mural

Personally I loved the interior design of the house particularly the fire place mural in the dining area, a surrealist interpretation of the harvest and symbols associated with it. The colours are warm and vibrant definitely a stand out piece.

Dresser at Farley Farm

Detail of Fireplace

As well as the house there is also a garden to walk around which features several abstract sculptures. It’s very picturesque on a lovely sunny day.

Farley farm is similar to another artist’s home in East Sussex, Charleston home of the Bloomsbury artists of the early 20th century. Although the art itself is completely different there is a common feeling of artistic liberation and content living. If you have been to Charleston then you should definitely visit Farley Farm and if you have been to Farley Farm definitely visit Charleston!

More details about Farley Farm can be found here: http://www.farleyfarmhouse.co.uk/

and Charleston can be Found here: http://www.charleston.org.uk/

The next place we visited was a National Trust property called Standen House; Standen is famous for its sumptuous Arts and Crafts interior. William Morris & Co lovers you will be in heaven! From the furniture to the carpets the walls to the upholstery all is rendered in rich romantic gothic patterns of greens, reds, blues and gold. It is simply gorgeous; the few snapshots below don’t do it justice in the slightest.  The property also has lovely grounds to walk around in.

The Living Room at Standen House

The other stand out home we visited was Chartwell in Kent and the home of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill unfortunately no photography is allowed in the house or studio so the only images I have to share are copies of some postcards I bought in the shop. It is a really interesting place showcasing a mixture of family, military and wartime history. The standout for me was the room showcasing all Churchill’s uniforms he wore for different engagements. From university dean to various military ones, as a costume student with a passion for millinery I was particularly taken with all the different hats.   However my favourite room was the dining area with the oval windows and elegant furniture it felt like something out of a period film, very stylish indeed.

The Dining room at Chartwell

There is also a small out building at Chartwell which is open to the public, this is Churchill’s Studio, he was an impressive artist and painted regularly. The walls are decorated floor to ceiling with his paintings and part of the room is set up like a work area. I loved the use of colour in his pictures.

Churchills studio

As well as National Trust properties I also visited several museums and galleries not least Bexhill Museum. Set back from the sea front and down from the landmark De la Warr Pavilion the Bexhill Museum houses an impressive collection of historical artefacts, period costume and motor history items. The Costume Gallery was the main attraction for me and I have to say I was very impressed. The gallery is arranged in a timeline going around the outside wall of the room. It tells the story of fashion history in relation to social history and clothing’s role in everyday life; with items ranging from the 1750’s up to the present day. In the centre of the gallery was a temporary exhibition of examining the changing face of the wedding dress. Antique dresses were displayed in cases ranging from Victorian up to the 1930’s and modern pieces, many on loan from their owners displayed on white plinths. As you will see from my photos there was a lot to see, some of which I feel will inspire my current costume work.

Another cultural highlight was the Brighton Museum; again this had an impressive costume collection and exhibition. There permanent collection tells the story of Brighton’s influence on designers who studied in the city as well as showcasing the range of street styles seen over the years. There temporary fashion exhibition was entitled ‘Fashion Cities Africa’ exploring the rise of fashion design in North African countries. The exhibition showcased unusual textures, bold electric uses of colour and hip silhouettes. It also introduced me to an area of fashion I had never really thought about before and now want to learn more about. The work was just so beautifully exotic, definitely worth a visit.  

There is also a large gallery in the museum that tells you all about the history of Brighton, a city with such an unusual vibe and known for its liberal attitude, its unsurprising it has a colourful history. I found this section really interesting, although I knew a bit about Brighton’s past. I defiantly learned a lot from the information and artefacts displayed. Worth a visit if you want to know more about Britain’s most bohemian city.

Another museum highlight was the performance gallery, displaying a collection of props, costumes

and masks communicating the history of carnivals and fancy dress there were some really unusual objects to be seen and all very theatrical.

As we were staying near to Hastings we also visited the Jerwood gallery, a modern art gallery it had on display an exhibition by mixed media artist Marcus Harvey, a collection of self -portraits by various artists and a one room exhibition entitled ‘The Boy who Bit Picasso’ this was by far the most interesting collection on display, not least because it related very well to our visit of Farley Farm. Picasso visited Farley Farm on a number of occasions and was friends with Miller and Penrose. 

The exhibition displayed many photographs taken by Miller of Picasso often with Miller/Penrose’s son Anthony (now owner of Farley Farm). The portraiture collection was also thought provoking, to see now different creatives view themselves.

One of the last places we went to was Scotney Castle, the castle itself is actually a ruin however there is also a stately house on the same sight. The house features striking architecture from the outside and elegant style on the inside and was home to the industrialist Hussey family. The old 14^th century castle ruin is set in stunningly picturesque grounds and is the perfect place for a relaxing walk.  

Well that concludes my cultural hotspot highlights of East Sussex if any of the places mentioned appeal to you check them out I assure you, you won’t be disappointed!