Sussex Reflections

Details of the show.

7-18 September

Opening Hours:

Wednesday to Saturday 10am-4pm

Sundays 1pm -4pm

Address:

The Grange Art Gallery

The Green, Rottingdean BN2 7HA

PRIVATE VIEW Thursday 8 September 6pm -8pm RSVP to alej ez m.07946381116 e.aljguez@gmail.com

or get in touch using my contact form

The Grange in Rottingdean was originally the vicarage for St Margaret’s Church. Its most famous resident, the artist Sir William Nicholson gave the current name to the property. He lived there between 1909 – 1914 and called himself “the painter of the Downs”. Today, the Grange houses a museum, art gallery and summer tea garden, all under the auspices of Rottingdean Heritage. Rottingdean is a small village with a very interesting history and residents including Rudyard Kipling, one of the most famous 20th-century English poets who was a contemporary of William Nicholson.

I have titled the show Sussex Reflections for its different connotations. Reflections as thoughts provoked by different stimuli, such as the effects that reading Rudyard Kipling’s poetry about the beauty of the Sussex landscapes have on my work. Or literal reflections that happen in perfect still waters or on polished metals. Reflection also as personal symmetry: I have an identical twin brother, a mirror image of myself as a defining personality trait. Furthermore, there are the reflections in architecture and, as an architect myself, I understand the use of symmetry as a tool of design and composition through architectural styles. Finally, there is the sense of personal reflection: inner peace, which is one important aspect that I try to communicate in my art through contemplation. And this is my invitation to you, with the hope that you may reflect too.

Have you been to The Grange before? The Grange Gallery is found in the village green by the pond in Rottingdean. It is part of Rottingdean Heritage The Grange houses also a lovely  museum about  Rottingdean history, Edward Burne-Jones and Rudyard Kipling, If you find time you can visit the stunningly beautiful The Kipling Gardens, ventured inside St Margaret’s church to admire the beautiful windows by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris and climb up the hill to experience stunning views of the sea next to the Rottingdean Windmill. 

The Grange Gallery. Rottingdean Heritage.

Rottingdean Heritage was formed in 1933 and registered as a charity in 1960, it is responsible for the upkeep and management of many of the  historical features in Rottingdean. Originally a Georgian house built as a vicarage, The Grange was renamed by the famous artist Sir William Nicholson when he lived here before WW1. It now houses an Art Gallery and Museum which are managed by Rottingdean Heritage, as well as the local library and Tourist Information Hub which are the responsibility of Brighton and Hove Council. The Tea gardens are open in the Grange Garden. The Grange Gallery features a varied programme of work by local artists throughout the year, highlights being the May Open Houses and the Christmas Fair which attract many visitors. The Museum houses an interesting collection of local exhibits, including a model of the Daddy Long Legs, a strange pavilion on legs that went from Kemp Town to Brighton, as well as information about the internationally famous Copper family of Folk Singers. There are also rooms dedicated to Edward Burne-Jones and Rudyard Kipling both of whom lived in houses round the Green.

Kiplings Gardens.

Kiplings Gardens were once part of The Elms, where Rudyard Kipling lived from 1897 to 1902. Kipling rented the house for 3 guineas a week and it was here that he wrote Stalky & Co, Kim and some of his famous Just So Stories.The gardens later became derelict for many years under private ownership and eventually permission to build on them was sought. Fortunately, this was refused on appeal and the land was bought by The Preservation Society, who then restored the gardens creating the present Kipling Gardens. The gardens are considered a fine example of ‘horticultural excellence’ and have been frequent holders of the prestigious Green Flag, which is awarded to the best parks and green spaces in England and Wales.

St Margaret’s Church.

Since Saxon and Norman times, people have come to St Margaret’s to praise and worship God,  to be baptized, to marry their beloved and to bury their dead.  They have come to pray for themselves, for their loved ones and for the needs of the world. They have come to admire the beautiful windows by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris. They have come to find peace, fellowship and support.

Rottingdean Windmill.

Rottingdean Windmill stands to the west of the village on Beacon Hill, approached from Marine Drive, and is also known as the Beacon Mill. This famous smock-mill, which is said to have been used by smugglers for signalling, was erected in 1802 and continued grinding corn until 1881, but it then fell into disrepair before being renovated in 1905-6 by the Marquess of Abergavenny. In 1923 it was leased to a preservation trust, but it was not fully repaired until 1935, by Brighton Corporation some years after it had become the landowner in August 1929

https://www.rottingdeanheritage.org.uk/
https://stmargaret.org.uk/

https://www.rottingdeanheritage.org.uk/the-windmill