Sunday 9 March 2014

EXCITING EVENTS IN SUSSEX - ENTERTAINING AS WELL AS EDUCATIONAL, FUN AS WELL AS FACTUAL.
Sarah Tobias lecturer in social & cultural history
Keep visiting this site for regular updates 
Details given as accurately as possible, but may change, be postponed or cancelled.
PLEASE CHECK ALL VENUES, FEES, DAYS BEFORE BOOKING. DETAILS OF VENUES AT END.
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2014
     
A P R I L : 
HEALTHWALKS FREE guided tour HISTORIC PIER TO PIER WALK
 Friday 25 April Meet 11am forecourt Palace Pier
Detailed historic walk of Chain, Palace and West Piers, Aquarium, Lower and Upper Town, Fishmarket (history of early Brighton), King's Road, and some buildings (hotels etc.) along the way. 
By local historian and ex-West Pier tour guide
Lasts approx 2hrs Cafes along route. 

Pre-booking and lots of further free walks: 
www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/healthwalks
T H I S   T O U R   I S   F U L L Y   B O O K ED  (I have taken several extras and cannot take any more)

                                                                         S H O R T   C O U R S E
Whitehawk Inn Community Centre, Brighton
A SHORT HISTORY OF BRIGHTON & HOVE
We explore the development and expansion of Brighton and Hove from early life on the downs to vibrant twentieth century; noting how a small, poor fishing town emerged into a fashionable resort.  
Illustrated with slides, video, maps, prints and books.
Cafe area.
5 weeks Wednesdays 2.30-4.30pm start 23 April
Course fee £55  East Brighton postcode/over 65s £45 (MT benefit £7.50).   

Book: 01273 682222  
Just two places left  

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S U M M E R  *  2 0 1 4 

Illusion and Reality - late Victorian Britain 1865-1895
Life for wealthy and poor during the long Victorian period was one of complete contrasts, especially during the latter part of the century. We look at life in countryside and town, discussing the differences between living conditions on the working farm to that of town dwelling and its various amenities and amusements. In this context we discuss the family, courtship, love and marriage. The illusion that Victorians were all strait-laced, uptight, humourless, easily shockable people is quite the opposite!


The home was paramount and the family was its focus. A place to escape from the stress of long working hours in factory and office. New technologies and ideas of hygiene changed how houses were run, decorated and furnished. 'Below stairs' is even more fascinating than 'above'. Houses were run with military precision and an army of servants, or perhaps just one cook-housekeeper for the lower middle-class. Leisure time was enjoyed by all classes in many different ways.



We compare domestic, social and cultural life, including how paintings and literature of the period depicted society; for example, Thomas Hardy's strong-minded Tess of the D'Urbervilles and Anthony Trollope's fascinating portrayal of middle-class greed and corruption in The Way We Live Now.

Illustrated with slides, books, extracts from period diaries and journals, prints, paintings and video clips. 


City College, Brighton 5 weeks Monday 1.30-3.30pm start 28 April 2014
Ref: COM186 Fee: £55 
Book in person at Pelham Street Student Centre (ground floor, turn left after you enter) or T: 01273 667767 or download booking form from websitehttp://www.ccb.ac.uk/public/courses/adult/
FULLY BOOKED - BUT TWO EXTRA PLACES BEING ADDED
(let me know if you are having problems booking the extra places)

 Whiteway Centre, Rottingdean 5 weeks Wednesday 10.30am-12.30pm 
start 30 April 2014 Fee £38 
Download booking form: http://www.rwc.org.uk/index.html
or pick up a booking form from Whiteway Centre - can be posted in door

M A Y :
Lewes History Group
Feasting, Fighting and Freedom at Lewes Priory
Talk by Lewes Priory Trust education officers, Helen Chiasson & Kate Hickmott, on how the Priory of St Pancras developed in importance to host the King during the battle of Lewes and its role then and afterward.
Monday 12 May 7pm
Kings Church Building, Brooks Road Lewes, BN7 2BY £2/3 (members/non-members)
Further information: www.leweshistory.org.uk/meetings

CONCERT OF WORDS & MUSIC

CIMAROSA - THE ITALIAN MOZART
 Domenico Cimarosa, Italian composer of the Neapolitan school, composed over eighty operas.
He is most famous for 'The Secret Marriage'.
Devised by Ambrose Page who also plays piano

St Laurence Church, Falmer, Brighton
Lovely historic church opposite the pond. Free parking.
Saturday 24 May 5.30pm
Narrated by Sarah Tobias and Geoffrey James ("Cimarosa") Aria by Sue Mileham
Admission free but donations to church fund welcome
St Michael's & All Angels Church, Brighton 
(Brighton Festival Fringe event)
Saturday 31 May 1pm
Narrated by Sarah Tobias and Peter Morris ("Cimarosa") 
Admission £5 - either through Fringe box office or on door


J U N E / J U L Y :
G U I D E D   H O U S E   T O U R  
PRESTON MANOR
 (End of Preston Park, Brighton) Free parking, buses stop nearby, Preston Park railway station nearby
"HIDDEN HOUSE"- behind the scenes tour 
Friday 6 June 11am-12.45pm & 2-3.45pm
C Sarah Tobias 2011
Unique guided tour. Discover hidden rooms and secret places not normally open to the public.
If you have ever visited a historic property and longed to go through that door marked ‘private’, now you can at Preston Manor! Sarah Tobias has devised a fascinating 'backstage' tour - not on the public route - taking you into rooms, corridors, vaulted cellars and up concealed staircases, to attics where female servants slept. 
Admission: £15 Members £12 includes tea & biscuits.
Early booking advised as the tours fill up quickly (12 Max per tour) 
Guides Sarah Tobias and Paula Wrightson (Preston Manor Creative Programme Manager)
  Book: 03000 290902
N.B. There are lots of stairs, some low door frames -and it is VERY COLD in some parts of the house. 
http://www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/whatson/pages/behindthescenesatprestonmanor.aspx

Summer Field Trips 2014
  Living with the Victorians
  June 18, 25, July 2, 9

Tutor/guide Sarah Tobias


Four guided visits to houses, museums and collections which illustrate late Victorian social, domestic and working life. We study customs, architecture, interiors, furnishings, art, fashion, domestic equipment and machinery and generally view life in the home. 
Visits include Robert Opie Museum of Brands & Packaging, London 
All trips accessible by public transport. 

PLEASE CONTACT NOW IF YOU ARE INTERESTED.
Meet Brighton Station approximately 10am, finish varies.
 Fee £38 (does not include travel, admission to venues, house guides or refreshments)
            Download booking form: http://www.rwc.org.uk/index.html



Sussex University 2014- International Summer School 
for students 17-24 years from non-uk countries

The London Look - Fashion & Style 1800-2014  
Session 1: 4 weeks 23 June-18 July

Tutors Alexandra Loske & Sarah Tobias
Fees £1435 for 15 credit module plus housing £146 per week




J U L Y :
G U I D E D   H O U S E   T O U R S 
PRESTON MANOR
 (End of Preston Park, Brighton) Free parking, buses stop nearby, Preston Park railway station nearby
"HIDDEN HOUSE"- behind the scenes tour 
Friday 4 July 11am-12.45pm & 2-3.45pm
C Sarah Tobias 2011
Unique guided tour. Discover hidden rooms and secret places not normally open to the public.
If you have ever visited a historic property and longed to go through that door marked ‘private’, now you can at Preston Manor! Sarah Tobias has devised a fascinating 'backstage' tour - not on the public route - taking you into rooms, corridors, vaulted cellars and up concealed staircases, to attics where female servants slept. 
Admission: £15 Members £12 includes tea & biscuits.
Early booking advised as the tours fill up quickly (12 Max per tour) 
Guides Sarah Tobias and Paula Wrightson (Preston Manor Creative Programme Manager)
  Book: 03000 290902
N.B. There are lots of stairs, some low door frames -and it is VERY COLD in some parts of the house. 
http://www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/whatson/pages/behindthescenesatprestonmanor.aspx

Brighton Museum 
SPOKEN VOICES FROM THE FIRST WORLD WAR
Saturday 12 July, Thursday August 21
Pop-up readings throughout the museum: letters, poetry and archive material from real-life First World War experiences both at war and on the Home Front
Reader Sarah Tobias     Admission Free 


CONCERT OF WORDS & MUSIC
Unitarian Church, New Road, Brighton

THE LONDON PIANOFORTE SCHOOL (1766-1860)
John Field, Dussek and Clementini
Clementini pianoforte (c.1812) owned by David Hackett
Devised by Ambrose Page who also plays piano
Narrated by Peter Morris and Sarah Tobias  
Friday 25 July 12.30pm
Admission £5 on door

A U G U S T :
G U I D E D   H O U S E   T O U R S 
PRESTON MANOR
 (End of Preston Park, Brighton) Free parking, buses stop nearby, Preston Park railway station nearby
"HIDDEN HOUSE"- behind the scenes tour 
Friday 1 August 11am-12.45pm & 2-3.45pm
C Sarah Tobias 2011
Unique guided tour. Discover hidden rooms and secret places not normally open to the public.
If you have ever visited a historic property and longed to go through that door marked ‘private’, now you can at Preston Manor! Sarah Tobias has devised a fascinating 'backstage' tour - not on the public route - taking you into rooms, corridors, vaulted cellars and up concealed staircases, to attics where female servants slept. 
Admission: £15 Members £12 includes tea & biscuits.
Early booking advised as the tours fill up quickly (12 Max per tour) 
Guides Sarah Tobias and Paula Wrightson (Preston Manor Creative Programme Manager)
  Book: 03000 290902
N.B. There are lots of stairs, some low door frames -and it is VERY COLD in some parts of the house. 
http://www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk/whatson/pages/behindthescenesatprestonmanor.aspx

"THE 1914 HOUSE
A very special tour of Preston Manor 
One house twelve people and one extraordinary moment in history: experience 1914 as it was lived in a Brighton household rocked by the outbreak of war. 

This new tour takes you on a revealing exploration of the everyday in a house preserved as a snapshot in time. Through real-life stories and practical demonstrations find out what people ate, wore, read, how they communicated, slept, washed and even what they smelt like as the world plunged into a conflict that would leave no inhabitant untouched.
Touring rooms in which they would have lived and worked, we look at the lives of master, mistress, lady's maid, butler, footman, cook, housemaids, scullery maid and chauffeur/gardener (walled kitchen garden).

Friday 8, 15, 22, 29 August 11am-12.45pm & 2-3.45pm
Admission: £15 Members £12 includes refreshments
Guides Sarah Tobias and Paula Wrightson (Preston Manor Creative Programme Manager)
Booking opens April

Brighton Museum 
SPOKEN VOICES FROM THE FIRST WORLD WAR
Thursday August 21 
Pop-up readings throughout the museum: letters, poetry and archive material from real-life First World War experiences both at war and on the Home Front
Reader Sarah Tobias    Admission Free


SEPTEMBER :
Brighton Museum 
WAR STORIES OPEN DAY
Saturday 13 September
Meet historians, experts and enthusiasts exploring WWI history through a programme of special events including hands-on family activities.
10.30am-4pm   Free Drop-in event

PRESTON MANOR
Special Event 
Sunday 28 September 2-4.30pm
Last public opening day before the house sleeps for winter


OCTOBER :
* FORTHCOMING COURSES * 
AUTUMN 2014
The Time Machine: Progress and Change in Late Victorian England 1880-1900 
This was a time of great change and progress at the end of the century, leading into new ways of thought, progressive ideas and action, energy, optimism and innovation. There was also stagnation and pessimism, overcrowding and illness. The wealthy were very rich and the poor lived in abject poverty.
The Victorian age was a time of contrasts and contradictions. On the one hand, piety, prudery, stiffness and hypocrisy; on the other, free thinking, high living immorality. In-between was the ordinary, hard-working, fun-loving,Victorian, who wanted to enjoy all that was on offer in this fast-moving world which included the cinema and the motor-car.
10 weeks Monday 1.30-3.30pm City College, Pelham Street, Brighton start 22 September 
10 weeks Wednesday 10.30am-12.30pm Whiteway Centre Rottingdean start 24 September

A History of Brighton and Hove in the Interwar Years: 1920s & 1930s
5 weeks Friends Centre, Tuesday 10am-12pm - dates to be confirmed

Reading Books and Watching Films: the inter-war years 1920-1939
We study social and cultural history within novels and films of the post-WWI period. There was a great wealth of literature, written in a new and modern style, and many (now mostly unknown) fascinating films of this period  which provide us with unwitting testimony of how people lived, 
                                               worked and spent their leisure.                                                                                   5 weeks Thursday 10.30am-12.30pm Whiteway Centre, Rottingdean start 25 September

The Novel as Social History 2: Edwardian & WWI
We study the social and cultural history of the novel by exploring the background information we are absorbing unwittingly and which is not the main theme, but which gives us a deeper and clearer understanding of period and of everyday life. This term, we look at novels from the Edwardian period (1900-1914) e.g., “Kipps” (1905) by H.G. Wells (humorous novel which includes unwitting testimony on class and etiquette), and those about ordinary people and their lives during the turbulent period of WWI, such as “William – an Englishman” (1918) by Cicely Hamilton ('Futility of war, “encountered by Mr & Mrs Everyman”').
5 fortnightly Saturdays at City College starting 4 October 11am-1pm & 2-4pm
EARLY BOOKING ADVISED!

A History of Brighton and Hove Wartime, 1940s & 1950s
5 weeks Friends Centre, Tuesday 10am-12pm - dates to be confirmed

Winter Customs, Christmas Traditions - a fascinating history
We study the origins, meanings and significance of many winter and Christmas traditions from pagan to mid-twentieth century, including the Yule log and the Christmas tree’s entry into England, Tudor banquets and the meaning of evergreens and spirit of Father Christmas
Saturday workshop 6 December 11am-4pm

Learning and Dining
A new, very exciting learning experience!
The Victorians and How They Lived
City College,Pelham Street, Brighton.  2 hour class followed by Victorian-style 3-course dinner at 6pm
October date and further details coming soon - watch this space!

NOVEMBER :
THE 1914 HOUSE CHRISTMAS
A new and exciting event
"It will all be over by Christmas": 1914 was probably the most poignant Christmas of the 20th century. Find out how people marked the season not only in Britain but across nations affected by war.
SATURDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2-3.45pm
Admission: £15 Members £12 includes refreshments
Narrated, read and guided by Sarah Tobias and
Paula Wrightson (Preston Manor Creative Programme Manager)

2015:
 *FORTHCOMING COURSES * 

SPRING 2015
Unleashing the Genie: Power and Growth in Late Victorian England 1880-1900 
Technology, electricity, science, medicine, the telephone, and the relentless advance of the human potential continued apace, hurtling toward the end of the Victorian era and into a new, Edwardian age offering, what seemed like, limitless powers to change society in every direction.
10 weeks Wednesday 10.30am-12.30pm Rottingdean Whiteway start 14 January 
10 weeks Monday 1.30-3.30pm City College, Pelham Street, Brighton start 19 January 

Reading Books and Watching Films 2: the post-war years 1945-1965
We further study social and cultural history within novels and films; this time, post-WWII. A modern, open and 'realistic' style of novel and a fascinating phase of 'New Wave' filmmaking described as 'gritty realism' or 'angry young men', portraying ordinary people and relationships provide us with unwitting testimony of life, love, work and leisure.                                                                               5 weeks Thursday 10.30am-12.30pm Whiteway Centre, Rottingdean start 26 February

The Novel as Social History 3: The Inter-War Years 1920-1940
We study the social and cultural history of the novel by exploring the background information we are absorbing unwittingly and which is not the main theme, but which gives us a deeper and clearer understanding of period and of everyday life. This term, we look at a wonderful wealth of reading from the inter-war years 1918-39, e.g. the humorous 'Lucia' novels of E.F. Benson which reveal 1920s social competitiveness on an epic and silly scale; or Patrick Hamilton's fabulous 1935 trilogy,“Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky”, whose seedy setting and characters vividly evoke a bygone era. There is also E.M. Delafield's “Consequences (1919), Evelyn Waugh's “Scoop” (1930), Winifred Holtby's “South Riding” (1936).
5 fortnightly Saturdays at City College starting 31January 11am-1pm & 2-4pm

Learning and Dining
A new, very exciting learning experience!
Death and Mourning in Victorian England
2 hour class including special feature "Dido's Lament: Victorian Rituals of Death and Mourning" locally made short film noir followed by Victorian-style mourning breakfast. 
Date and further details coming soon - watch this space!

SUMMER 2015
The Golden Afternoon: introducing the Edwardians 1900-1914
5 weeks Monday 1.30-3.30pm City College, Brighton start 13 April 
5 weeks Wednesday 10.30am-12.30pm Whiteway Centre Rottingdean start 22 April
Novels and Films of the Inter-War Years 1918-1939
Saturday workshop City College, Pelham Street, Brighton 18 April 11am-4pm

SUMMER FIELD TRIPS
In the Footsteps of the Victorians 
Four field trips June 10, 17, 24, July 01 (tbc) Wednesday book via Whiteway Centre Rottingdean 

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"DIDO'S LAMENT":  RITUALS OF DEATH AND MOURNING
Short, hauntingly beautiful black and white film noir, on the superstitions and rituals associated with death and mourning
filmed in Brighton and Shoreham by
DeadGood films
Written and produced by 
Sarah Tobias & Valentina Lari
 Directed by Valentina Lari
Music specially composed by glynne Cicada
                  More screenings soon 

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Sarah Tobias Dip Eur Hum, BA Hons, MA
 Lecturer in social, cultural and local (Brighton) history

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Venue Addresses, transport and refreshments
City College
Pelham Street, Brighton BN1 4FA
Location:
Behind York Place & London Road, turn up Cheapside – Aldi supermarket on corner. Or, turn left in Trafalgar St walking down from Station.
Transport & Parking:
Lots of buses nearby.
Nearby car park, about 5 minutes walk.
Railway station few minutes walk
Refreshments and further information:
Restaurant. Tea and coffee bar on balcony of Main Building.
Coffee shops, small cafés and public houses in nearby London Road 
London Road and Trafalgar Street: many shops, some banks and supermarkets

Friends Centre
Brighton Junction, Isetta Square,35 New England Street, Brighton BN1 4GQ
Transport & Parking:
Brighton railway station nearby, buses stop in station, at end of Stroudley Road/Fleet Street and many buses in nearby London Road.
Car park behind London Road in Whitecross Street, another off New England Street.
No parking but area for disabled parking in front of main door- contact Centre first to arrange this.
Refreshments and further information:
Small cafe area

Preston Manor
Preston Drove, Brighton BN1 6SD
Location:
Situated at end of Preston Park.
Transport & Parking:
Buses and rail nearby
Free parking outside and in adjacent street.
Refreshments:
No cafe. Refreshments provided by staff at some events where stated.
Chalet restaurant in park and public houses opposite

Rottingdean Whiteway Centre
Whiteway LaneRottingdean, BN2 7HB
Location:
By Library/Grange Museum
Transport & Parking:
Buses stop nearby and on seafront.
Small car park, but always full. Possible space if you get there early
Fairly near street parking
Refreshments:
Kitchen with tea and coffee making facilities (provided)
Historic tea rooms and public houses in High Street.
Further information:
Kiplings walled garden and village green and pond nearby.
Few minutes walk to sea and beach. Shops, small supermarket and bank in High Street.

Whitehawk Inn Community Centre
Whitehawk Road Brighton, BN2 3NS
Transport & Parking:
Buses stop nearby and some outside venue
Metered street car parking
Refreshments:
Café and garden area
Further information:
Shops, Co-op, public library in same road.
Few minutes walk to sea, beach and Marina or East Brighton Park

LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU

Sarah Tobias Dip Eur Hum, 
BA Hons, MA
Entertaining social/cultural/local historian.
Ask for details of talks/guided walks/visits for groups, clubs, societies.
Current list of 30+ topics
 *