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Check venues, fees, dates before booking - accurate as.possible, but may change, be postponed or cancelled.
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🌞SUMMER COURSES🎈🙋🎈ENROLLING NOW!🌞
Start in few weeks
Ad Ed Classes
RELAXED, FUN, FULL OF INTERESTING STUFF (& NICE PEOPLE)! NO HOMEWORK. SCROLL DOWN FOR DETAILS OF HOW TO ENROL ✍
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N.B. History courses may contain outdated attitudes, cultural depictions and language which cause offence today. They have to be viewed from an historic perspective. When discussing the content these views are not those of the tutor. If you feel you may be uncomfortable, please do not enrol.
MET courses taught at Pelham Street Brighton BN1 4FA
Any problems enrolling, please contact me.
Enrolment: 01273 667704 Admissions: admissions@gbmc.ac.uk
To be eligible for a 50% discount on courses you must meet the below criteria :
- Unemployed and in receipt of a means tested benefit
- You receive a state pension and the total of any other income (including salary and private pensions) is less than £952 per month or £1,534 as a couple.
- Employed and earning below £22,038 annual gross salary
☼ SUMMER 2026 ☼
ENROLLING NOW
Independently run by the tutor at The Church of the Holy Cross, Woodingdean (Brighton). Bus nos 2, 22 stop outside. Small car park back of hall.
Roaring Twenties to Thirties Depression - Interwar Britain (1918-1939)
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We study the culture of “Live for today” in changing post-WWI Britain, including 1920s Shoreham's fun-loving “Bungalow Town” and its cinema industry. Although there was poverty and notorious razor gangs, 'thirties Brighton saw a new prosperity. Governments tried to tackle social and health problems. Large department stores, including Woolworths, offered respectable work for young women.
New, leafy suburbs were offering the luxury of a £495 house with inside WC and a bathroom that could be secured with a down payment of £1 if the £25 deposit could be found. There was a wealth of wonderful literature and the joy of film.
Illustrated with books, slides, video
8 weeks Monday 10.30am-12.30pm Start 20 April (Tutor Sarah Tobias)
Fee: £75 Cheque payable to "Ms S Tobias" stating your name, address, telephone and e-mail and title of course. Post or deliver: Ms S Tobias, C/o Fleur Butler, Church of the Holy Cross, Downsway, Woodingdean BN2 6ND & e-mail me to list you: SARAH.TOBIAS@gbmc.ac.uk. Fee can be paid in two halves.
Rottingdean Whiteway CentreThe Three Fabulous A’s! - Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco (1850-1950)
Three new and exciting movements from the middle of the Victorian century to the middle of the Twentieth century.
After industrialised mass-produced goods, the Arts and Crafts movement celebrated a return to individual handcrafted items. This led to the ornate, nature-inspired designs of Art Nouveau which morphed into the geometric style of Art Deco. All influenced people’s lives and living.
We study the impact of arts and culture on 19th and 20th centuries society and the very distinct and colourful look of each of these inspired, innovative and iconic styles, starting with William Morris led Arts and Crafts. It began mid-century in Britain, comprising a group of craftsmen, artists, designers and architects who aimed to raise the status of the applied arts to that of fine art. They hand-made individual pieces that were also useful, and designed exquisite houses, furniture and furnishings.
Art Nouveau style followed on directly from Victorian Arts & Crafts and was in response to radical changes and technological advances. It was highly decorative, with undulating and flowing forms, waves, asymmetrical lines and famous “whiplash” curve. Its organic structure, designs and motifs were influenced by many forms; as was 1920s & 30s iconic Art Deco, Modernist style, but this was geometric and curving, utilising modern technology and materials such as cement and chrome.
Highly illustrated with masses of colourful power-point sideshows, books and images.
6 weeks Tuesdays 10.30am-12.30pm Start 21 April - only few places left!
Tutor Sarah Tobias
https://www.rwc.org.uk/the_three_fabulous_as_-_arts_and_crafts_art_nouveau__and_art_deco_6_weeks
Course will book out quickly - enrol early - ALREADY HALF-FULL!
Pelham Street, BrightonThe Three Fabulous A’s! - Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco (1850-1950)
Three new and exciting movements from the middle of the Victorian century to the middle of the Twentieth century.
After industrialised mass-produced goods, the Arts and Crafts movement celebrated a return to individual handcrafted items. This led to the ornate, nature-inspired designs of Art Nouveau which morphed into the geometric style of Art Deco. All influenced people’s lives and living.
We study the impact of arts and culture on 19th and 20th centuries society and the very distinct and colourful look of each of these inspired, innovative and iconic styles, starting with William Morris led Arts and Crafts. It began mid-century in Britain, comprising a group of craftsmen, artists, designers and architects who aimed to raise the status of the applied arts to that of fine art. They hand-made individual pieces that were also useful, and designed exquisite houses, furniture and furnishings.
Art Nouveau style followed on directly from Victorian Arts & Crafts and was in response to radical changes and technological advances. It was highly decorative, with undulating and flowing forms, waves, asymmetrical lines and famous “whiplash” curve. Its organic structure, designs and motifs were influenced by many forms; as was 1920s & 30s iconic Art Deco, Modernist style, but this was geometric and curving, utilising modern technology and materials such as cement and chrome.
Highly illustrated with masses of colourful power-point sideshows, books and images.
8 weeks Tuesdays 6.30-8.30pm Start 21 April (Tutor Sarah Tobias)
Ref: MACL001E1A Fee £120 Discount available for those on benefit or pension.
FULL -2 further places just added!
Enrol: https://www.brightonmet.ac.uk/courses/history-the-three-fabulous-as-arts-and-crafts-art-nouveau-and-art-deco-1850-1950/
Independently run by the tutor at The Church of the Holy Cross, Woodingdean (Brighton).
Bus nos 2, 22 stop outside. Small car park back of hall.
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The Golden Summer of the Edwardians (1900-1914)
6 weeks Wednesday 1-3pm Start 22 April (Tutor Sarah Tobias)
£60 Cheque payable to "Ms S Tobias" stating your name, address, telephone , e-mail and title of course. Post or deliver: Ms S Tobias, C/o Fleur Butler, Church of the Holy Cross, Downsway, Woodingdean BN2 6ND & e-mail me to list you. SARAH.TOBIAS@gbmc.ac.uk
Can be paid in two halves.
Pelham Street, Brighton “Never had it so good” A World of Change-Post-War Britain 1945-1960
The fabulous ‘Fifties and swinging Sixties! After the drabness and depression of war we see a burst of colour and hope for a brighter future with Dior’s New Look, The Festival of Britain, modernity in homes, welfare reforms - and Rock ‘N Roll!
We study social and cultural changes that followed the upheavals of World War Two, including the need for housing and improvements in living and working conditions. This was a new post-war era of optimism – particularly with the wonderful 1951 morale-boosting South Bank Festival of Britain visited by millions. There were changes in fashion and new interest in cosmetics. Interiors became brighter with fun wallpaper, modern furniture and kitchens.
We see the effects of relationships due to how people had altered, which led to quite a few divorces. We also focus on women and the adjustments to their domestic, social and family life following the war.
Amid the social and political changes came the youth revolution; milk & coffee bars, dance halls & Bill Haley and The Comets. This period saw the introduction of new writers, social realism and the ‘angry young man’, e.g. Joe Lampton in Room at the Top.
"Go around the country and you will see a state of prosperity such as we have never had in the history of this country." Prime Minister Harold Macmillan 1957
Illustrated with books, slides, film and documentary
6 weeks Mondays 3-5pm Start 11 May (Tutor Sarah Tobias)
Ref: MACL131E1A Fee £97 Discount available for those on benefit or pension.
2 places left
Enrol: https://www.brightonmet.ac.uk/courses/never-had-it-so-good-a-world-of-change-post-war-britain-1945-1965/
SPRING INTO SUMMER
A jolly entertainment of humorous readings and verse followed by tea and cake
Devised & directed by Sarah Tobias for
Sackville Players
SATURDAY 23 MAY 2.30PM
£6 pay on door
St John's Room
Cornersone Community Centre, Hove
Refreshments included
Many buses stop almost outside.
BRUNSWICK SQUARE, HOVE
Details will show here soon.
DATE FOR YOUR DIARY:
Saturday 13 June 10.30am-3.30pm
Tea Leaf to Tea Bag: A history of tea, consumption and ritual
Includes tea tastings, tea & biscuits - bring packed lunch
£25- booking link will appear soon - book early, places are limited
The Town House is minutes away from the sea, and shops, cafes and restaurants in Western Road
To come: :"Death and Mourning", History of Christmas 2026 and "Blessed Servants" exhibition 2027
Currently running Spring 2026 courses taught by Sarah Tobias
Pelham Street, BrightonRoaring Twenties to Thirties Depression: Interwar Britain (1919-1939)
10 weeks Mondays 3-5pm Start 12 January
FULLY BOOKED
Enrol: https://www.brightonmet.ac.uk/courses/history-roaring-twenties-to-thirties-depression-interwar-britain-1919-1939/
Rottingdean Whiteway Centre
We study the later effects of the Industrial Revolution and its consequences and how the 1851 Great Exhibition showcased manufacturing and invention, helping to bring about a rise in commercial enterprise and consumerism. Illustrated with powerpoint.
10 weeks Tuesday 10.30am-12.30pm Start 13 January FULLY BOOKED
Independently run by the tutor at The Church of the Holy Cross, Woodingdean (Brighton).
Bus nos 2, 22 stop outside. Small car park back of hall.
Life for wealthy and poor during the long Victorian period was one of complete contrasts, especially during the latter part of the century and into the beginning of the twentieth. Edwardians ‘saw themselves at the beginning of a new century of promise’ (A.J. Taylor). An interesting period of social, domestic and working life.llustrated withpowerpoint slideshows.
8 weeks Wednesday 1-3pm Start 21 January
£75 Cheque payable to "Ms S Tobias" stating your name, address, telephone and e-mail and title of course. Post or deliver: Ms S Tobias, C/o Fleur Butler, Church of the Holy Cross, Downsway, Woodingdean BN2 6ND & e-mail me to list you. SARAH.TOBIAS@gbmc.ac.uk
Independently run by the tutor at The Church of the Holy Cross, Woodingdean (Brighton).
Bus nos 2, 22 stop outside. Small car park back of hall.
Life, Work and leisure Between-the-Wars (1918-1939)
We study how life changed after the First World War – high living for the wealthy declined with lack of servants, but cultural life took on a particular aspect reflected in architecture, design, fashion, music, literature, cinema and distinctive style of Art Deco.
8 weeks Monday 10.30am-12.30pm Start 9 February
£75 Cheque payable to "Ms S Tobias" stating your name, address, telephone and e-mail and title of course. Post or deliver: Ms S Tobias, C/o Fleur Butler, Church of the Holy Cross, Downsway, Woodingdean BN2 6ND & e-mail me to list you: SARAH.TOBIAS@gbmc.ac.uk. You can pay in two halves or per session
Indpendently run by the tutor - venue to be confirmed
The Novel as Social History: Women in the face of adversity
Unique course comprising literature, social and cultural history, book club – and lively discussion! Within the pages of the novel we discover more than a story - enthralling ‘other’ information about people, relationships, class and place. N.B. Some novels contain outdated language, attitudes and cultural depictions which cause offence today. They have to be read and viewed from an historic perspective. When discussing the content these views are not those of the tutor.
We study the social and cultural history of the novel by exploring background information we are absorbing unwittingly, and which is not the main theme, but which gives us an extensive and detailed knowledge of everyday life
Within each piece of fiction is a wealth of information on culture and social life which leads us into deeper understanding of a subject, time, place, period in history, genre, working conditions, habits, style or social trend that we might pursue further, deepen our knowledge and intensify our interest.
There are two books to read each fortnight over 10 weeks in a specific order and make notes. You then participate in lively group discussion in the relaxed and friendly atmosphere. This term’s novels include: “Mary Barton“ by Elizabeth Gaskell (1848), “Hannah” by Dinah Craik (1871), “Reuben Sachs” by Amy Levy (1888), “The Whirlpool” by George Gissing (1897), “The Backward Shadow” by Lynne Reid Banks (1970) – 5 more:
REQUEST FULL READING LIST WELL IN ADVANCE OF THE
COURSE FROM TUTOR: SARAH.TOBIAS@gbmc.ac.uk
5 fortnightly Saturdays 11am-1pm Start date & venue tba
>> Please contact if you wish to study this course >> sarah.tobias@gbmc.ac.uk
🍃 AUTUMN 2026 🍃
HERITAGE OPEN DOOR SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER FREE EVENT