Culture and art around Brighton - The Pre-Rapaelites meet The Bloomsbury Group

Brighton Marina

I have just returned from a few days in Brighton. I have a friend who has a holiday apartment in the Marina and we spent three nights there. We managed to pack a few visits in! On the first day we headed off to Seaford just along the coastline. It was windy and we chose to eat our lunch in a sheltered garden overlooked by a keen-eyed seagull. We headed down the windy seafront only to discover the Martello Tower was shut. This is the second time I've ended up there on a day it wasn't open. Third time lucky perhaps.

We drove out to Charleston, the home of the Bloomsbury group. I've wanted to go there for ages but it's not easy without transport (normally I travel everywhere by bus and train). I'm a big fan of the Bloomsbury group with their lovely art. I even donated a small amount to the latest refurbishments, probably equal to one line of paint! Tours of the house run every fifteen minutes so we weren't hanging around long. I loved the house and the freehand paintings on every wall, piece of furniture and door panels painted by Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell, and later their daughter Angelica. My friend wasn't so keen on the art work but liked the house. I'd seen pictures of the art and the rooms but I have to say that being there was so much better than even I expected. I added bits more to my knowledge, like that Duncan Grant is part of Grant's whiskey family - never knew that! I didn't realise either than David Hockey met him. There was also a connection via the actress Ellen Terry to Julia Margaret Cameron, the photographer whose house I visited on the Isle of Wight last month.

Every space was filled with paintings by their friends and associates, or Duncan Grant's own paintings. The house had a wonderful feeling about it, homely, personalised and creative. The rooms much bigger than I imagined.

The art studio was stunning - so huge and light and double doors led into the garden. Unfortunately it was raining by then so I couldn't take as many photos as I would have liked (photography in the house is strictly forbidden). I would like to return one day and take some of the walks around the area highlighted on the leaflet I picked up.

Charleston House

Charleston House from the garden showing the studio to the right

The following day we headed off to Preston Manor and Park. For some reason this attraction is not well publicised, which is a shame. I'd never heard of it but my friend had. We walked around the walled garden where there is a pet cemetery (all the household pets are buried there). The house itself has huge rooms and is reminiscent of Downton Abbey with the row of bells along the wall of the servant's area below stairs. All the rooms are interesting - the smoking room with its decorated leather wall covering was particularly unique. The house is receiving some refurbishment and scaffolding covered the back of the building. At first we thought the house was shut but you have to knock on the door to be let in. Whilst the outside isn't the greatest facade to look at the inside is.

The Smoking Room, Preston Manor (with decorated leather wall coverings)

Mr Stanford's bedroom

A servants room

'You rang m'lord'

Preston manor

The church is next door, though these days it isn't used as a church, rather for special events. There is wall painting which survived a fire in 1906 depicting the martyrdom of St Thomas of Canterbury.

From there we headed into Preston Park itself for some lunch and a look at the tower which has a clock and then headed over the road to The Rock Gardens. These were splendid with different areas, secluded woods at the very top, a wooden bridge and two lots of stepping stones, one over a waterfall, the other over a lily pond.

That evening my friend and I went for walk around Brighton Marina. There was a terrific sunset and I got carried away with my camera.

In the morning we decided to stop off at Rottingdean on our way home. I've been to Rottingdean once before and have been itching to go back. I will be going back again when I get the chance. The Elms is the home of Rudyard Kipling and while the house is now in private hands the gardens are open to the public. We didn't go through the gardens this time. Instead we went to St Margaret's Church to see once more the stained glass windows designed by Edward Burne Jones (who had a house at Rottingdean) and executed by William Morris & Co. There are seven windows in all.

Lunch was calling so we went off in search of some. We thought we might just pick up sandwiches and sit and eat them somewhere on the green but we found the Library and Art Gallery which had a tea garden. We were sold! We sat outside with our sweet potato soup surrounded by flowers. We dragged ourselves away to explore the Art Gallery, but time was against us rather (the parking time was nearly up!). The gallery had much to spend time over and we will return. There is a room all about Edward Burne Jones with photos I've never seen before, and another dedicated to Rudyard Kipling, as well as a room about theatre and cinema and an art gallery with pictures on display from local artists.

There is so much more to do in Rottingdean including a walk 'in the footsteps of Rudyard Kipling'. I was reluctant to leave but a £100 parking fine would not have gone down well!