Lewes History Group

A Fitzroy House Event

Diana Crook: The Ladies of Miller’s Story

A wonderful talk exploring the Ladies’ links with the Charlestonians and other well-known figures, their range of exhibitions during the war, and the rude names and jokes they managed to attract.

In 1939 two remarkable sisters purchased the former home of a miller in Lewes High Street and converted the stables into an art centre. From there, with the help of their Bloomsbury friends, the ladies kept the flag of culture flying during the war.

Afterwards they set up the influential Miller’s Press, encouraging artists to experiment in lithography. This entertaining account documents the ladies’ earlier years and the tragedy that inspired their artistic commitment, as well as describing cultural life in Lewes during and after the war.

Venue: Fitzroy House, Lewes

Details and tickets: from Fitzroy House website

The Artwave exhibition: ‘The Ladies of Miller’s, A tale of Wartime Arts in Lewes’  continues on the weekends of 18th-19th and 25th-26th September 2021. Doors open 10am-4pm.

A Fitzroy House Event

Anthea Arnold: The Lewes Library Story

An account of how the Library came to be built and how the Lewes Library Society became a key part of the Fitzroy story, covering how it was funded by Hannah Rothschild; the building by George Gilbert Scott; the original use of it by the Library Society of Lewes; and its life as a public library.

The talk covers all these from its donation to the Council in 1862 until 1956, when it ceased to be a library.

Eleanor Austin: Fitzroy House – Rescue and Restoration

A pictorial ‘before and after’ look at the restoration and transformation from public library to family home; a first-hand account of the rescue of the building by the Franks family.

Fitzroy House, derelict interior, and exterior

Venue: Fitzroy House

Details and tickets: from Fitzroy House website

To mark the completion of a major project to conserve the Bloomsbury Group murals at Berwick Church, this event will explore how artists can contribute to the life of a church and its community, particularly in a rural setting and with respect for the natural environment. Speakers will address the remarkable mural-paintings that Berwick Church boasts, and newly commissioned artists will speak about their work in response to the church and its paintings.

Event: Holy Ground: Art, Faith and the Natural Environment

Venue: St Michael & All Angels Church, Berwick, BN26 6SR

Details and Tickets: from Eventbrite

Image at Berwick Church website