Paula, Heritage Eastbourne volunteer December 25th 2011 was a strange day for my family – not Christmas celebrations but sadness. Our mum passed away unexpectedly that day. She’d battled Dementia but could not recover from a broken hip as a result of a fall. I’d left my much loved employment at a local veterinary practiceContinue reading “Happy Volunteering A personal view”
Author Archives: heritageeastbourne
Stories from the Store – Artificial Leg made in Changi Prisoner of War Camp, 1944
Kelly van Doorn A small but fascinating part of the collection are the objects made by Prisoners of War. From French Napoleonic prisoners to South African Boers in Ceylon, each item tells a unique story of time and place. One which I would like to focus on is a rather unusual object… This item wasContinue reading “Stories from the Store – Artificial Leg made in Changi Prisoner of War Camp, 1944”
Tunnel Vision
Jo Seaman I have grown up with stories of secret tunnels. Suburban myths of passages linking Victorian cellars on an old bomb site (known, rather enigmatically as The Spare Land) in my childhood of the 1970’s and the ubiquitous smugglers’ lairs and underground escape routes of rural Kent and Sussex in my life since. TheyContinue reading “Tunnel Vision”
Grace Milne-Miller
Lizzie Williams A few months ago, while researching the Eastbourne branch of the British Legion, I came across the name Sister Grace Milne Miller. I immediately thought that she was a Nun and wondered why she would be in Eastbourne. After a little research, I discovered that she was a medical Sister and that her storyContinue reading “Grace Milne-Miller”
The Rescuers in Eastbourne
Lizzie Williams With the anniversary of VE Day this week, we wanted to look at the stories of people from Eastbourne during the Second World War. As we found out in our last blog post, Eastbourne suffered almost 100 air raids during the War. You can still see the marks of these bombing raids aroundContinue reading “The Rescuers in Eastbourne”
Peace! But Eastbourne Remembers
Katherine Buckland With the 75th anniversary of VE Day at the end of this week, we wanted to look back to what daily life was like for people in Eastbourne during the Second World War. On Friday 31st August 1939, two days before the declaration of war, Eastbourne received thousands of evacuated children from LondonContinue reading “Peace! But Eastbourne Remembers”
Motoring Around Town
Katherine Buckland We have been finding out about some of the first motors in Eastbourne so if you need your motoring fix in lieu of the Magnificent Motors event this weekend, read on! One of the first owners of a motorcar in Eastbourne was George Stockman of Lyndhurst, Upperton. He had bought his car fromContinue reading “Motoring Around Town”
A Past Perspective
Jo Seaman, Heritage Manager Just before the Covid-19 outbreak finally put paid to our ‘normal’ working life, I was able to carry out a small excavation in Motcombe Gardens, the supposed epicentre of modern Eastbourne (and by modern I mean post 1066AD!). This concentrated on the area around a lump of freestanding masonry in theContinue reading “A Past Perspective”
Stories from the Store From Rome with a coin
Kelly van Doorn Yesterday marked the 2773rd anniversary of the legendary founding of Rome. I say “legendary” because all the best stories are… and as with all stories, it’s best to start at the beginning. King Numitor ruled over Alba Longa, an ancient city in central Italy, until his younger brother Amulius usurped him andContinue reading “Stories from the Store From Rome with a coin”
The Story of Eastbourne Exhibition
Lizzie Williams The Story of Eastbourne reached its 1st Birthday back in February. Unfortunately, we are currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but I wanted to tell you all a bit about our first year. As of the 20th March, when we had to close our doors, we’d welcomed a whopping 24,110 visitors into our smallContinue reading “The Story of Eastbourne Exhibition”
Heritage Eastbourne 