• Home
  • Testimonials
  • Podcasts
  • Blog
  • About ACT
    • Our Story
    • Meet The Team
    • Meet The Board
    • ACT Mission Statement
    • ACT Aims & Objectives
    • Contact Us
  • Partners & Sponsors
  • Artists
    • Marysia Zipser
    • Promoted Artists >
      • Joe Ganech (Belgium)
      • Marcus Gilmore (UK)
      • Pam Miller (UK)
      • Rand Heidinger (Canada)
      • Sara Gaynor (UK)
      • Theresa Moynes (Ireland)
    • Guest Artists >
      • Roberto Alborghetti (Italy)
  • Events
    • Cultures Crossing >
      • CC - 2019
      • ACT 2 - 2014
    • Ghost Bus 2019
    • Garden Art
    • 2018 Ghost Bus Roads
    • OUTHERE - 2017 >
      • OUT THERE - ENSEMBLE
      • OUT THERE - SOLO
    • 2017 Ghost Bus Project
  • Cultural Exchange
    • Venice 2019
    • Rome 2017
    • Tuscany 2015
  • NottsTV - ACTive
  • Screen Media Room
ART - CULTURE - TOURISM
  • Home
  • Testimonials
  • Podcasts
  • Blog
  • About ACT
    • Our Story
    • Meet The Team
    • Meet The Board
    • ACT Mission Statement
    • ACT Aims & Objectives
    • Contact Us
  • Partners & Sponsors
  • Artists
    • Marysia Zipser
    • Promoted Artists >
      • Joe Ganech (Belgium)
      • Marcus Gilmore (UK)
      • Pam Miller (UK)
      • Rand Heidinger (Canada)
      • Sara Gaynor (UK)
      • Theresa Moynes (Ireland)
    • Guest Artists >
      • Roberto Alborghetti (Italy)
  • Events
    • Cultures Crossing >
      • CC - 2019
      • ACT 2 - 2014
    • Ghost Bus 2019
    • Garden Art
    • 2018 Ghost Bus Roads
    • OUTHERE - 2017 >
      • OUT THERE - ENSEMBLE
      • OUT THERE - SOLO
    • 2017 Ghost Bus Project
  • Cultural Exchange
    • Venice 2019
    • Rome 2017
    • Tuscany 2015
  • NottsTV - ACTive
  • Screen Media Room

Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) : A 700 year-long mystery

16/1/2021

19 Comments

 

Introduction

This year marks the 700th anniversary of the death of the medieval poet and philosopher Dante Alighieri, known as the Father of the Italian language. 
 
Throughout Italy there is a dense calendar of commemorative online events.  In his life Dante travelled and lived in different places.  Florence, which exiled him; Verona which first hosted him and then let him go; and Ravenna, who welcomed him until the end of his days.  With in-between stops in Rome, Arezzo, Pisa, Bologna, Forli... 
Picture
Dante in reading, detail. Marble bas-relief by Pietro Lombardo (1435-1515). Ravenna, tomb of Dante
Picture

The first date to mark on the agenda is March 25: from 2019 this day has officially become the “DanteDay”. According to scholars, in fact, on March 25th 1300 Dante began his descent into the underworld “In the middle of the journey of our life”. And on March 25 various events are scheduled to remember him: conferences, web directives, concerts.

DanteDay joins ShakespeareDay, celebrated every year throughout the United Kingdom and around the world on April 23, the presumed date of birth (1564) of the poet of Hamlet and of Romeo and Juliet; and after that, a Bloomsday, which since 1950 is celebrated every year in Dublin and elsewhere on June 16, the birth day (in 1904) of the Irish writer James Joyce, commemorating his masterpiece, Ulysses, through the figure of the protagonist, Leopold Bloom.
Florence’s Uffizi Gallery has initiated the Dante anniversary by making available, for the first time on line on its website, 88 rarely displayed drawings of Dante’s masterpiece, “Divine Comedy”.  The virtual show of high-resolution images of works by the 16th-Century Renaissance artist Federico Zuccari (1539-1609) (famous for having frescoed the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore), is accessible “for free, any hour of the day, for everyone,’’ said Uffizi director Eike Schmidt.  Schmidt said the drawings are a “great resource” for Dante scholars and students, as well as “anyone who likes to be inspired by Dante’s pursuit of knowledge and virtue.”
 
https://www.uffizi.it/en/online-exhibitions-series/to-rebehold-the-stars
 
“The Divine Comedy” is an epic poem in three parts recounting a pilgrim’s travels through hell, purgatory and heaven. 

ACT welcomes fellow blogger Patrizia Poggi. She is a writer and Ambassador of Knowledge and Flavors of Italy & Friends, the Diplomatic Representative Network of Knowledge and Flavors of Italy, based in Florence, which helps to raise awareness of the wonders of Italy.  https://italiaefriends.wordpress.com/

Patrizia recounts her story which is fascinating, mysterious and immersive.

Marysia Zipser

​Please Click on the photo images to enlarge, and hover over to read any captions.


****

A 700 year-long mystery : In September 1321 Dante Alighieri died.
By Patrizia Poggi

When talking about Dante, the mind immediately runs to Florence but, in spite of what one might think, Dante is not buried in the Tuscan capital, but in Ravenna, the city where he died on the night between 13 and 14 September 1321. It is in fact in Emilia-Romagna that the Supreme Poet, exiled from his hometown, spent his last years. And it is here that, even to-day, it is possible to visit the neoclassical sepulchre which contains his remains.
 
An epitaph in Latin celebrates the memory of Dante, whose tomb is located in the centre of Ravenna. It was in Ravenna that Dante concluded the songs of Paradise by completing his masterpiece, The Divine Comedy.
Ravenna, city of art, culture, sea, nature, bell towers, monastic cloisters and splendid early Christian religious monuments on the World Heritage List of UNESCO: 
http://www.turismo.ra.it/eng/Discover-the-area/Art-and-culture/Unesco-world-heritage

​But Ravenna is above all the city of Byzantine mosaics and of Dante, who spent the last years of his life in this corner of Romagna, composing the conclusive songs of Paradise. Just in Ravenna the «Supreme Poet»  died the night between 13 and 14 September 1321, probably following an attack of malaria contracted on his return from a diplomatic mission carried out in Venice.
 
The solemn funeral took place in the Basilica of San Francesco and his body placed in a marble sarcophagus placed outside the church, next to the walls of the Franciscan convent, to which Dante was very devoted. The religious themselves also built the convent with two cloisters later rebuilt in the Renaissance period and other rooms in which the library is now housed and the Dante Museum, established in 1921, to celebrate the sixth centenary of the Poet's death.   https://centrodantesco.it/museo-centro-dantesco/
 
PictureRaffaello Sanzio (1483-1520), Leo X with the Cardinals Luigi De Rossi and Giulio de'Medici, 1517-1518, Florence, Uffizi Gallery. Credit photo: arteworld.it

​
​The body was quarrelled for a long time by the cities of Ravenna and Florence. Florence tried several times to take back the remains of Dante, but every attempt was always revealed with nothing done: the first time happened in 1396, then in 1428 and in 1476. Florence had almost succeeded in 1519 but something went wrong. The then Pope Leo X, a Florentine by birth (his father was Lorenzo the Magnificent), had authorized the requests of the Medici Academy to transfer Dante's bones to Florence.

PictureMichelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564). Drawing portraying a damned in the Hell of the Divine Comedy. Florence, Uffizi Gallery. Credit photo: Uffizi Gallery

​Among the signatories there was also Michelangelo who had even run for a funeral monument at the height of the reputation of the Supreme Poet. Everything now seemed written and Ravenna could not oppose the pope's will, having now passed between its possessions. However, when the papal delegates found themselves opening the sarcophagus, no trace of Dante's bones was found: the tomb was practically empty! Who had stolen the bones of the great poet? Who had taken the unacceptable theft at night time?  Despite the investigations and the thousand conjectures for two centuries, the mystery remained unsolved and the remains now missing. The truth came to light only later in 1865 when, in breaking down a section of wall near the chapel of Braccioforte, a wooden box, apparently anonymous, was found which reported the inscription "Dantis bones (...)". Apparently the friars, at the time of the papal delegation of 1519, to avoid that the poet's remains were taken away from Ravenna, had stealthily drilled a hole in the tomb and stolen the remains. These remained hidden inside the convent and jealously guarded.

​
Please Click on the photo images to enlarge, and hover over to read any captions.

In 1780-1781, on the occasion of the construction of the current tomb by the architect Camillo Morigia, they were relocated to the original urn again but for a very short time.  In 1810, in fact, due to the Napoleonic laws, the friars were forced to leave the convent, but first they took care to hide the box with bones in a walled up door of the Quadrarco of Braccioforte.
 
It remained there until 1865 when it was accidentally found. On that occasion, the body was recomposed, exposed to the public in a crystal urn for a few months, then entombed again in the small temple that we know today.
Since then, apart from the small transfers that occurred during the Second World War to avoid possible destruction, the remains of the Supreme Poet have not undergone any movement, thus putting an end to a dramatic event that for centuries has permeated his bones with mystery.
In neoclassical style, Dante's temple has a quadrangular plan and is covered by a dome surmounted by a pine cone. The external facade has a door surmounted by the archbishop's coat of arms of Cardinal Gonzaga; on the architrave there is the Latin engraving: "DANTIS POETAE SEPULCRUM". The funeral monument is a national monument. The interior of the tomb, covered with marble and stucco, exhibits a Roman sarcophagus on which the epitaph dictated by Bernardo Canaccio in 1366 was carved:
«The rights of the monarchy, the skies and the waters of Flegetonte  visiting I sang until they turned my mortal destinies. But since my soul went to better places, and even more blessed reached its Creator among the stars, here I am (I) Dante, exiled from his homeland, to whom he generated Florence, mother of little love».
Picture


​Above the tomb there is a bas-relief by Pietro Lombardo, dated 1483 and depicting Dante thoughtfully in front of a lectern. A bronze garland, placed at the foot of the sarcophagus, was donated by the veterans of the First World War in 1921.

At the centre of the ceiling is an eighteenth-century lamp, powered by the olive oil of the Tuscan hills that Florence gives every second Sunday of September, on the occasion of the anniversary of death. Outside, precisely to the right of Dante's Tomb, a gate leads to the enclosure of Braccioforte, the ancient oratory of the convent of San Francesco where the funeral of the Supreme Poet was celebrated. The so-called Dante area was established near the monument, within which a respectful silence is required.

​
​Patrizia Poggi

Dante images by a selection of contemporary artists below.   
Please Click on the photo images to enlarge, and hover over to read any captions.
Events of the city of Ravenna:   https://vivadante.it/ 

Società Dante Alighieri,
formed in 1889, promotes Italian culture and language in more than 60 countries around the world with 500 offices.   
https://ladante.it/
​
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_Alighieri_Society 
UPDATE NEWS 25.1.21
«The Dante Alighieri Society of Ravenna extends a warm greeting to the Dante Alighieri Society of Nottingham thanking Marysia Zipser, precious builder of cultural bridges through the blog Art Culture Tourism International, for her hospitality.
Picture
The President, Franco Gabici, informs that in Dante's extensive bibliography there are two fundamental texts: "The last refuge of Dante Alighieri" by Corrado Ricci and Fabio Frassetto's "Dantis Ossa".
Corrado Ricci's work was reprinted in 1965 edited by Eugenio Chiarini.  "Dantis Ossa", however, was published in 1933 and is no longer being re-proposed.
​

​For this reason the Dante Alighieri Society of Ravenna proposes, at the celebrations of the 700th anniversary an anastatic edition with a preface by Giorgio Gruppioni, Anthropologist of Bologna University and with texts by Franco Gàbici and Alfredo Cottignoli.
The anastatic edition will be released next September. Interested students and scholars can contact the DAS».  
​
https://ladante.it/component/tags/tag/ravenna.html

We look forward to receiving your reactions and comments in the box below and/or via our contact links.  Many thanks.
Patrizia Poggi & Marysia Zipser
 
p.poggi@villaroncuzzi.it
https://www.villaroncuzzi.it
https://italiaefriends.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/patrizia.poggi.54

marysia@artculturetourism.co.uk
https://www.artculturetourism.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/artculturetourism/
https://www.facebook.com/marysia.zipser.7/
https://twitter.com/MarysiaZipser Art Culture Tourism
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marysia-zipser 
19 Comments

Celebrating 7 years of Creativity, Collaboration & Community

9/12/2020

5 Comments

 
​Marysia Zipser, Founder of Art Culture Tourism, would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanzaa!

We hope this holiday season will bring you peace, joy and happiness.


Please watch and listen to Marysia’s short video here as she tells you about ACT’s 2020 Year in Review,
​7th Anniversary and what we do for the community and worldwide.

​Thank you All for your continued support over the years and we look forward to collaborating with you as Partners, Sponsors, Friends, and of course, newcomers to ACT in 2021 and onward. 
​
Picture
Photo by Marysia Zipser of her gifts & mementos collection
Celebrating 7 years of Creativity, Collaboration & Community! 
All best wishes from the Team…
Marysia Zipser                  ACT Founder & Director
Inna Schutts                      ACT Photographer & Blogger
Dawn Lindson                  ACT Digital Marketing Trainee
with
Roberto Alborghetti        ACT Creative Partner, Guest Artist & Fellow Blogger 
ACT CIC Non-Executive Directors -
Jeanie Barton                   Beeston, Notts

Justin Donne                    Beeston, Notts
Councillor Kate Foale     Beeston, Notts
Debbie Bryan                  Nottingham & Ruddington, Notts
Chris Chesney                 York
Marilyn Comparetto FRSA    Stevenage & Datchworth, Herts

See our profiles on ACT website tab About ACT - 'Our Story' > 'Meet the Team' > 'Meet the Board'.  
https://www.artculturetourism.co.uk/our-story.html
https://www.artculturetourism.co.uk/meet-the-team.html
https://www.artculturetourism.co.uk/act-board.html

artculturetourism.co.uk 
twitter.com/MarysiaZipser
facebook.com/artculturetourism
facebook.com/marysia.zipser.7
linkedin.com/in/marysia-zipser
This video was made by Marysia Zipser and edited by Inna Schutts, with added titles, & video graphics at the beginning and end.  The photographs above and below show Marysia's home coffee table arrayed with a collection of her designed lino cut prints and cards of Wollaton Hall & Deer Park, White Hares, historical characters and images.   Nottingham shop stockists are: 
https://wollatonhall.org.uk/,   
https://www.visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk/things-to-do/shopping/nottingham-tourism-centre-p473481 and 
https://www.artworks-nottingham.com/.   
​For commission enquiries or to purchase cards/prints directly, please email
marysia@artculturetourism.co.uk 
Other gifts in the above photos - A4 Framed Flower Art with dried flowers from Marysia's Garden;  hand embroidery badge of Tag by Kelly Evans, Nottingham;  'Racoon' Robin Hood card by Kimberly Pelkey  https://www.kwerkistudios.com/  
5 Comments

A family tribute to our Uncle, Sgt F Alan Nelson RAFVR 1915-1941

7/11/2020

6 Comments

 
In August this year I visited and stayed with my brother John and his wife Christine in East Sussex.  John is our family historian and archivist, so we looked through family photo albums, and realised that, for our Uncle we never knew, we needed to try and piece together more about his short life for perpetuity, and for Remembrance Day.
Picture
Earlier this year I had been to our local Beeston library to search on UK census records for our Nelson family history and it was fascinating.  

Frederick Alan Nelson was born on 13 February 1915 to his parents Frederick and Lilian Nelson.  They lived at 31 Trent Boulevard, Lady Bay, Nottingham. His sister Sonia (our mother) was born four years later on 31 December 1919.  
Picture
Here’s some lovely photographs (above) of them together at Wilford Farm (right) (now No. 110 &112 Wilford Lane, West Bridgford) with their mother Lilian.  Wilford Farm was lived in and run by Lilian’s parents, Emily and William Thompson.  William was also a horse dealer and you can still see the site of the Victorian stable building now converted to semi-detached houses (behind Nos 110 & 112).  From 1901 Census records, Emily & William Thompson lived at 4 Woodland Road (off Trent Blvd) before they moved to Wilford Farm.   
On the left you can see Alan and Sonia with their Dad Fred very smartly dressed up for their trip to Skegness c. 1923.  I love Fred’s flat cap and stripey socks!   Click on the photos to enlarge.
Here’s some more photos above of the family on that special Skegness outing c. 1923. 
Picture


​My Facebook post link below of 12 August telling a short story about Fred and Lily Nelson (seen left).


https://www.facebook.com/marysia.zipser.7/posts/1194543337595360  

Both Alan and Sonia went to Lady Bay School, Trent Boulevard, and then progressed to West Bridgford County Secondary School on Musters Road.  The school moved to its present site in 1938 and became The West Bridgford Grammar School in 1944.  

After leaving school, Alan studied for a Diploma in Textiles at Nottingham College (below) and then went on to be a Textile Technician at the Khaki factory (1939 Census states).  We don’t know where this Khaki factory was in Nottingham.  
Picture
Alan - 4th from right - as a Textiles Diploma student at Nottingham College c.1930
Alan excelled at hockey at school and joined the West Bridgford Old Boys Hockey Club and here’s a group photo below taken c. 1937. Spot him on back row, 2nd from left.
Picture
West Bridgford Old Boys Hockey Club c. 1937
Picture
Above is Alan with Sonia & Mietek Zipser (my Dad) with Fred and Lily, we think taken before he left to join RAFVR before May 1940. My parents were married on 23 June, 1942.
He enlisted with RAFVR (Volunteer Reserve) on 16th May 1940 at RAF Cardington, Bedfordshire.  He then moved to RAF Catterick, North Yorkshire, 14th June 1940.  He completed his pilot Spitfire Mark IIA training on 10th April 1941.  

On 21st July 1941 Alan was killed on active service, aged 26.
We always wanted to find out more about his fatal crash, as Mum had said that he lost control and went into a fatal dive during a training flight near Bognor Regis.  In September and October 2020 our family obtained his service record on which was written “Killed in active service 21.7.41”. We corresponded with RAF Squadron 616 and also with Tangmere Military Aviation Museum who wrote back the following...  

21 Jul. NELSON, FREDERICK ALAN . Sgt. He was killed whilst flying in Spitfire IIA, P8434 of No 616 Sqn, which was shot down by a Bf 109 (Messerschmitt) off Worthing during an escort mission.   So a mystery...  

National Archives at Kew sent us the report:  Sergeant F A Nelson: killed; aircraft accident north west of Bognor Regis, Sussex; Spitfire P8434, 616 Squadron, 21 July 1941. Date: 1941 Jan 1 - 1941 Dec 31 Held by: The National Archives, Kew.
Uncle Alan is buried at Wilford South Nottingham Cemetery grave together with his parents and our Mum Sonia Zipser.  We will remember you.  #Lestweforget 

Marysia Zipser
marysia@artculturetourism.co.uk  
Three Group photographs below of Alan’s squadrons with his comments written on the back of them.  Below them are old Trent Boulevard photos and more of our family.
Picture
June 1940 or 1941? D flight. Alan has written on the back “NB. Keith Hutt has been with me since I was at Cardington and Hutt & Guiton (10th from right at back) and I went up to Catterick together and came down here together. The 4th boy on the back row from the left is Dick Carrol. This fellow lived in Ennis (County Clare, Ireland) and I saw quite a bit of him while I was over there. At the moment he is in hospital with sunstroke.”
Picture
65 E India Sqdn 616 Squadron Hullavington. Alan has written on the back “Ernie Pollard (3rd row back 2nd from left; Ernie Philipps (3rd row back 3rd from left). All the best, Alan” Alan is top right.
Picture
Some old photos below of Trent Boulevard courtesy of http://bridgfordhistory.org/gallery-trent_boulevard.html   Click on each to enlarge and hover over over to see captions. 
​And below them of my great aunt Minnie Thompson at Wilford Church with her father William Thompson.  My Mum & Dad c. 1941.  Lady Bay School 2011.
6 Comments

Marysia's Flower Art

3/10/2020

15 Comments

 
During this year’s garden summertime, I decided to take on another nature-derived creative activity.  This time to return to my love of flower pressing remembering my maternity days when I produced artworks mounted in my own handmade picture frames.  

Here is my first attempt I completed in July which now hangs in a private residence in Camberley, Surrey.
Picture
Over the eight years I’ve been living at Beeston, Nottingham, I’ve designed and developed my own small front and back gardens with planting schemes that have endured or changed according to nature’s seasons and their flora camaraderie. 

When I moved to Beeston (Rylands) from West Bridgford in 2012, the back garden had a simple green lawn with the minimum of plants.  In fact it was like a blank canvas with just the left fence wall taken over by a spread of summer jasmine which increased in height and breadth over the following four years, until I had to make the decision to cut it down to prevent the fence from disintegrating.  Also my garden area needed more space and light.

You can see the early development of my garden until present day under my website section ‘Garden Art’.  https://www.artculturetourism.co.uk/garden-art.html  
I’m inspired by Nature and the Environment which in turn leads to (Mental) Health & Well-being.  My garden is my journey in Life, and always brings back memories.  I explain this in my ‘Letter from Beeston’ which was broadcast by BBC Radio Nottingham here https://www.artculturetourism.co.uk/blog/letter-from-beeston-how-my-garden-is-helping-me-at-the-moment 
I rediscovered my ‘new’ creativity last Autumn 2019 when I decided to take up linocut printing inspired by Nature, wildlife, parkland and historic buildings.  Creative downtime therapy it was and I really enjoyed it.  See my January blog https://www.artculturetourism.co.uk/blog/marysias-blog-reflections-2019-and-2020  
Although I am still producing my linocut prints, and selling them via Nottingham Tourism Centre - Nottingham,  Wollaton Hall: Home Shop, and Artworks, Arts and Crafts Materials in Nottingham | Home | Artworks Chilwell High Road, I now wanted to try and preserve my garden flowers and sustain their colours in the best way I could and display their beauty by arranging them mounted on card or board. 
My Flower Art pictures completed August to September are shown below.  They are designed to fit A4 frames.  I would like to attempt A3 size later this year.  Why don’t you see how many flowers you can identify in each one?
During this summer and arising from the popularity of my blog 17.6.20  https://www.artculturetourism.co.uk/blog/our-roses-and-what-they-mean-to-us, my ACT ‘Creative Partner’ & Guest Artist, fellow blogger, visual artist, author and journalist, Roberto Alborghetti, was inspired to start the initiative #YearoftheRoses 2020-2021.  He is known for his wonderful macro photography and environmental art project LacerActions.  So he focused on his ROSES photography and light transparency to complement my blogs and social/business media posts. 

Read and see any of them on his blogsite https://robertoalborghetti.wordpress.com/?s=Year+of+the+Roses  Here’s one of them 
https://robertoalborghetti.wordpress.com/2020/08/30/the-year-of-the-roses-macro-photographs-and-light-transparency-4/   

He writes ‘In this photography here are some macro photographs that highlight how the transparency of the ambient light can create shades’.    All photos are copyrighted to Roberto Alborghetti.
At the beginning of the months June and July, ACT photographer and blogger Inna Schutts produced stunning shots of my garden flowers and plants which prompted Roberto to make this video dedicated to my garden - Welcome to Marysia’s Garden - Roses, Lavender and Scents of Life. Enjoy!   https://robertoalborghetti.wordpress.com/2020/08/06/welcome-to-marysias-garden-in-the-land-of-robin-hood-video/
​
This brings us back in full colourful circle to my Flower Art pictures.  The following are my latest creations.  
If you would like further information about about my Flower Art pictures and how to buy them or to privately commission me to produce any pictures or any linocut prints, then please contact me via this website or email me at marysia@artculturetourism.co.uk.  I would be delighted to hear from you and/or do write any Comments as you wish below the blog.
Picture
My photo of 'Blue For You' floribunda in my garden. This is dedicated to my dear friend Lisa Freebody who has always encouraged me in my creativity and my photography. Love you Lisa! xxx

Many thanks for reading this.  Enjoy your garden or local parkland and let Nature and the Environment inspire you to create anything you wish…  


Marysia Zipser
Website ART - CULTURE - TOURISM - Home
Embracing Creativity - Promoting People & Places

FaceBook    Art Culture Tourism - International - Home  
Facebook    About Marysia Zipser
Twitter         Art-Culture-Tourism (@MarysiaZipser)
LinkedIn    Marysia Zipser - Presenter / Public Speaker / Feature writer & reviewer of Art Culture Tourism - Art Culture Tourism - International
15 Comments

Folkington, Wilmington, The Long Man, Michelham Priory & Gardens

29/8/2020

2 Comments

 

Day Seven (Final) - A Journey of Discovery in East Sussex

It was our last day of exploration.  John had devised a visit plan of some gentle walking to show us some of the beauty of the Sussex South Downs, and I had checked the website of Michelham Priory which said we didn’t have to pre-book for our Saturday visit.  We piled into the car and set off.
Picture
The new 'Bee and Butterfly' window, at the church of St Mary & St Peter, Wilmington, incorporates pieces from the original and depicts St Peter surrounded by butterflies and bees, above a Phoenix.
First stop was Folkington down a gravelled lane with tree branches forming a lovely canopy overhead.  John had been several times on annual walks with our brother Peter along the South Downs which John now missed.  Age is creeping us up and the first body parts to feel it most are our feet, ankles and calves, so I’m always looking down to watch where I tread on uneven ground.  Now I sport my Dr Martens type boots as everyday footwear. ​
An opening in front of us showed us the sweeping serenity of the Downs.  Home - South Downs National Park Authority  It was my first proper visual intake of them and I wanted to walk and explore.  For a while, we all climbed up a track, leaned against a field gate and admired the views. Wonderful!  Then carefully trod back to the car and off to Wilmington.  My son Marcus, said he could have wandered off quite easily on his own and seen us after several hours.  Next year you can Marcus at your leisure!

​
Please Click on the photo images to enlarge, and hover over to read any captions.  All photos are credited to Marysia Zipser unless otherwise captioned.  My carousel photos you can stop and study at any time.
On arrival at Wilmington we stopped in the public car park and read all the signs and information about The Long Man which appeared mysteriously in front of us.  It is Europe’s largest portrayal of the human form, dating back to at least 1710 when the surveyor John Rowley illustrated the figure.  But what is it exactly?  Does it go back to ancient neolithic times?  More information can be gleaned here 
Long Man│Wilmington│Chalk Figures
Wonderful! - The Long Man of Wilmington, Wilmington Traveller Reviews
We wandered out of the car park and turned left down the village street, coming to the remains of the Priory, founded in the 11th century and enlarged in 1243 by Benedictine monks from Grestain Abbey in Normandy.  More information is here Wilmington Priory The surviving building is now owned by the Landmark Trust and let as holiday accommodation, details here  Wilmington Priory, East Sussex 
I loved inspecting these buildings from the outside and especially the flint and stonework.  Then onward to Wilmington ​Church of St Mary & St Peter.  Up the pathway through the iron gate, the ancient yew tree presides which is reputed to be over 1600 years old, its vast canopy spreading across the churchyard. What a magnificent sight!  The churchyard is a haven of peacefulness, I could have lingered so much longer.  The church beckoned me in.  My photographs tell my experience. 
Wilmington – St Mary and St Peter – Sussex Parish Churches
St Mary and St Peter's Church, Wilmington
Picture


Outside in the churchyard again I veered around in more detail looking at the gravestones noticing their good condition and their protection of the elements by the arboreal canopy. 

N
otice (left) the graphite rubbing we took of the memorial plaque on large stone tomb to Thomas Ade, his wife and their eleven children.

I plonked myself down on a wooden bench just outside the stone walls to admire the glorious vista of the South Downs and for further contemplation. 

Onward now to Michelham Priory at Upper Dicker.   We obtained our entry tickets at the gatehouse, crossing the bridge over the moat.  The man said that weekend they were, for the first time since lockdown, hosting a Classic Vehicle Show on the expansive lawns.  Growing up in a motor business family, John and I were delighted to see the classic cars displayed, so he and Marcus went on for closer inspections.  They had scaled down this event this year, limiting cars and visitors on site to comply with social distancing guidances.  

Michelham Priory boasts England’s longest medieval water filled moat and offers a great day out for all the family.  The surviving buildings are owned and administered by the Sussex Archaeological Society.

The moat encircles a site steeped in history dating back to 1229, from its foundation by Augustinian canons, through the destruction caused by the dissolution of the monasteries in Tudor times and into its later life as a country house in World War II.

All the information you need on this beautiful place and to plan your visit is here https://sussexpast.co.uk/properties-to-discover/michelham-priory and 
https://www.historichouses.org/houses/house-listing/michelham-priory.html
We all so enjoyed our guided tour learning about its history and artefacts room by room on the ground floor applauding our guide who led us, and then ascended upstairs.   I thought the curation throughout was superb.  Note our graphite rubbing of an oak bible box, and Marcus’s ink drawing of the Priory frontage. 

​After our tour, we all wandered off in different directions.  There are many photos I took here, and of the magnificent gardens so take your time to study them.  I just loved my exploration of the gardens as you will notice. ​
It was a beautiful ending to our last day of exploration in East Sussex. We drove home to Bexhill base camp to enjoy our final meal together and recollect. Marcus and I are truly thankful to my brother John and his wife Christine who were wonderful gracious hosts and fonts of knowledge.  We will be back hopefully next year to fill in those missed touring and walking experiences I highlighted.

The next morning we returned to Beeston-Nottingham.  I hope you’ve enjoyed my week’s Journey of Discovery in East Sussex and hope my daily blogs and photo montages will entice you to visit this beautiful English region “which oozes in history” as John says.
Marysia Zipser
​
Website    ART - CULTURE - TOURISM - Home 
Facebook Art Culture Tourism - International - Home
Facebook  /marysia.zipser.7/   
Twitter      Art-Culture-Tourism (@MarysiaZipser)
LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/marysia-zipser-
Email        marysia@artculturetourism.co.uk  
2 Comments

Herstmonceux Castle & Gardens, Firle village & visit to Lewes friends

27/8/2020

2 Comments

 

Day Six - Journey of Discovery in East Sussex

I booked Herstmonceux Castle gardens tickets online the day before. We entered the main gates at around 11am and motored down the sweeping driveway (passing the Observatory Science Centre on right, still closed to the public) to the car park in front of this magnificent moated red brick castle.  What an awesome sight it was!  Please study and read their website here Herstmonceux Castle. The Castle operates as an International Study Centre for Queen’s University in Canada.

You can tell how excited Marcus and I were by just seeing our expressions taken as a selfie.  We’re both fascinated by red brick castles and have wanted to visit the largest red brick century castle (13th century) in the world, Malbork of the Teutonic Order, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in north Poland.   However, Herstmonceux is one of the oldest significant brick buildings still standing in England, dating from 1441.  Construction began under the then-owner, Sir Roger Fiennes, and was continued after his death in 1449, by his son Lord Dacre.
We entered the castle reception area to pick up our gardens & grounds layout map, and walked up the courtyard admiring the architecture, and into the Long Border and Rose Garden with Sundial.  “The bust of Sir John Flamsteed, the first Astronomer Royal and founder of The Royal Greenwich Observatory, stands in front of the large, central sundial.

Largely planted with David Austin modern “English” roses, within the beds can be found varieties of hybrid tea and floribunda shrub roses. Growing in frames and against three of the walls are climbing roses.” (extract from website). 

I bent down to smell the first rose I encountered and was knocked out by its fragrance.  It was called ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’.  I then proceeded to sniff all the roses in the garden, and then was beautifully surprised to nose the climbing rose of ‘Claire Austin’.  She was a knock out too!  The whole experience made me feel like an orchestral conductor of Procol Harum's beautiful music and words with that first fragrance as lead-in.  THAT rose, I decided, will be perfect for a middle section space in my Beeston garden.  Let the garden art orchestra begin!

Please Click on the photo images to enlarge, and hover over to read captions.  All photos are credited to Marysia Zipser unless otherwise captioned.  My carousel photos you can stop and study at any time.
Journeying through all the section gardens and grounds alerted all my senses.  The visual effects were tantalizing.  All my photos of the gardens and grounds show my passion for all things garden art, landscaping and horticultural.  Use them as a ‘journey’ and immerse yourself in their ‘stories’.
I joined up with Marcus at the garden exit and we ventured into the Visitor Centre to study the timeline of the castle and its owners.  This explained everything in more detail as to who, what and why, the beginning to the present.  As we walked back to the car, we glimpsed back at this beautiful castle, moat and setting, and sighed.  Such an awesome experience, and I vowed to return next year and to visit the Observatory Science Centre.  
We then motored onto the village of Firle.  A Guide to Firle | Things To See and Do in Firle | Sussex  This whole area boasts the finest arts, architecture, horticulture, landscaping and all cultures combined into a wholly magnificent history touring experience. Unfortunately Firle Place was still closed due to Covid19 and ‘Charleston’, the home of the Bloomsbury Group’s Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant was fully booked way ahead for garden visitors, so I vowed to return there next year, as well as nearby Glynde.  We slowly veered into the village Inn’s car park, and then walked through, deciding it the perfect place to have our late lunch, after we’d explored the village and its church. 
As I neared the church, I could hear piano music.  I listened more closely at the Norman arched main door, tried to unlock the handle but it didn’t open, so we walked around to the side entrance and freely entered.  A lady was practising her music pieces for two weddings and a funeral booked for the weekend.  She looked up, stopped and spoke to us charmingly about the Church of St Peter.  What a beautiful and calming interior.  Marcus and I were fascinated by all the stained glass windows, Brasses, Vestry, Tombs and Chancel.  All information is detailed in their church guide booklet and on the websites St Peter's Church | Church in Firle | Firle  and  West Firle – St Peter (Sussex Parish Churches)
Walking back along the attractive village street we headed for the The Ram Inn for welcome refreshment outside, sat down and talked.  We had an afternoon tea appointment with friends at their house in Lewes so we embarked after half an hour.  I’ll be back again to wander and study this delightful village and area.
Picture
After just ten minutes driving we were in central Lewes and parked in the street by my friends’ house.  What a delightful time we had reminiscing, sat down at their large garden table, conversations flowing.  Their place was like something out of ‘Country Homes & Interiors’ magazine (see left).  After a time they then walked us down to the town’s Pells duck pond and showed us Pells Pool which is the oldest freshwater outdoor public swimming baths, or lido, in the UK that is still operating, its original structure being built in 1860.  Awesome!  Pells Pool .  Then onward to view the River Ouse from the bridge across.  Everything so serene.  We returned to their house for final goodbyes, and drove leisurely back to John and Christine’s home at Bexhill...but I will return to Lewes at a later date to see so much more.  

Tomorrow, our last day, is to Folkington, Wilmington, the Long Man, Michelham Priory & Gardens.

I hope you enjoyed our Day Six.  Please click the blue ‘Like’ button below and write me any comments if you so wish.  Many thanks.

Marysia Zipser
​
Website    ART - CULTURE - TOURISM - Home 
Facebook Art Culture Tourism - International - Home
Facebook  /marysia.zipser.7/   
Twitter      Art-Culture-Tourism (@MarysiaZipser)
LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/marysia-zipser-
Email        marysia@artculturetourism.co.uk  
​
2 Comments

Battle Abbey, Rye and Winchelsea

25/8/2020

2 Comments

 

Day Five - A Journey of Discovery in East Sussex 

Day Four I will write about and publish at a later date as my brother John and I focused most of the day on our family history archives and photographs he keeps at Bexhill so my blog subject will be on our family ancestry.  Also my youngest son Marcus Gilmore came to join us via train from Beeston, Nottingham, and we collected him from Hastings station around 4.15pm.  So it went on to be an entertaining evening of family recollections.
Day Five.  Battle Abbey and the site of the Battle of Hastings of 14 October 1066 was on our wish list plan weeks before, so I had booked two days earlier timed tickets for English Heritage Battle Abbey at 11.00 am for Marcus and I.

It certainly turned out to be a day to remember.  Both Marcus and I are keen ‘medievalists’ and just love exploring historic buildings and landscapes, so 1066 Country was the perfect region to satisfy our history passions and all things heritage.

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/1066-battle-of-hastings-abbey-and-battlefield/   Please navigate around this website to find out everything for your visit.
Please Click on the photo images to enlarge, and hover over to read captions.  All photos are credited to Marysia Zipser unless otherwise captioned.  My carousel photos you can stop and study at any time.
Picture
Marcus by the great fireplace in the Gatehouse restored and decorated by EH as to how it would have looked in 13th century.

​After going through the Gatehouse entrance and submitting our digital ticketing receipts we entered into the courtyard terrace.  Several EH staff were promoting their outside group talks at certain times of the day so we booked one at 12.30 to attend.   I also asked whether there were any specific places or ancient stone walls we could do section graphite rubbings of, as we had come armed with an A3 sketch pad of white 100gsm paper sheets which John had given us together with two graphite sticks.  One said he didn’t know particularly but he’d go and find out, and a minute later Caroline appeared and helped answer our questions.  She asked us to follow her up one of the tower steps to the first and second levels.  I loved the first floor studying all the educational EH banners telling the story of why and how the Abbey was built on this historic site.  I could see a wonderful example to make a graphite rubbing showing the original 13th century herringbone stone pattern at the back of the fireplace. 
After descending back onto the terrace below, we then walked along the pathway encircling the vast 100 acre site keeping to the outside of the perimeter walls.  We ambled past the cafe, the abbey ruins, the walled garden, the ice house and dairy, so much to explore.  The pathway around the battlefield we dismissed on this occasion leaving enthralled families to experience.  Coming round to the original site layout of the monastery, it was a time to sit down and contemplate and Marcus started to sketch some scenes.  Namely the Dorter or Dormitory over the Novices accommodation and Monks Common Room.
I noticed the 1903 memorial where ‘the brave Harold the Saxon fell’ and saw the chance to do a graphite rubbing of one of the surfaces as a memento. 

Our 12.30pm talk was ready so the young EH historian gathered us and several families inviting us to sit down on the lawn by the Abbots House where he related to us the story of Harold Godwinson during his last twenty years leading up to that fateful day in October 1066.  I must applaud this young man who enthralled us all so much, so many facts we learned understanding Harold’s character and pathway to becoming successor to King William the Confessor, his brother-in-law, in January 1066.  

​You can discover more about him on this Wikipedia link   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Godwinson 
PictureMarysia at the Gatehouse, finishing off her ice cream!

​Afterwards we walked back to the gatehouse and entered into the Shop which I was very impressed with, treating myself to a tapestry ceramic coaster (£5.00), greeting card (£2.50) and National Portrait Gallery Kings & Queens lined notebook (£2.50).  You can buy online products from the shop too via the EH website.  Caroline saw us exiting and called out how our tour went and what rubbings we managed to glean so we showed her and thanked her for her great help.  We then wandered to explore the pretty village of Battle in front of us and sat down in one of the street’s bistros and relished some cool fruity drinks. 
​


More useful links below.   
https://www.battlesussex.co.uk/  
https://www.britainexpress.com/counties/eastsussex/abbeys/battle.htm

Back to John and Christine’s Bexhill home for a sandwich lunch, and then we all motored onward to Rye.  

Rye is a beautiful town that must be on everyone’s tour of East Sussex.  It is full of history, ancient buildings, cobbled lanes, inns and enticing shops of all kinds.  In medieval times, it was an important member of the Cinque Ports confederation and almost entirely surrounded by the sea.  Read more about it here  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rye,_East_Sussex and  https://www.visit1066country.com/destinations/rye  

We had a great time exploring the streets, the beautiful and peaceful churchyard of St Mary’s high on the hill (below) and the castle, or Ypres Tower, built to defend the town from the French, now part of the Rye Museum.  https://www.ryeparishchurch.org.uk/history.htm  
Another Cinque Port we drove to was Winchelsea https://www.winchelsea.com/ close to Rye and admired its attractive streets and old houses, so we stopped for a few minutes for me to photo capture the church exterior and where John Wesley gave his last open air sermon on 7th October 1790.  Wesley’s Chapel is a few minutes walk away.  
We came back to base brimming full of history, our heads and conversations spinning and bodies tired, what a fantastic day!  ​

After Marcus and I treated ourselves to takeaways, John and Christine cooked supper for their invited Bexhill friend and author, John V. Watson, who was a very entertaining raconteur of all things cinematic.  John is an expert researcher and writer of cinema history and classic films with several books published and applauded by university academia.  Most of his books are available to purchase on Amazon, his latest ones entitled  “Paradise Lost: The History of the Regal Cinema, Swaffham, Norfolk: 1919-60. The history of a rural picture house long since vanished.” (2020) and “Julius Hagen: “The Czar of Twickenham” Film Studios.  The Complete Filmography: Book One” (2019).

 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=John+V+Watson&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss
I veered happily exhausted off to bed leaving John, Christine, Marcus and John to continue conversations, for tomorrow Marcus and I were to explore Herstmonceux Castle grounds, Firle and visit friends in Lewes.  

I hope you enjoyed our Day Five and if so please click the blue ‘Like’ button below and write me any comments if you so wish.  Many thanks.

Marysia Zipser
​
Website    ART - CULTURE - TOURISM - Home 
Facebook Art Culture Tourism - International - Home
Facebook  /marysia.zipser.7/   
Twitter      Art-Culture-Tourism (@MarysiaZipser)
LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/marysia-zipser-
Email        marysia@artculturetourism.co.uk  
2 Comments

Hastings and Sunset over Bexhill-on-Sea

21/8/2020

2 Comments

 

Day Three - A Journey of Discovery in East Sussex 

My brother John and I had discussions in the morning where to go today, scanning local history books, and catching up on our family history looking at archive photographs. 

As we’re in 1066 Country, we decided to keep local and delve into Hastings heritage.  One of John’s favoured concise tourism-history references to Sussex is by F R Banks from the 1957 Penguin Guides.
Hastings is of Saxon origin taking its name from a tribe called Haestingas who settled there as early as the 8th century. King Athelstan established one of the royal mints there in 928.

​On 28 September 1066 William of Normandy landed at Pevensey but soon transferred to a more defended position on West Hill at Hastings. After the battle of Hastings, fought 6 miles north west on the site of Battle Abbey, William made Hastings his principal fort. It became one of the Cinque Ports.
 
Hastings remained a fishing and boat building centre until the second half of the 18th century, where the fashion for sea bathing first came in.

Please Click on the photo images to enlarge, and hover over to read captions.  All photos are credited to Marysia Zipser unless otherwise captioned. ​
Picture
So late morning we motored off to this ancient town, parked the car on West Hill and walked leisurely over the open green space admiring the stunning views below and over to East Hill.  To tell you the truth, just sitting on a bench, drinking our orange juice and chatting about the hillside lifts and the town’s history was all we needed at that time on a perfect day.
We decided against taking the hill lift downwards and took the car instead and meandered down some of the old streets of the town where we could, and then walking along the front and to the hard-to-get-to places.  Reminds me of the Shambles in York or the Lanes at Brighton, streets you don’t mind getting lost in and going into quaint olde curiosity shops, high class junk or antiquarian shops.
Picture1930s Southern Rail poster

​Back home for tea and supper. 

Then we put three fold up chairs in the car boot and drove to Bexhill beachfront beyond the De La Warr Pavilion and parked.

​We sunk and scrunched into the pebbles and found a nice spot to sit and watch the sun go down while we chatted about old times and how John and Christine met. 
​

Picture
1930s Southern Rail poster
There were just a few families around and some packing up their paddle boards, towels and picnic bags.  Their smiling faces said it all.  What a grand day at the seaside!  ​​
I hope you enjoyed our Day Three and if so please click the blue ‘Like’ button and write any comments below if you wish.  See you tomorrow for our next day’s adventure in East Sussex!

Marysia Zipser
​

Website    ART - CULTURE - TOURISM - Home 
Facebook Art Culture Tourism - International - Home
Facebook  /marysia.zipser.7/   
Twitter      Art-Culture-Tourism (@MarysiaZipser)
LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/marysia-zipser-
Email        marysia@artculturetourism.co.uk  
2 Comments

Pevensey Castle, Westham and Horace the Polite Seagull

20/8/2020

3 Comments

 

Day Two - A Journey of Discovery in East Sussex ​

After coming downstairs to get some coffee, I heard some tapping on the house front door.  Peering through the glass panels, I could make out a large seagull standing on the doorstep. 

“Christine!” I shouted up, “you’ve got a visitor at the front door”.
“Oh, that’s Horace, he’s a regular here at food times.  I’m coming down.”

He tapped again, so I opened the door and said, “Hello, nice to meet you Horace.  Christine’s coming to give you breakfast.”

Christine rustled up some food in the kitchen for him which was a bowl of dried cat food with fishy flavours, and placed it outside on a mat for him.  He duly ate it up, and then waddled off. She said he comes at regular meal times but if Alba, a neighbouring cat, is lurking around, he’ll stay away.  “We have foxes and badgers who come for food at night times, so there’s always something here to eat and water to drink to satisfy them.”  
Not only does Christine offer sanctuary for neighbourly birds and wild animals, she’s also got green fingers!  Her small front and back garden is a delight and a welcome retreat with wisteria and clematis covered arbour.  It is a lovely place to sit under the shade from the hot sunshine with a cool drink or mug of tea.   See some photos of her lovely garden at the end of the blog.

So today we decided to venture out to Pevensey Castle and explore all things Norman and medieval.  
​Please Click on the photo images to enlarge, and hover over to read captions.  All photos are credited to Marysia Zipser unless otherwise captioned. 
Picture

​We parked our car in the shade and walked to the entrance gateway to the open grounds of Pevensey Castle.  A mighty stronghold I thought as I looked up and studied its impressive stone walls.  An English Heritage site which illustrates a great history lesson to all ages. 

​To quote from EH website 
Welcome to Pevensey Castle 


“Evolving from Roman fort to Norman Castle, and even put back into action during the Second World War, Pevensey Castle is most famous as the landing place for William the Conqueror’s army in 1066. Today, it is a great family day out in East Sussex. Enjoy the open grounds and space to roam and explore. Admire the remains of the great square keep and towering gatehouse, or climb the walls and gaze over glorious Sussex countryside.”

“A conservation project is currently underway at Pevensey Castle. Discover how we're preserving the castle for future generations to enjoy, and see our progress for yourselves.”

​
It was such a fascinating walking trail and we snapped a few pics here and there through the beautiful sweeping grounds.  Then we passed through one main gateway into Westham village. ​
 
​What a delightful and well kept parish community of ancient houses, buildings, village green and open spaces. Apparently Westham is recorded in the Domesday Book, its name deriving from being a hamlet to the west of Pevensey Castle.  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westham
John said that St Mary’s Church Welcome to St Mary's, Westham was well worth a walk around so we did.  We didn’t venture inside this ancient place, on this occasion.  It is reputedly the first Norman church built, its earliest parts dating from the late 11th century.   I loved the churchyard’s peacefulness and could have stayed much longer there under the shade of the trees and maybe sketched a few outlines.   See photos below.
​

We ambled back along the road pathways around the outer castle walls and to our car which thankfully had kept quite cool in the shade.  
On arriving back at our Bexhill house, we sat down in the coolness of the garden’s arbour, drank our tea and reminisced about our day’s adventure.  And to bring more smiles to our faces, we heard more taps on the front door.  It was Horace in time for his teatime snack obviously noticing our house return. 
Kimlee, a Beeston friend, commented on my Facebook post of the day,  “Horace seems like a very polite and patient seagull.  A seagull from Whitby would have bashed the door down and mugged you by now!"  We just giggled! 

​I hope you enjoyed our Day Two and if so please click the blue ‘Like’ button and write any comments below if you wish.  See you tomorrow for our next day’s adventure in East Sussex!
Marysia Zipser
Website    ART - CULTURE - TOURISM - Home 
Facebook Art Culture Tourism - International - Home
Facebook  /marysia.zipser.7/   
Twitter      Art-Culture-Tourism (@MarysiaZipser)
LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/marysia-zipser-
Email        marysia@artculturetourism.co.uk  ​
​
​Below are some photos of Christine and John’s beautiful garden back and front. 
3 Comments

A Journey of Discovery in East Sussex

18/8/2020

2 Comments

 

Day One - Beeston-Nottingham to Bexhill-on-Sea - Great Expectations

Sunday 9th August
Things were packed in my car, garden instructions left with my son Marcus (who was joining us Wednesday afternoon by train) and consecutive neighbours George and Harry. My first staycation foray into our beautiful British countryside on the East Sussex coast.  Memories came flooding back of my visit when my sons were younger going to stay with Uncle John and enjoying the steam train journey to bewitching Bodium Castle and then an awesome afternoon at Bateman’s, Rudyard Kipling’s family home.  This time, I had my prepared wish list of places to visit but knew we’d consult at breakfast time depending on what venues were COVID safely open to the public and then booking our entry tickets online.  Strange yet memorable times we are encountering so planning daily routes were key.

Picture
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea. Photo credit: Marysia Zipser
Driving down was a relatively smooth and uninterrupted traffic journey.  My senses were alerted when I turned right off the M25 onto the A21 road.  Village prettiness and sweeping views were attractive side glances as I headed downwards towards Bexhill.  At 3.45pm I turned into the town’s De La Warr Pavilion car park and stopped. Another drink of water and a munch of sandwich and then I climbed out and stretched my body, breathed in several gulps of sea air and walked to the pavilion beachfront.  I’ve always loved this place since childhood on the South coast with Mum, Dad and my two brothers. My elder brother John has made Bexhill his home after thirty odd years, after being an Art & Design student at Leicester Polytechnic (now DMU) in the early 1960s and now a Pentecostal pastor.  He’s also a regular visitor to the DWLP for concerts and exhibitions, keeping me updated on all their activities, so I was really looking forward to discovering more cultural leisure spots on this visit.  

Please Click on the photo images to enlarge, and hover over to read captions.

For the record, I enjoyed my ‘Humanities’ years at University of Nottingham, as a mature student, and do recommend to those wishing to follow the Heritage Tourism pathway, that they pursue this course of learning.  Several modules spring to mind at this point that accentuate my passions - Sense of Place, the Culture of Leisure, Medieval Castles of England & Wales and the Crusades (both with Dr Pamela Marshall), Modernist Architecture, William Morris and Arts & Crafts Movement, the Bloomsbury Group, and so many intertwining English Literature studies, all relevant to this region.  Every subject studied flows nicely into a circle of knowledge that prepares one on any journey of discovery.
As I walked towards the front of the pavilion De La Warr Pavilion - Bexhill On Sea, East Sussex and admired more of this stunning sea front, my ears pricked up to hear an eloquent voice from on high.  I know those dulcet ones I thought. I strolled to the entrance and then saw a What’s On poster.  Ah, of course...it belonged to Eddie Izzard! 

​I sat down at the patio cafe/bar, listened intently to Eddie and took a few photographs.  From my photo, you can just see him in his red dress and ponytail swishing on the roof terrace relating his work-in-progress solo reading / performance of Charles Dickens’ classic epic Great Expectations.  
His show, as the poster and social media say, is 'to celebrate the reopening of the DLWP, LIVE from the rooftop in COVID safe conditions.  The show will go ahead come rain or shine.  A tale of convicts, mystery, friendship, rivalry, unrequited love, revenge and redemption'.  All profits going to the DLWP. ​

​For those of you due here this week, please book your tickets as quick as you can, a real treat! His show continues until Sunday 23rd August so go onto https://www.dlwp.com/event/eddie-izzard-greatexpectations20/  or https://eddieizzard.com/en/shows  
Well, what a welcome for me at Bexhill is all I can say!  I happily drove off to John and Christine’s home a few minutes away where I enjoyed my first evening of family get-togetherness.  So much to talk about with great expectations to come.

Now I’ve got you hooked and booked, please enjoy my next instalment of East Sussex journey of discovery blogs over the following seven days...

To close my Day One, here is a pertinent extract from ‘Great Expectations’ 
“That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it, and think how different its course would have been. Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day.”
― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Marysia Zipser
Find me on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn
Website    ART - CULTURE - TOURISM - Home 
Facebook Art Culture Tourism - International - Home
Facebook  
/marysia.zipser.7/   
Twitter      Art-Culture-Tourism (@MarysiaZipser)
LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/marysia-zipser-
Email        marysia@artculturetourism.co.uk  ​

Below are some example paperback covers of Great Expectations.
2 Comments
<<Previous

    RSS Feed

    Authors

    All the ACT artists and management team contribute to this blog. Press Releases, Reviews, Events and Calls to Participate are posted here too.

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017

    Categories

    All
    2019
    2020
    ACT Interns
    ACTive
    Attenborough Nature Reserve
    Beeston Local
    Business Desk
    Chilwell
    Culture Exchange
    Cultures Crossing
    Dublin
    Edited By Caron Lyon
    EPK
    Events
    Ghost Bus Project
    Guest Blog
    Hoodwinked
    Joe Ganech
    Land Rover Mapping
    Launches
    London
    Lord Mayor Of Nottingham
    Marcus Gilmore
    Maryisa's Posts
    Marysia's Blog
    Messages
    Mike Lindtner
    Monetisation
    Nottingham
    OUT THERE
    Pam Miller
    Partner Programme
    Partnership Programme
    Photography
    Press Release
    Product Placement
    Promotion
    Regional Press
    Review
    Roberto Alborghetti
    Robin Hood
    Ronin Hood
    Sheriff Of Nottingham
    The Ghost Bus Project
    The Hive
    Theresa Moynes
    Travel
    Updates
    Wolaton Hall & Deer Park
    Xmas

Featured Partner Sponsors
Picture
more... ACT Partners & Sponsors
All images of artwork are used with permission of the respective artist
copyright in all instances belongs to the artist.
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Testimonials
  • Podcasts
  • Blog
  • About ACT
    • Our Story
    • Meet The Team
    • Meet The Board
    • ACT Mission Statement
    • ACT Aims & Objectives
    • Contact Us
  • Partners & Sponsors
  • Artists
    • Marysia Zipser
    • Promoted Artists >
      • Joe Ganech (Belgium)
      • Marcus Gilmore (UK)
      • Pam Miller (UK)
      • Rand Heidinger (Canada)
      • Sara Gaynor (UK)
      • Theresa Moynes (Ireland)
    • Guest Artists >
      • Roberto Alborghetti (Italy)
  • Events
    • Cultures Crossing >
      • CC - 2019
      • ACT 2 - 2014
    • Ghost Bus 2019
    • Garden Art
    • 2018 Ghost Bus Roads
    • OUTHERE - 2017 >
      • OUT THERE - ENSEMBLE
      • OUT THERE - SOLO
    • 2017 Ghost Bus Project
  • Cultural Exchange
    • Venice 2019
    • Rome 2017
    • Tuscany 2015
  • NottsTV - ACTive
  • Screen Media Room