Newhaven Historical Society & Museum

A Sussex Christmas
2025-12-02 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Hillcrest Centre, Bay Vue Road, Newhaven, BN9 9LH, United Kingdom
Speaker: Chris Horlock.
This fascinating talk reveals how the people of Sussex celebrated Christmas in the past. Many of the customs of the traditional twelve days of Christmas are detailed, including putting up decorations, bringing in the Yule log, preparing the Christmas day feast, plus the curious ‘Mummer’s Play’ entertainment. There’s a Christmas tale or two along the way, including a mysterious incident during the great snowstorm of 1881, plus how in 1939, the snow at Burwash was not the usual colour!
Members free.
Guests welcome: Entrance £5.00.
Doors open at 6:45pm.

A Portrait of Piddinghoe
2025-10-07 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Hillcrest Centre, Bay Vue Road, Newhaven, BN9 9LH, United Kingdom
Speaker: Ian Everest.
After his previous talks which looked at some of the local villages and communities, Ian turns his attention to Piddinghoe, and pays a tribute to former resident and good friend, Valerie Mellor, who did so much to research and record its fascinating history. Expect to hear about the origins of the village, the people, the farms and industry, the buildings, village activities and events – all brought to life with photographs, illustrations and anecdotes.
Members free.
Guests welcome: £5.00.
Doors open at 6:45pm.

The Newhaven - Dieppe Ferry Service
2025-09-26 11:00 - 2025-10-25 16:00 (Europe/London) | East Sussex
The museum holds a large collection of artefacts, memorabilia, photographs, paintings and films relating to the Newhaven – Dieppe Service. As the ferry celebrates 200 years of service, we have brought all these items together in one exhibition.

Find out about the famous (and infamous) people who have travelled between Newhaven and Dieppe, the impact of the coming of the railway, accidents and mishaps and the role of the ferries during the First and Second World Wars.

We also want to hear your memories of the ferries, whether you worked or travelled on them. Please share your stories here .
The museum is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturday 11am – 4pm.

Building the Breakwater
2025-09-12 11:00 - 2025-09-20 16:00 (Europe/London) | East Sussex
Newhaven’s breakwater has protected the harbour for over 135 years. Find out why and how it was built, who designed it and about the men (and their families) who came to the town to build it.
The exhibition will also look at the breakwater as a favourite place for recreation and how it has inspired artists over many years.
The museum is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays 11am – 4pm.
Entrance is free for everyone during Heritage Open Days.

East Pier, West Beach
2025-09-05 11:00 - 2025-09-20 16:00 (Europe/London) | Newhaven Museum, Next to Paradise Park, Newhaven, East Sussex, BN9 0DH, United Kingdom
We are delighted to welcome Caroline Hasler as this year’s ArtWave artist.
The work includes the film East Pier – sightings beneath, through and from its striking geometric structure, tide and light, relics revealed and concealed….
The other works placed around the museum are in a variety of media drawing on the features of the West Beach and their associations with intriguing imagery to spark your curiosity.
This work is part of a long term project about our chalk coast.
The museum is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays 11am – 4pm.
Entrance to the museum is free for everyone during Artwave.

Pirates & Mermaids Day
2025-08-25 11:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | Newhaven Museum, Next to Paradise Park, Newhaven, East Sussex, BN9 0DH, United Kingdom
Join us on Bank Holiday Monday at Newhaven Museum for Pirates and Mermaids day. Free crafts and activities – come as you are or dress up.
FREE Entry all day
Banner characters designed by iconicbestiary / pikisuperstar / lesyaskripak / http://www.freepik.com

Dieppe Raid Exhibition
2025-08-10 11:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | East Sussex
The Dieppe Raid Memorial Service will take place on Sunday 10th August (3pm) on Memorial Green. We are therefore opening the museum for our Dieppe Raid exhibition. Between 11am and 2pm we will be joined by Francis Pulham and friends from Newhaven Fort, who will be in full battle dress. Why not ask them what it was like to be a commando during the raid. The museum will be open until 4pm. Entry will be FREE.
Operation Jubilee, known more commonly as the Dieppe Raid, took place on 19 August 1942. Newhaven was one of the five ports from which the raid was launched. The raid itself was a disaster. Of the nearly 5,000 Canadians who took part, 3,367 were killed, wounded or taken prisoner, whilst the 1,000 British Commandos lost 247 men.
The railway was involved transporting the wounded to hospital and the few German prisoners to POW camps. A memorial to the Corp of Royal Canadian Engineers, who trained at Newhaven before sailing for Dieppe, can be found on Memorial Green. Although it is dedicated to the 27 Engineers who were lost, it is now regarded as a memorial to all the Canadians who died during the raid.

Echoes of the Chalklands
2025-08-05 11:00 - 2025-08-30 16:00 (Europe/London) | Newhaven Museum, Next to Paradise Park, Newhaven, East Sussex, BN9 0DH, United Kingdom
Newhaven Art Club and Newhaven Photographers Collective present Echoes of the Chalklands. An exhibition where artists and photographers step into the soul of Sussex capturing the majesty, Mystery and memory of the iconic chalk landscape.
The museum is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays 11am – 4pm. We look forward to seeing you.
Admission £3 – Members and children free.

Figment Arts - Story Maps Exhibition
2025-06-24 11:00 - 2025-08-02 16:00 (Europe/London) | Newhaven Museum, Next to Paradise Park, Newhaven, East Sussex, BN9 0DH, United Kingdom
This unique project explores local history and folklore from Newhaven and across Sussex, reimagined through powerful solo and collaborative artworks made in pop up studios with the public. It has been a delight to host the artists in the museum during the year, as they looked for inspiration from the collection.
The museum is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays 11am – 4pm. We look forward to seeing you.
Admission £3.00 – Members and children FREE

A turbulent history in the pub life of Lewes
2025-06-03 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Hillcrest Centre, Bay Vue Road, Newhaven, BN9 9LH, United Kingdom
Speaker: Mathew Homewood.
Lewes was once famous for having ‘seven churches, seven breweries, and seventy pubs’. Although much has been written about Lewes pubs themselves, little has been researched on the people and goings-on within these establishments. This talk will take an intriguing look at the landlords, landladies, customers, and the highs and lows of the pub trade. From the smoking concerts, social clubs and family celebrations, to the mass closing of many of the town’s popular inns and taverns, causing much heartbreak for landlords and customers alike. The high number of pubs in the town inevitably resulted in much drunkenness. This reached its height during the Edwardian period, and many an amusing tale will be told about the drunken behaviour (by both men and women) at that time.
Members free.
Guests welcome: £5.00.
Doors open at 6:45pm.

Newhaven's Industrial Past and its Influence on its Present
2025-04-01 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Hillcrest Centre, Bay Vue Road, Newhaven, BN9 9LH, United Kingdom
Speaker: Dr Will Pilfold.
This talk will explore the rich industrial history of the town, from the coming of the railway in 1847 to the present. Drawing heavily on the valuable collection of photographs held at Newhaven Museum we will remember the Marine Workshops, dockside life, Vacco, Thorn/EMI, Parker Pen and much more. Sadly, the constant process of renewal and alteration in the face of technological changes and economic pressures means that most of this industrial scene has gone. However, the legacy of its industrial past is witnessed by the present industries in the town – how long before they too become history? This talk is preceded by the society’s AGM.
Members free.
Guests welcome: £5.00.
Doors open at 6:45pm.

Warship Ashore! New Perspectives on the wreck of HMS Brazen
2025-02-04 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Hillcrest Centre, Bay Vue Road, Newhaven, BN9 9LH, United Kingdom
Speaker: Dr Cathryn Pearce.
Speaking at our Hillcrest meeting for the first time is Cathryn Pearce, a Peacehaven-based senior lecturer in Naval and Coastal History at the University of Portsmouth. This evening, Cathryn will share some new perspectives on the history and legacy of the wreck of HMS Brazen, lost under our cliffs in 1800. Where did the story we know come from? What other stories can be told? Rather than a simple tale of shipwreck and loss, Cathryn shows how Brazen was also central to Brighton and Newhaven’s experience of privateering, smuggling, shipwreck, salvage, and death during the French Revolutionary War.
Members free.
Guests welcome: £5.00.
Doors open at 7pm.

Entertaining Sussex Women
2024-12-03 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Hillcrest Centre, Bay Vue Road, Newhaven, BN9 9LH, United Kingdom
Speaker: Louise Peskett.
Speaking to our society for the first time, we welcome Brighton-based Louise Peskett; a women’s history author, Royal Pavilion Guide, tour deviser, museum teacher and everything to do with Women’s History. This evening she looks at some of the women from our county who have had careers in entertainment – from some of the earliest silent film stars to fortune-tellers, aquatic entertainers, drag artists, singers, and music hall stars. Some household names, some less well known.
Members free.
Guests welcome: £5.00.
Doors open at 7pm.

Lewes from a Newhaven Perspective
2024-10-01 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Hillcrest Centre, Bay Vue Road, Newhaven, BN9 9LH, United Kingdom
Speaker: Bob Cairns.
How did residents of Newhaven interact with Lewes in times gone by? Perhaps by catching the train or the 123 bus service to get to school or a workplace. Maybe a visit to the market, the auction rooms or the cinema. There was live music in the pubs and in the Town Hall – did you know Pink Floyd played there in 1968? Then of course, there was the Horse Racing at Lewes Racecourse, the spectacle of Lewes Bonfire in November and watching Newhaven Football Club play against Lewes at the Dripping Pan. Bob Cairns, who was brought up in Newhaven, where he has traced his ancestors back to 1680, reflects on the relationship between the two towns by delving into his huge collection of postcards and photographs.
Members free.
Guests welcome: £5.00.
Doors open at 7pm.

But I’ll be Sober in the Morning!
2024-06-04 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Hillcrest Centre, Bay Vue Road, Newhaven, BN9 9LH, United Kingdom
Speaker: Tony Harris
Join us for a tour through Winston Churchill’s life brought to us by actor/historian Tony Harris. During his last visit, he brought Henry VIII to life for us and now turns his attention to the Country’s greatest ever statesman. There will be anecdotes and snippets from his famous war time speeches plus the chance to question the great man afterwards about his thoughts on The Queen, De Gaulle and Stalin among others.

Newhaven Museum Showcase
2024-04-02 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Hillcrest Centre, Bay Vue Road, Newhaven, BN9 9LH, United Kingdom
(Preceded by the Annual General Meeting)
Speaker: Dr Jenny Flood
Following a fascinating presentation in 2022 when Jenny spoke about Newhaven in old photos, she now looks at some of the interesting and curious artefacts in the Newhaven Museum collection. With 1000s of items to choose from, there’s plenty of scope to cover a wide range of topics related to Newhaven’s past. Why not come along and find out some more about the history on your doorstep!

The Coast at Work
2024-02-06 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Hillcrest Centre, Bay Vue Road, Newhaven, BN9 9LH, United Kingdom
Speaker: Dr Geoffrey Mead
Geoffrey makes a welcome return to talk about the many aspects of the economy of the Sussex coast. Expect to hear about fishing, boat building, piers, holiday parks and much more. The speaker is passionate about the Sussex landscape with a fantastic local knowledge of its geography and evolution over millions of years.
