Fall in love in Eastbourne this Valentine's Day with Stargazing, Ballroom Dancing and More!

Whatever your budget and whatever your style, if you're looking to spoil someone special this Valentine's Day, Eastbourne is the perfect romantic escape!

For culture and passion on the stage, the Congress Theatre has it covered this Valentine's weekend! On 12 February, Strictly Come Dancing’s Anton du Beke and Erin Boag bring the heat of the ballroom to the stage of the Congress Theatre when their sizzling new dance tour stops in Eastbourne, bringing passionate ballroom dances performed to hits of the golden age! 

If dreamy romanticism is more what you're after, then an afternoon at the Congress on Valentine's Day listening to the London Philharmonic Orchestra perform a romantic classical variety is the one for you. The beautifully relaxing concert will include Schumann's musical love letter to his wife: his Piano Concerto; and Sibelius's beautiful and uplifting Symphony No. 5.

For the most romantic of outdoor activities, head to the Redoubt Fortress on Eastbourne's seafront for an evening of stargazing. In the company of your loved-one, gaze at the sky through the eye of the telescope on Saturday 13 February as the Eastbourne Astronomical Society take you on a romantic guided-tour of the night sky, spotting craters on the moon, stars in the galaxy and the Orion Nebula! It's also a completely free event, so you'll be able to splash out more on dinner later on!

If you're looking for fine dining, The Grand Hotel, the only 5* seaside hotel in the UK, provides the fanciest of settings for a perfect Valentine's dinner! Lovers who lunch can choose between the 'Fine Dining Romance Dinner' in the reputable Mirabelle Restaurant, the 'Garden Restaurant Romance Dinner’ or a ‘Romantic Afternoon Tea’ served in The Great Hall. From just £145.00 per person, dine in the Garden Restaurant and stay at the Grand overnight! Enter our competition for a chance to win a Valentine’s Dinner for Two in the Grand’s Garden Restaurant!

For Afternoon Teas coupled with discovery, an afternoon at either Michelham Priory, an 800 year old country house with seven acres of beautiful gardens or at National Trust run Bateman's will be ideal! Michelham Priory is serving up a luxury Valentines canapé tea, complete with a glass of Prosecco, a special Valentine's gift and full entry to the house on 13 and 14 February. On 14 February visit Bateman’s and enjoy a stroll around the garden at the former home of Rudyard Kipling, followed by a delicious Valentine’s Tea! 

If art is the way to your heart, Eastbourne’s contemporary gallery, Towner Art Gallery has two great exhibitions this Valentine’s weekend; Recording Britain; a collection developed at the outbreak of the Second World War which aimed to document rural and urban

environments under threat, and Peter Sellers: Behind the Camera; a retrospective of the career of his career.

Stay overnight and make the most of the romantic coastal location! Go to VisitEastbourne.com/accommodation for all the best places to stay in Eastbourne and some fabulous Valentine's weekend offers!

A Peek at Towner's Incredible Exhibition - John Napier: Stages, Beyond the Fourth Wall

Back in December we took a trip to Towner Art Gallery to check out the new John Napier exhibition, Stages, Beyond the Fourth Wall, which we'd heard so much about. Napier is a multi-award winning set and costume designer who's intricate style and skill is responsible for many of theatre's most iconic and memorable designs, from the horses in Equus, to the outsized junkyard in Cats, to the ever-recognisable set and costumes for Starlight Express.

The exhibition layout planned by Napier himself, is set out in a winding maze-style, taking you on a journey of his career highlights on which you will spot delicately drawn costume designs, detailed replicas of stage sets and many more surprises along the way. As fans of theatre, culture and design, it's needless to say that we were not at all disappointed by the exhibition and will gladly sing its praises from the rooftops, in true musical style! With the exhibition open until 31 January, a visit to Towner Art Gallery this month is essential. In the meantime, here's a gallery of some of the amazing pieces on display to whet your appetite.

 

John Napier: Stages, Beyond the Fourth Wall is open at Towner Art Gallery from now until 31 January. Entry is £5; £3.50 for concessions and groups of over 10 people or free to under 18's and Towner members. Towner Art Gallery is open from 10am-5pm Tuesday-Sunday.

Ravilious Talk and Book Signing at Towner

On Saturday 9 November at 3pm, Towner welcomes Alan Powers to talk about local artist; Eric Ravilious. He will also be signing copies of his new book about the artist.

More popular than ever, the work of Eric Ravilious (1903-42) is rooted in the landscape of pre-war and early wartime England.  This new book by Alan Powers, the established authority on Ravilious, provides the most comprehensive overview to date of the artist’s work in all media – watercolour, illustration, printmaking, graphic design, textiles and ceramics – and firmly positions Ravilious as a major figure in the history of early 20th century British art.

The lecture will look at the role of the sea in Ravilious’ watercolours, murals and prints, as well as his use of coastal scenes, harbours and docks as suggestive subject matters. This aspect of his work will be explored in relation to other artists and the 1930’s Modernist cult of the seaside. 

Alan Powers is a historian and curator, specialising in twentieth century British art, architecture and design. He curated the exhibition of Eric Ravilious: Imagined realities, at the Imperial War Museum in 2003. He is currently working on an introduction to a reprint of John Piers Brighton Aquatints for Mainstone press and an exhibition ‘Letters from America: The Graphic art of Ivan Chermayeff’, for the De La Warr Pavilion which opens on July 2014.

His new book on Ravilious was recently published by Lund Humphries. There is an opportunity to buy the book at the event, have it signed and speak with the author. The book is £35 with members receiving 10% discount.

The talk is 1 hour long and takes place at Towner on Saturday 9 November at 3pm. It is £6, £5 for concessions and £4 for members.

 To book or to find out more information go to www.townereastbourne.org.uk

Curators Talk For The Lyons Teashops Lithographs at Towner

Join the exhibition curator for a walk and talk through The Lyons Teashops Lithographs: Art In A Time Of Austerity on Thursday 12 September at 12.30pm.

Visitors will be able to hear the fascinating story of how 29 of the 40 lithographs were discovered in a corner of the old Towner Art Gallery’s collection store, and through careful conservation restored to their former glory. The talk will then go on to show how the team acquired the rest of the set to make it complete.

Guests will also learn about the history of the lithograph project and the artists involved, including John Lake who was Curator of the Towner Art Gallery at the time of his commission in 1947.

The talk is free to visitors with an entry ticket to The Lyons Teashop Lithographs exhibition. Entry to the exhibition is £5.50 for adults and £4 for concessions, members free.

The talk takes place at Towner on 12 September at 12.30pm, for more information go to www.townereastbourne.org.uk

The Lyons Teashop Lithographs: Art in a time of Austerity

Post-war British artists including Edward Bawden, John Piper, David Gentleman, John Minton, William Scott, Duncan Grant, John Nash and L .S. Lowry form part of The Lyons Teashops Lithographs: Art in a Time of Austerity. The exhibition celebrates Towner’s collection of the complete set of 40 lithographs commissioned by catering giant J. Lyons & Co. to combat the wartime decline in the interiors of their famous Lyons Teashops, compounded by a post-war lack of decorating materials.

Through the company’s enterprising approach to arts patronage and interior decoration, the cream of modern British art was for the first time accessible to a wider public in 200 Lyons Teashops nationwide.

Towner’s exhibition presents all three series of lithographs – commissioned between 1946-1955 - together with a selection of the original paintings and working drawings.  Whilst some of the artists were able to produce their own lithographs, others created watercolour, oil, gouache, pen and ink, or collaged works that were then turned into the final lithograph. The works were produced on a large enough scale to conceal the faded teashop decors. War artists, Royal College of Art alumni, and well-known and emerging practitioners were chosen to produce tasteful works of art that would appeal to the typical Lyons Teashop The Lyons Teashops Lithographs are a key legacy of these pioneering times, the last Teashop having closed its doors in 1981.

In addition, the Towner café has been transformed to give a special Lyons – inspired experience of “tea and slice of art” where the café will have its very own ‘Nippie’!

Reasons to come to Eastbourne over Easter!

It’s all going on this Easter and Eastbourne has a wide variety of attractions and events taking place over the Easter weekend and half term.

Easter weekend starts on Friday 29 March and Eastbourne has a jam packed list of things to do for the whole weekend starting with the grand opening of The Redoubt Fortress. The fortress is offering free entrance over the whole weekend as it opens for the season after improvements over the winter. 

Good Friday also sees the Fat Controller at Drusillas Park! As families get on board Thomas to view the park, they can meet the Fat controller at the same time! Drusillas is located just outside of Eastbourne, it is widely regarded as the best small zoo in Europe and there are an array of rides and things to do! Drusillas also welcomes Mike the Knight on bank holiday Monday 1 April.

Towner; the award winning contemporary art museum also gives visitors a reason to visit our sunny town. On Saturday 30 March Towner has events for both children and adults. There is the ‘Bunnies and Bears early years play session’ and the ‘Collection store tours.’ Both require booking.

The Eastbourne steam miniature railway is a great place to go on Easter Sunday! They are holding an Easter Eggspress event where customers get a free Easter egg on entrance to eat between rides on the fantastic miniature railways.

To follow a day at the miniature railway, visitors can go to the famous Easter Concert at the Eastbourne Bandstand. The traditional concert comes with the towns very own “Eastbourne Silver Band” and is a delight to watch. The concert starts at 3pm on Sunday 31 March and doors open at 2.30pm. Tickets are FREE but booking is essential.

One thing that can’t be forgotten over the Easter holidays is that when spring has sprung, it is lambing season at the Seven Sisters sheep farm. The sheep farm that allows visitors to see 50 different breeds of sheep, goats, pigs, ducks, chickens and rabbits, is located at the South Downs national park- Just a mile away from Beachy Head. It is an annual excitement to greet the lambs on arrival and a great day out with the family.

There is also fun at the Observatory science centre! From Good Friday to Easter Monday, visitors can go to the centre for a hands-on science trail whilst discovering the domes and telescopes of the world famous astronomical observatory. There is also an alternative Easter egg hunt over the Easter weekend and exhibitions over the holidays.

To find out more about these attractions and to see what else is on over Easter go to www.visiteastbourne.com