Discover Victorian Seaside Holiday Fun and Eastbourne's Bronze Age Mystery this Year all with Heritage Eastbourne!

Heritage Eastbourne has got a super season of captivating interactive exhibitions plus a great line-up of fun and engaging events in store for 2016! From Bronze Age discoveries to WWI and a free vintage Summer Holiday programme, you'll want to head to Eastbourne from 21 March when the Redoubt Fortress opens its gates for this fabulous season! What's more, the majority of exhibitions are completely free, so great family days out with Heritage Eastbourne are accessible to all this year!

Did you know that 21 years ago, the UK's biggest Bronze Age causeway was discovered in Shinewater Park in Eastbourne? Well it was, and now for the first time the stories and fascinating mysteries of the people who lived in Eastbourne and built this astonishing track-way over 3000 years ago, are being brought to the foreground in an exciting new and free exhibition at the Pavilion, on Eastbourne's seafront!

Opening on 21 March, Making Tracks: Eastbourne’s Bronze Age Mystery recreates part of the Bronze Age causeway, contains a display of never before seen artefacts from the British Museum, Bronze Age items such as axes and jewellery uncovered in Eastbourne and allows you, the visitor to piece together the prehistoric puzzle to discover the tales of international visitors and human inventiveness from an astonishing time period! 

There's even a free dedicated Bronze Age Day on 23 July which celebrates the exhibition giving you the opportunity to have a go at making Bronze Age food, shoes and even flint making, in a family fun day which you and your children will love!

Summer might seem a little far away right now, but the Redoubt already has a great summer exhibition and activities lined-up! In another free exhibition, discover Eastbourne’s journey from a Victorian seaside ‘tennis town’ to 1970’s mass market seaside resort in the Seaside Holiday exhibition from 23 July to 5 September! The nostalgic exhibition will showcase some great holiday memorabilia from 1940’s bathing costumes, to an exquisite Railway Porter’s uniform heralding the days of luxury steam travel and Lewis Carroll’s renowned bed desk, designed especially for his holidays in Eastbourne.

With postcards, photographs and memories on display, you can leave your own memories at the exhibition, whilst your kids will love taking part in themed activities on the parade ground. With traditional seaside fun with free sandpits and a summer play park, your children will be occupied for hours, letting you relax with a Colonel Coffee and Sergeants Scone or a Trench Toastie in the vintage Outpost Cafe!

Also opening on the 21 March, when the Napoleonic fortress re-opens for the season, you'll discover a brand new WW1 exhibition in the fortress's fascinating military museum! For Hearth, Home and Honour? Eastbourne Learns the Reality of War uncovers the story of 11 Sussex men, all either wounded or killed at the Battle of Boar’s Head and shows the human side of war and its effect upon both the soldiers and the local community. With real footage of soldiers marching through the town’s train station, diary extracts, poetic sounds of the battlefield and a display of Eastbourne’s very own Victoria Cross winner, Nelson Victor Carter. Visiting with children? Younger visitors can also interact with a soldier’s kit bag of interactive equipment to help them discover life as a soldier!

The 200 year old fortress is home to many more renowned exhibits, from rare WW1 trench art to a captured German staff car; step back in time in the interactive 1940’s garden, featuring real aerial and audio footage of a Sussex family watching the Battle of Britain overhead.

Plan ahead for the year and make some awesomely authentic Halloween plans, as the Redoubt hosts two weekends of spooky Twilight Ghost Tours in October in which you can explore the creepy corridors by night! 

Talking of night time, the Redoubt joins in with the national Museums at Night celebration from the 13-15 May with its very own film festival. Adults will love the spine tingling screening of The Mummy (1959), complete with an introduction to Egyptian curses from a renowned Egyptologist, plus the terrifying screening of Alien (1979), whilst a family friendly event will screen One of My Dinosaurs is Missing (1975) and will have some fossil making fun thrown in for good dino-measure!

If you like cake and learning, then you'll be happy to know that last year's successful Culture and Cake series is back and even bigger this year! During the fascinating and engaging talks, passionate historians cover subjects such as Learning to Live With Ghosts and Health, Wealth and Happiness by the Sea, at the monthly talks from April to October! 

The Redoubt opens every day from 21 March until 13 November. Entry to the Making Tracks and Seaside Holiday exhibitions, cafés, parade ground and gun platform is free. Museum entry includes the WW1 exhibition and costs £4.50 per adult, £2.50 per child or £12 per family. Every ticket includes a free return visit in 2016, or visit the free Bronze Age exhibition and complete the exhibition trail for free kids entry to the museum!  For further information visit www.EastbourneMuseums.co.uk or telephone 01323 410300.

Museums at Night Festival Brings Jaws Film Screening to the Redoubt Fortress!

Duuuunnn, Duuunn.... Duuunnnnnnn Duuunnn.... Duuunnnnn Duuunnnnn.... Dun Dun Dun Dun Dun Duuuuuunnnnnnn!! What is that? Its' the sound of Jaws making it's way to Eastbourne!

Not the actual shark of course, just the classic 1975 film directed by Stephen Speilberg! On Saturday 16 May at 7.30 pm, the Redoubt Fortress is taking part in ‘Museums at Night’, which is a national festival of after-hours culture and heritage. For a third year the Redoubt will host a film screening for ‘Museums at Night’, this year presenting the perfect seaside horror, Jaws.

If you aren't familiar with the film, Jaws tells the story of American tourist town Amity Island, where a series of shark attacks forces police chief, Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) and two comrades, Ichthyologist Matt Hopper (Richard Drewfuss) and ship Captain, Quint (Robert Shaw) to engage in an ambitious battle of man vs. shark, after the town's mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) refuses to close the beach. The film recounts their attempt to kill the deadly sea creature and save the residents and tourists from a fatal swim at Amity Island beach. 

‘Museums at Night’ is a celebration of heritage, arts and culture in the UK. The festival is set up to encourage visitors into museums, galleries and heritage sites across the country by hosting special events outside of normal opening hours. Events will be taking place throughout the country between 14 and 16 May 2015. At the Redoubt on 16 May, visitors can also discover a display of shark-related items. Local collector, Robert Knight will share his collection and knowledge of preserved sea-creatures, real shark jaws and Great White Shark teeth!

The Redoubt chose to screen Jaws to celebrate Eastbourne’s position as an iconic seaside tourist town. However, fear not - the bathing waters in Eastbourne are some of the cleanest and safest in Britain, earning this accolade from the Marine Conservation Society’s, Good Beach Guide numerous times. We can assure you that the sea is a lot safer to swim in than the sea surrounding fictional, Amity Island!

The film is rated 12 - so the film screening is open to all above this age! There's no need to bring your own popcorn either. The Redoubt’s vintage themed cafe, ‘The Outpost’ will be open for the evening serving cinema type confectionery, such as popcorn and ice-cream, as well as alcoholic beverages and soft drinks!

Doors will open at 7.30pm on 16 May for an 8.00pm start. Tickets are £6 and booking is essential. For more information and to book tickets for ‘Museums at Night Film Screening – Jaws at Redoubt Fortress and Military Museum’ visit www.eastbournemuseums.co.uk.