Past Events of the Friends of Henfield Museum
As well as funding and working on museum projects, the Friends hold talks, excursions as well as our Annual General Meeting and Christmas party. See a selection here.
2026
Henfield's Community Day of Action: Sat 18th April
In the face of large developers' planning submissions to double the size of the village in opposition to our own hard-fought Neighbourhood Plan, a 'Day of Action' (and awareness) is scheduled. Hosted at and outside the Henfield Youth Club by the King's Field, there were a series of nature/bird walks across the day on nature and planning, one-day only displays on local natural and agricultural history, planning and nature and a nature table /raffle + some circus/face painting activities for children.
We'll have two rurally relevant new displays in the museum - our main temporary display and our new costume display on a theme of Country Life; Smocks & A Scythe, put in place by Stephanie Richards our Costume Curator.
Additionally, we ran two 2-hour guided history walks led by Curator Alan Barwick (10:15AM) and Friends Chairman Robert Gordon (1:30PM) starting from the museum and including a special look at the Nep Town sandpit in the garden of Old Mill House (with thanks to Friend Robin Hepworth). Do come along, particularly if you've not been on a guided walk before.
- Further info: https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/25988518.henfield-host-action-day-highlight-impact-housing/
- Send a photo of a threatened local area to Keir Starmer: https://communityplanningalliance.org/events-calendar/
We'll have two rurally relevant new displays in the museum - our main temporary display and our new costume display on a theme of Country Life; Smocks & A Scythe, put in place by Stephanie Richards our Costume Curator.
Additionally, we ran two 2-hour guided history walks led by Curator Alan Barwick (10:15AM) and Friends Chairman Robert Gordon (1:30PM) starting from the museum and including a special look at the Nep Town sandpit in the garden of Old Mill House (with thanks to Friend Robin Hepworth). Do come along, particularly if you've not been on a guided walk before.
- Further info: https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/25988518.henfield-host-action-day-highlight-impact-housing/
- Send a photo of a threatened local area to Keir Starmer: https://communityplanningalliance.org/events-calendar/
Special Edition Guided History Walks
The day's full programme and talk schedule:
| action_day_programme_v3.pdf |
2025
Christmas Party
Talk: St. Hugh's Charterhouse, Parkminster
by Robert S. Gordon
Mon 15th December 2025, 16:00
Members only
Following a visit by male members of the Friends, this talk by the Chairman offered all of the membership a rare look into the sequestered life of the Carthusian order of monks at St. Hugh's Monastery at Parkminster. We heard of the history of this silent fraternal order, founded and headquartered at Chartreuse in France in 1084 (now famous for the liqueur made there by the monks!).
Photos of the interior of the buildings featuring the monk's cells, library, cemetery, the longest cloister in the world (550 metres) and its tower taller than that at Chichester Cathedral were shared. Also heard were Insights and quotes on the monks' lives, calling and search for the 'silence' of God
Our sincere thanks go to the monks of Parkminster for granting our visit.
Approach, for what we seek is here!
Alight, and sparely sup, and wait
For rest in this outbuilding near;
Then cross the sward and reach that gate.
Knock; pass the wicket! Thou art come
To the Carthusians' world-famed home.
The silent courts, where night and day
Into their stone-carved basins cold
The splashing icy fountains play--
The humid corridors behold!
Where, ghostlike in the deepening night,
Cowl'd forms brush by in gleaming white.
Stanzas from the Grand Chartreuse (Matthew Arnold)
Photos of the interior of the buildings featuring the monk's cells, library, cemetery, the longest cloister in the world (550 metres) and its tower taller than that at Chichester Cathedral were shared. Also heard were Insights and quotes on the monks' lives, calling and search for the 'silence' of God
Our sincere thanks go to the monks of Parkminster for granting our visit.
Approach, for what we seek is here!
Alight, and sparely sup, and wait
For rest in this outbuilding near;
Then cross the sward and reach that gate.
Knock; pass the wicket! Thou art come
To the Carthusians' world-famed home.
The silent courts, where night and day
Into their stone-carved basins cold
The splashing icy fountains play--
The humid corridors behold!
Where, ghostlike in the deepening night,
Cowl'd forms brush by in gleaming white.
Stanzas from the Grand Chartreuse (Matthew Arnold)
Latin reading from the Common of Several Martyrs in the St. Hugh's chapel (photo: R. S. Gordon, 2025)
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St. Hugh's cloister (photo: R. S. Gordon, 2025)
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Annual General Meeting
Talk: The Secret Sussex Resistance' by Stewart Angell
Thurs 22nd April 2025, 19:00
Non-members £5 on the door, or £10 to join the Friends
We covered the official business and update on the year, followed by refreshments and a talk by Stewart Angell on the WW2 Auxiliary units.
Stewart has interviewed many of the brave and highly secret 'stay-behinds' who had their Sussex HQ at Tottington Manor and were expected to sacrifice themselves behind the lines to delay any invasion attempt by the Germans. Several locals were involved with groups such as that based at Small Dole.
Stewart has interviewed many of the brave and highly secret 'stay-behinds' who had their Sussex HQ at Tottington Manor and were expected to sacrifice themselves behind the lines to delay any invasion attempt by the Germans. Several locals were involved with groups such as that based at Small Dole.
2024
Friends Christmas Party
Talk: AmDram ProDram by Peter Bates
Wed 4th Dec 2024, 16:30 - 18:30
Drawing upon his 70+ years in the theatre, on stage, back stage and in the audience, Peter talked of his early days at school, through Cambridge, and for over 50 years on and off the Henfield stage in association with the venerable Henfield Players and today's Henfield Theatre Company.
We were privileged to hear some exquisite titbits and a few fine theatrics thrown in!
We were privileged to hear some exquisite titbits and a few fine theatrics thrown in!
From left: unknown friend of Paul Murden, Anne Hubner, Doreen Barclay, Doreen Wheeler, Peter Bates, seen in the Henfield Players' 1975 production of 'The Heiress'. A 1947 adaptation of Henry James' 1880 novel 'Washington Square', it was made into a 4x Oscar winning film two years later with Olivia de Havilland
Annual General Meeting
Talk: Farming in the '40s and '50s' by Peter Bates
Thurs 9th May 2024, 19:00
After an update on Friends and museum projects, AGM business and the election of the committee, a talk by Peter Bates followed, entitled 'Farming in the '40s and '50s'.
This was Peter's personal story based on his first 20 years, brought up on a 48 acre, small mixed farm smallholding in the Weald of Kent (Smarden) with 12 cows, 3 pigs, 30 sheep, 50 chicken and a cart horse - no mains water until 1947, nor mains electricity until 1962. He brought with him some artefacts from that era, including his mother's Tilley iron in its original (somewhat tattered) box and a selection of photographs and documents.
This was Peter's personal story based on his first 20 years, brought up on a 48 acre, small mixed farm smallholding in the Weald of Kent (Smarden) with 12 cows, 3 pigs, 30 sheep, 50 chicken and a cart horse - no mains water until 1947, nor mains electricity until 1962. He brought with him some artefacts from that era, including his mother's Tilley iron in its original (somewhat tattered) box and a selection of photographs and documents.
