Our second visit, in early October, takes us to Farleys House & Gallery near Chiddingly, which is now a museum and archive featuring the life and work of the Surrealists Lee Miller and Roland Penrose.
Lee Miller (1907–1977), American model, artist’s muse and fashion photographer turned WWII war correspondent for Vogue, is one of the most fascinating figures in 20th century photography. Her husband, Roland Penrose (1900–1984), was a Surrealist painter, photographer, poet and biographer of Picasso, among others.
2024 marks 75 years since the couple moved to Farleys, in 1949. This part of East Sussex appealed to them because of its idyllic setting and its proximity to London and France. It was also close to Charleston, the home of the Bloomsbury set. For the next 35 years, Farleys House was a meeting place for some of the leading figures in 20th century modern art.
The house’s modest Queen Anne façade gives no hint of the visual excitements that await inside – vibrantly coloured walls, rambling corridors, asymmetric rooms and an eclectic collection of paintings and sculptures, many of which were created by their friends and visitors, who included Picasso, Miró, Max Ernst and Piet Mondrian.
We will have a 50-minute guided tour of the house and time to view the latest exhibitions at the Lee Miller Gallery and Farleys Gallery and explore the beautiful Sculpture Garden.
After lunch at the Plough Inn in Upper Dicker, we will drive a short distance to the village of Berwick. From there it is a 5-minute stroll to Berwick Church, which is famous for its Bloomsbury paintings.
Painted churches are rare in England. Most Mediaeval churches were elaborately decorated with religious scenes, but during the Reformation they were deemed idolatrous and defaced or destroyed.
The Bishop of Chichester, George Bell, was a poet who became a clergyman but retained a strong interest in the arts. In 1941, he commissioned the Bloomsbury painters Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell and her son, Quentin Bell, to decorate the interior of the small rural church of St Michael & All Angels, Berwick. It was an unprecedented request, but he was keen to help artists who were struggling in wartime and hoped the church would resume its earlier role as a patron of the arts.
Our visit to the church includes a guided talk on the artworks and murals, which give Berwick Church a unique place in the annals of art history.
A date for your diary: to coincide with the 75th anniversary at Farleys House, a film about Lee Miller entitled "Lee" starring Kate Winslet will be released in UK cinemas on 13 September.
For more information about Farleys, click here
To read a recent article about Farleys and the new film, click here
To discover more about Berwick Church, please click here
Proposed programme for the day (all times are guidelines):
9.00 Depart Hop Oast
10.00 Tea/coffee (available in two cafés on site)
10.30 Visit Farleys Gallery, Lee Miller Gallery & Sculpture Gallery incl. 50-minute guided house tour (3 or 4 groups at 30-min intervals)
1.30 Transfer to Plough Inn, Upper Dicker (4 miles away)
1.45 Lunch (to be pre-ordered once final numbers are clear)
2.40 Transfer to Berwick (4 miles away)
3.00 Guided talk about Berwick Church + Bloomsbury Group paintings
4.30 Coach departs for home
5.30 Arrive Horsham
Cost: £56.50 pp. Trip includes coach & gratuity, entry to Farleys Gallery, Lee Miller Gallery, Sculpture Garden + guided house tour, plus guided tour of Berwick Church. Refreshments and lunch not included in price.
