Tate director to open Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft

Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft. Copyright: Ditchling Museum Art + Craft, Adam Richards Architects, Brotherton/Lock

Sir Nicholas Serota, director of the Tate gallery in London will formally open Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, which opens to the public on Saturday, September 21.

The museum has been extended and re-designed by architects Adam Richards, with funding from a Heritage Lottery grant, trusts, foundations and generous individuals.

Ditchling became a centre for the applied arts in the early 20th century, and the museum holds a nationally important collection associated with the arts and craftsmen drawn to the village.

Figures represented include Eric Gill, David Jones, Edward Johnston, Ethel Mairet, Sir Frank Brangwyn and Hilary Pepler.

Gill, a controversial figure, moved to Ditchling in 1907 and became a major sculptor, letterer and typographer.

The museum has dedicated learning space for practical workshops and talks informed by the collection.