Sussex Heritage: 2026 Shipley Arts Festival launched at Toovey's
The Shipley Arts Festival launched its 2026 series of concerts at Toovey’s Washington salerooms. Andrew Bernardi, the Festival Director, and his musicians treated the Friends of the Festival to a series of short performances which provided musical vignettes of the concerts planned for the season.
The gathering had the atmosphere of one of those French salons of the 18th and 19th centuries as the Festival supporters, Friends and Sponsors came together amongst the fine 18th century furniture, art and antiques at Toovey’s with a glass of Nyetimber English sparkling wine to celebrate the start of the 2026 season. The French salons became social and cultural hubs where intellectuals, writers, artists and musicians would come together and disseminate the latest ideas and thinking. They played an integral role in the cultural development of the country as The Shipley Arts Festival now does in West Sussex.
The quality of community pervades all that the Festival does. It brings and connects many of the nations leading musicians and composers of our generation to our county. The Festival continues to commission new work whilst promoting and providing opportunity to younger musicians. Throughout the 20th century many of the nation’s leading composers, including Ralph Vaughan Williams, John Ireland, Arnold Bax and Sir Edward Elgar worked in Sussex
Today Andrew Bernardi is continuing this tradition. He says “We have collaborated with and commissioned works from composers like Cecilia McDowall, Malcolm Singer, John Rutter, Roderick Williams and Chris Hussey. Helen Ottaway’s White Storks resonated with audiences during a special BBC Radio 3 broadcast from Knepp Castle’s Wilding Concert during lockdown and I will be recording Paul Lewis’ Shipley Concerto this year which beautifully captures the journey of our treasured Stradivarius violin and the local landscape. Over the 25 years of The Shipley Arts Festival we have commissioned over 20 new works from British composers and created a real legacy of new music.”
The venues are often as exciting as the music with concerts held at Knepp Castle, Warnham Park, Lackenhurst Place, Great Ballard School, Leigh Hill Place, Castle Goring and numerous pubs and churches.
As the longest standing sponsor of the Shipley Arts Festival I am delighted that Toovey’s and myself remain at the heart of this remarkable celebration of music and community. Together with our fellow sponsors NFU Mutual at Horsham, Chichester and Pulborough, Nyetimber and Kreston Reeves, we wish Andrew Bernardi and his Shipley Arts Festival every success with the 2026 season of concerts.
Tickets go on sale on 1st February. For more information on the forthcoming Shipley Arts Festival and to book your tickets visit the box office at www.bmglive.com.
Rupert Toovey is a senior director of Toovey’s, the leading fine art auction house in West Sussex, based on the A24 at Washington - www.tooveys.com- and a priest in the Church of England Diocese of Chichester.