Cultural charity Charleston unveils plans for new space at Southover House in Lewes town centre

Charleston, founded in 1980 by Virginia Woolf’s sister Vanessa Bell and her friend and fellow artist Duncan Grant, is exploring opening a new space in a town centre location which will provide 'exhibitions, learning and education spaces, office space for the creative industry and a much needed artist workspace'.

The group shared these ideas for a second site at the Lewes District Council meeting on Thursday (February 3).

The charity said their reopened education and outreach programme would reach wider audiences if it had a central town location.

Nathaniel Hepburn, director of the charity, said: “Charleston was a place where a group of artists and thinkers imagined society differently. They were radical individuals and the ideas they experimented with remain inspirational for many people a century later.

"The idea of opening a town centre site would allow us to connect with wider and more diverse audiences through dynamic and distinctive exhibitions and a broad cultural learning programme. I often think about the civic pride when Lewes brought Rodin’s Thinker back to the town. This initiative could see that again.”

Southover House in Lewes is the most likely venue to host this space, after the Lewes District Council moved out of the building yesterday. Charleston said a building like Southover House – in the town centre overlooking Lewes station – would mean that the charity can reach broader audiences and employ more local people for its expanding offer.

Charleston’s Chair of Trustees, Pippa Harris, said: "“Everyone who works or volunteers for Charleston, including the trustees, are passionate about this really special house and collection. The last two years have been very challenging, but we remain committed to ensuring that the ideas, art and social experimentation of the Bloomsbury group are kept alive.

"It is exciting to explore how we can increase the impact the charity has from a central town location, but we would do nothing that puts the house, garden and collections at risk so it must be a careful and considered process.”

The charity launched an emergency appeal in 2020 after the pandemic forced the closure of the site and the cancellation of the annual festival.

However, after donations from thousands of individuals and significant support from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund, Charleston is now planning for a second site.

Mark Burch, chair of Charleston’s Finance committee, explained the process and next steps: “We have appointed an experienced consultant to help the trustees understand the opportunities of this new project, and to build a business case.

"Our team is working with potential businesses and charities who might share the building with Charleston and work in partnership with us to deliver our educational and cultural activities in a town centre like Lewes. Only after all this research will the board of trustees be in a position to further the project, and then any decision will be contingent on securing the necessary funding.”

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