Special weekend for 400th anniversary

PAST students will have the chance to tour Steyning Grammar School's historic Church Street site for a 400th anniversary reunion.
By The Newsroom
Published 22nd May 2014, 16:00 BST
Updated 8th Jun 2018, 06:58 BST
Former art teacher Caroline Meeson in Chatfields with the grammar school exhibition she helped to createFormer art teacher Caroline Meeson in Chatfields with the grammar school exhibition she helped to create
Former art teacher Caroline Meeson in Chatfields with the grammar school exhibition she helped to create

Archive material will be made available to the public for the first time and the celebration DVD, The School Life and Spirit of 2014, will also be showing.

Anyone interested can visit the site between 10am and 2pm on Saturday, when there will also be the chance to view the exhibition, The Steyning Grammar School Story, in Chatfields, one of the medieval buildings belonging to the school.

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The free exhibition will also be open from Sunday to next Saturday, at 10am to 4pm weekends and 2pm to 4pm weekdays.

Meanwhile, the school’s Heritage Quilt will be on display in Bolton House, in Church Street, from 10am to 2pm, along with a video showing how it has been made and those involved.

A heritage quilt church service, with the theme Creation, will be held at St Andrew and St Cuthman Church on Sunday at 7pm, with the main focus to ‘dedicate’ five quilted panels made by more than 400 students, staff and community volunteers.

The quilt panels will then go on display at the church from Monday at 10am to Wednesday at 4.30pm.

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The school’s anniversary has been fully embraced by the Steyning Festival, which launches on Saturday with a children’s parade.

Festival chairman Christine Aubrey said: “Working with Steyning Grammar School has been one of the great joys about planning this year’s Steyning Festival and we are delighted to have been able to organise some special events which will help the whole community to celebrate the school’s 400th anniversary.

“Together we will sing, eat, listen, watch, walk and dance our way through two weeks of fun and great entertainment.”

Steyning Bellringers will ring in the festival at St Andrew and St Cuthman Church at 10am and the parade, with the theme Steyning Welcomes the World, will follow at 11am, starting at School Lane. It will process along Church Street, High Street, Tanyard Lane and Church Lane, ending back at School Lane.

The festival fortnight runs until Sunday, June 8. There is a giant community picnic on Monday at Memorial Playing Field, 11am to 4pm. For more information, visit www.steyningfestival.co.uk