Viva Lewes Issue #110 November 2015

110
VIVALEWES
Editorial
Crash, bang, wallop, here we go again. We all know what November
means in Lewes, and it isn’t going to be quiet. Whatever measures the cops take
there’ll be rookies going off left, right and centre, vying with the brass bands
blaring, aerials screeching, “Burn the Pope” yelling, Sussex by the Sea singing,
drum bashing, archbishop ranting, bagpipe wailing, and general mob-goesmad
hubbub that vies for ear-space on the Fifth. And it’s not just the aurals: think of those
smells (the whiff of cordite) sensations (the rumble of thunder) visuals (um… everything)
and tastes (what’s your poison?) We can’t wait, as ever, but, having read through all the fine
Bonfire Society programmes on sale this year, we’ve decided to have a ‘quiet’ one, leaving
you to get the bulk of your news from those admirable ever-more-professional-looking
fund-raising publications. Our main Fifth-related feature, in fact, focusses on a number of
bonfires, from across the county, captured by JJ Waller BEFORE they are set alight. And,
keeping on the ‘quiet’ theme, we’re sparing a thought for Lewes’ pet population, many of
whom won’t be enjoying the celebrations: in fact we’ve got advice from a number of vets
as to the best thing to do with your domestic animals the night Lewes’ human population
goes completely mad. The theme this month, then, craftily refers to Lewes’ biggest annual
celebration, and the animals who so fear it: ‘Creatures… of The Night’. Enjoy the issue…
The Team
.....................
EDITOR: Alex Leith alex@vivamagazines.com
SUB-EDITOR: David Jarman
STAFF WRITERS: Rebecca Cunningham rebecca@vivamagazines.com, Steve Ramsey rambo@vivalewes.com
ART DIRECTOR: Katie Moorman katie@vivalewes.com
ADVERTISING: Sarah Hunnisett, Amanda Meynell advertising@vivalewes.com
EDITORIAL/ADMIN ASSISTANT: Isabella McCarthy Sommerville admin@vivamagazines.com
PUBLISHER: Lizzie Lower, lizzie@vivamagazines.com
directors: Alex Leith, Nick Williams, Lizzie Lower, Becky Ramsden
REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Jacky Adams, Michael Blencowe, Sarah Boughton, Mark Bridge, Moya Crockett,
Mark Greco, John Henty, Mat Homewood, Paul Austin Kelly, Chloë King, Ian Seccombe, Marcus Taylor
Viva Lewes is based at Pipe Passage, 151b High Street, Lewes, BN7 1XU, 01273 488882
Every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of our content. Viva Lewes magazine cannot be held responsible for any
omissions, errors or alterations. The views expressed by columnists do not necessarily represent the view of Viva Lewes.

VALUATION DAY
Jewellery
Thursday 12 November
10am to 4pm
Brighton and Hove Office
Bonhams Jewellery Specialist
will be in the Brighton and Hove
office to offer free and confidential
advice on items you may be
considering selling at auction.
APPOINTMENTS
AND ENQUIRIES
01273 220000
jenny.bouston@bonhams.com
Bonhams
19 Palmeira Square
Hove BN3 2JN
A DIAMOND
‘TORSDALE’ BANGLE
by Suzanne Belperron
Sold for £164,500
bonhams.com/hove
Prices shown include buyer’s premium. Details can be found at bonhams.com

the ‘creatures of the night’ issue
Contents
25
Bits and bobs.
10-33. Norman Baker’s political diaries,
a zoomorphic vox pops, Ian Seccombe’s
tawny owl, Rocket FM, Carlotta Luke
and much more besides.
Columns.
35-39. Chloë King’s back at school,
David Jarman’s on-platform poetry, and
Mark Bridge is squashing snails.
In Town this Month.
41-42. Salt of the Earth: we hook up
with Wim Wenders.
45. Opera. New Sussex Opera perform
Ambroise Thomas’ Mignon.
47. Literature. Mr Loverman author
Bernadine Evaristo interview.
49. Lewes Little Theatre costume
department prepares for The Circle.
51. Art. Kettles’ Yard at the Jerwood.
53. Focus on artist Chris Dawson, on at
the Hop Gallery.
55-57. Art and About.
59. Paul Austin Kelly’s classical roundup,
including the The Arcadia Quartet.
61-66. Diary dates. What’s on, where
and when.
69-71. Gig Guide. Talk about… pop
music. Shoobeedoobeedoowop!
73-80. Free Time. Danger Mouse is
back, a fab Lewes-made trading cards
game is launching, we visit a llama park,
and young photographer of the month.
>>>
Photo by Rebecca King

㈀ 㜀 アパート 㤀 㘀 㘀 㐀 㠀

the ‘creatures of the night’ issue
86
95
106
Food and drink.
82-93. Coffee in Ground, Lewes’
new Persian cooking company,
steak burger at the Pelham Arms,
everything you need to know about
potatoes, and Lancashire Bomb
cheese.
The Way We Burn.
95-101. JJ Waller’s atmospheric
collection of unlit bonfires.
On-theme features.
103-113. Bonfire shopping, advice
from local vets, Russell Gates from
Plumpton College, a day in the life
of shepherd Alex Callf, Raystede
pet rescue and Drusilla’s head zoo
keeper.
Regular features.
115-121. John Henty’s Lewes Out
Loud, Michael Blencowe’s wildlife
page, and Timothy the Tortoise in
Bricks and Mortar.
Inside Left.
138. There are going to be
fireworks.
VIVA DEADLINES
We plan the contents of each magazine six weeks ahead of any given month, with a mid-month advertising/
copy deadline. Please send details of planned events to events@vivalewes.com, and for any advertising
queries, contact advertising@vivalewes.com, or call 01273 434567.

10

this month’s cover artist: sean sims
We’ve broken one
of our own rules this
month, by asking a non-
Lewesian to design our
front cover. But when
we saw Brighton-based
Sean Sims’ illustration
of the town, we thought
it warranted an exception.
The original design
is Sean’s own representation of Lewes, in his
signature style of clean shapes and solid colours.
“I did it as an experiment really,” he says, “because
I’d done a few Brighton ones, but I like Lewes, I
like the way the buildings are all stacked up.” He’s
used a bit of artistic licence with the composition,
bringing in the castle, the station and, of course,
Harveys. “I’m sure people from Lewes will notice
the buildings I’ve missed!” Even though he
doesn’t live here, Sean has always had ‘a soft spot’
for the town, where he chose to get married four
years ago. You might not have spotted the tiny
heart in the window of the Town Hall.
We asked him to design a bonfire version to illustrate
this month’s theme, so he’s shifted the scene
from day to night, with the addition of torches,
the dark night sky and the fireworks. Although
both versions of the print are colourful in themselves,
they each use a slightly more muted palette
than his usual bold, bright designs. “I tried
to pick colours which represented Lewes - more
adult colours,” he explains, opting for browns and
neutrals which he’s seen around the town. “If I
used bright colours, it wouldn’t work as well.”
He enjoys simplifying objects right down to their
basic shapes, just using simple geometry where
possible. One of his prints, Electric Dreams, is a
montage of classic 80s technology featuring a
ghetto blaster, a Sinclair computer and an Atari
console. Another uses old sound equipment, like
a 70s hi-fi, a cassette tape and a reel-to-reel recorder.
“Old technology is an illustrator’s dream,”
he says, “because all of the shapes can be broken
down into squares and circles.” Modern technology
doesn’t hold quite the same appeal.
Both the original print and the bonfire edition
will be available to buy in A3-size, exclusively
from Leadbetter and Good, as of the beginning
of November. Find them at 33A Cliffe High St.
To see more of Sean’s work, visit yellowhouseartlicensing.com
and newdivision.co.uk.
Interview by Rebecca Cunningham
11

Photos by Carlotta Luke
Photos by Carlotta Luke

Photo bny Alex Leith
my Downland
Michael Blencowe, Sussex Wildlife Trust officer
Are you local? I’ve lived round these parts for 25
years, first in Friston Forest (in a house, not in a
tree) then in Henfield. I’d like to live in Lewes,
where I work, but I couldn’t afford a place there.
Your ‘office’ is quite big… Sussex Wildlife Trust
have two nature reserves next to Lewes, one on
Malling Down and one in Southerham. Both are
great examples of chalk grassland full of rare species.
My job – as People and Wildlife Officer –
is to encourage people to use those reserves and
learn more about the wildlife that lives there, as
well as to encourage more wildlife into Lewes.
Every little bit helps: just little alterations to your
garden can encourage wildlife to thrive there.
It’s amazing how few people you meet up on
the Downs… It’s true. Most people stay in the
town with their Forfars pasties, even though within
20 minutes they can be completely surrounded
by great protected Downland. It’s worth adding
that this land is beneficial to everyone, whether
they go there or not: as well as providing a good
chance for a bit of exercise, the hills provide good
clean drinking water and a pollination service for
local crops.
What’s your favourite landmark? Oxteddle Bottom
at Southerham. It’s half an hour’s walk away,
between Lewes, and Glynde. You’re out of sight
of any pylons and out of earshot of the A27. Plus
there’s an ancient dew pond there we’ve restored.
And a deer, which has bonded with our cows.
What do you think of food foraging? Too many
people who don’t put anything back into nature
are doing it. You wouldn’t pick a rare orchid, so
why pick a rare mushroom? I’ve got nothing
against eating roadkill, though.
Are you a fan of Bonfire? No! I went once and
I’m not going to go again. I don’t like crowds and
noise, so it’s not for me.
It’s not a good time for hedgehogs. Some say
that hedgehogs will die out within 20 years but it’s
not because of bonfires, it’s because of the loss of
their natural habitat. But if you do build a bonfire,
move it on the day you’re going to light it, just in
case one’s crawled in.
Tell us about the nightlife in Lewes, wildlifewise.
There are plenty of bats in town and an increasing
number of tawny owls. A good number
of moths. And glow-worms, in the summer. Foxes
have recently been adapting to life in town and
enjoying all our wasted food that’s on offer.
Any animals to look out for in November? The
water rail, my favourite bird. You’ll not see them,
but you’ll hear them, among the reeds by the
Ouse. They sound like a pig being slaughtered.
If you didn’t live round here, where would you
live? Asturias in Northern Spain. AL
sussexwildlifetrust.co.uk
michaelblencowe@sussexwt.org.uk
13

TOUR THE
WINE ESTATE
EAT OR STAY AT
THE FLINT BARNS
EXPLORE THE
RATHFINNY TRAIL
SHOP GIFTS AT
THE GUN ROOM
Rathfinny Wine Estate, Alfriston, East Sussex BN26 5TU / www.rathfinnyestate.com

photo of the month
FERRY colourful
Martin Sinnock, a ‘semi-retired music writer’, also knows which end of a camera is which, as you can
see from this photograph taken – where else could it be? – in Newhaven. “There were two ferries in
port, that day,” he says. “Usually there is only one here at any time, but the Seven Sisters ferry had
broken down. She had to be berthed up against the metal scrap heap in order that the other ferry,
Côte d’Albâtre, could berth at the roll-on roll-off quayside.” By chance, on the same day, Martin had
special access to the scrapyard and snapped this picture, asking and gaining permission from the site
manager to publish it. “I felt that was quite decent and kind of him,” continues Martin. “I convinced
him that it was an example of how an industrial location can look strangely beautiful.” Martin went
to work on the resulting image on Photoshop, in order to saturate the colours: “that’s what makes the
picture exciting,” he says. “I was inspired by the colours of Jackson Pollock!” Martin shoots with a Fuji
Compact System Camera. “I’ve had a number of normal digital SLRs, and I find this is just as good,
and easy to use, just smaller and easier to carry around.”
Please send your pictures, taken in and around Lewes, to photos@vivalewes.com. We’ll choose our favourite
for this page, which wins the photographer £20. Unless otherwise arranged we reserve the right to use all
pictures in future issues of Viva magazines and online.
15

its and bobs
vox pop Eleri jones from sussex downs college asks:
“if you were an animal what would you be?” (No lobsters!)
“I think I would be a
lion so I could be king
of the jungle!”
Allan Lofthouse
“I would definitely be a
rabbit because they are
bouncy like my personality”
Lucy Burns
“I’d be a dog, because I’d
love to have one as they are
very affectionate”
Angela Tennick
“I’d like to be an elephant as
they mourn their dead
for two months”
Rachel Oakes
“I think I’d be a meerkat
so I could have a good
nose around!”
Karen Muxworthy
“I’d be an owl, safe
from all predators”
Jonathan Bailey
16

Come and visit us on
Friday 13 November
Saturday 14 November
9.45am to 12 noon
Awarded the highest possible rating across the Nursery,
Pre-Prep and Prep School by the Independent Schools
Inspectorate (May 2015)
Call us on 01323 733203 or
email admissions@standrewsprep.co.uk
For further information and to book your visit online

Next time you need
legal advice
let us take the lead
3 Bell Lane Lewes East Sussex BN7 1JU
01273 477071

its and bobs
ian seccombe’s point of view
‘Creatures of the night: the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco), has long been associated with misfortune and
death,’ writes Ian Seccombe, as ever on theme this month. ‘As Lady Macbeth remarks to herself while
Macbeth is murdering King Duncan: “It was the owl that shriek’d, the fatal bellman, Which gives the
stern’st good-night” (Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 2).’
town plaques #8: Fitzroy House
Only one building in the town has had a second plaque added - 10,
High Street. Lewes MP Henry Fitzroy’s marriage to his wife Hannah
was happy, but he was much affected by the death of his son Arthur,
aged 15, and he died a year later, aged only 51. His widow, originally a
Rothschild - which was then the richest family in the world - bought
a small plot of land to build a lending and reference library as a fitting
memorial for him. She employed the renowned architect Sir George
Gilbert Scott, who also designed the Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras
Station and the Albert Memorial. A new town library was eventually
opened and Fitzroy House would have mouldered away but for
the intervention of the Franks family who undertook the extraordinary
task of converting this derelict ruin into a private house. Marcus Taylor
On 20th January a Friends of Lewes talk focuses on the impact of floods and the ‘great storm’ of 1987.
If you have a story to share, please contact Marcus: enquiries@friends-of-lewes.org.uk/01273 473098
19

AT
TWO FESTIVE MENUS
£21.95 and £26.95
LEWES
56 Cliffe High Street, Lewes BN7 2AN
01273 476918 lewes@bills-email.co.uk

its and bobs
spread the word
There are two fine shots sent in this month. The first is
from New York, and there’s a great story around it. “Here’s a
photo taken at the beautiful wedding of Nina and Seth Elalouf
(pictured centre) on the 6th September 2015 on Long
Island, New York,” writes Alice McCarthy Sommerville (left)
and Esra Cohen (Nina’s cousin, right). “They were married
in the gardens of Chelsea Mansion, Muttontown, amongst
nearly 300 of their dearest family and friends. We did a
mercy dash to grab some hot-off-the-press September issues
the night before flying out, and we got lots of attention
carrying around our little bundle of Vivas at the wedding and lots of
compliments (on the Vivas!) We’re hoping if we get our photo in we
can send next month’s copy as a wedding souvenir!” Your wish is our
command. Next up, we’re in Turkey. “As previously featured in Viva
Lewes!” writes Alan Hobden, referring to our feature in the spring
on Gary Blount’s Gulet Barefoot Cruises. “We have just enjoyed an
idyllic week’s sailing in the Aegean. Lady Sovereign II is a beautiful
traditional Turkish tall-masted sailing ship (a ketch?) and we took
advantage of a week’s cruise from Marmaris to Bozborun and back.
We would recommend this to anyone.”
ghost pubs: #13 The fox inn, southerham
In line with this month’s theme of
‘creatures of the night’, the ghost
pub for this edition had to be the
Fox Inn at Southerham. There had
been a beershop at Southerham
since the early 1800s, situated next
to the toll house for the Lewes to
Eastbourne turnpike, and convenient
for the many workers at the
nearby limekilns. However, the
name ‘The Fox’ does not appear until
the 1861 census. Percival George
Burr and his wife Rose took over
the pub in the 1920s, and ran it for
25 years. Millie White remembers
walking along the river bank to the
Fox with her parents on Sunday evenings in the 1920s and 30s. Her parents would go in for a drink in the
pub, while the children sat outside by the river with a lemonade. The Fox was finally closed in 1956, and the
building demolished in 1976 to make way for the new bypass. This photo, featured in Lewes Then and Now
Vol.2, by Bill Young and David Arscott, shows the Fox and the tollhouse. Mat Homewood
21

RICHARD GREEN FUNERAL SERVICE
The only truly independent, family owned and run
Funeral Directors & Memorial Masons in Lewes & Uckfield
© “Guy Fawkes” from Colourful Coffins
170 High Street
Lewes
BN7 1YE
01273 488121 (24hrs)
lewes@rgreenfs.co.uk
125 High Street
Uckfield
TN22 1RN
01825 760601 (24hrs)
uckfield@rgreenfs.co.uk
CREATURES OF THE night in numbers
Lewes and surroundings are home to 32 species of nocturnal mammal, ranging
in size from the fallow deer at 80kg to the pipistrelle bat at 5g. There are
10 species of bat locally, and 4 species of owl known to breed in the area. The
town has at least 4 churchyards where wildlife are actively encouraged, and a
roe deer was caught on camera in one. But there have been 0 sightings of the
Lewes Wave Moth in the UK since 1961.
Sarah Boughton ‘with help from Michael Blencowe’.
Book Review: For the love of The Archers
How many times did David Archer fail his mathematics A Level? Whose first
wife was called Bobo? What was the name of Freda Fry’s favourite film? If you
know the answers to all these questions, you should probably seek professional
help. Otherwise, I recommend For the Love of The Archers, a positive cornucopia
of Archers lore both serious and trivial, expertly compiled by Lewes novelist
Beth Miller. The foreword is supplied by Charles Collingwood who plays Brian
Aldridge (Happy Birthday on the 11th, Brian!) And there’s plentiful input from
both ordinary listeners (all of whom exhibit those mixed emotions of affection
and exasperation that one knows so well) and celebrity fans like Joanna Trollope,
Wendy Cope and creator of Last Tango in Halifax etc, Sally Wainwright who
nominates Eddie Grundy throwing up inside the piano at The Bull as her ‘most
memorable Ambridge moment’. (£9.99 bethmiller.co.uk) David Jarman
22

its and bobs
lewes worthy: david mc taggart
David McTaggart was ‘perhaps
the most self-contradictory
personality in the ecology movement,’
according to one Greenpeace
historian. He’s been variously
characterised as a shrewd
business thinker and talented
PR-man, a workaholic capable of
great charm and charisma, and
a foul-mouthed autocrat with a
‘playboy attitude’. He was also,
according to the Independent, ‘far more than
anyone else… responsible for [Greenpeace’s]
growth into a giant international organisation.’
McTaggart was born in Vancouver in June 1932.
In his pre-Greenpeace days, he’d been a national
badminton champion, a construction industry
millionaire, a bankrupt, and then, in the Sunday
Times’ words, ‘a kind of upmarket ocean bum’.
His early activism involved trying to disrupt
French nuclear tests with his yacht,
which got boarded by French sailors,
who gave him a severe beating, earning
Greenpeace widespread publicity.
When Greenpeace International was
formed in 1979, McTaggart became
its chairman. Possibly because he lived
nearby, in Rodmell, he set up the group’s
headquarters in Lewes. They were based
at Temple House, School Hill, for the
next ten years. Andrew Stirling, who
worked there in the mid-to-late 80s, recalls it
as ‘an extremely close community’ of highly
motivated and talented people, working out of
open-plan offices with the ‘then state-of-the-art
telex, many computers and world time clocks all
down one wall.’ McTaggart moved to Italy in the
early 90s and ran an olive farm. He died in a car
accident in 2001. His will stipulated a $100 fine
for anyone caught crying at his funeral. SR
23

Plotting a trip to the USA?
www.us-visa.co.uk
Steven D. Heller
Director
CastleWorks, Westgate Street, Lewes
01273 965717
Castle Works
Westgate Street
Lewes BN7 1YR
United Kingdom
US Immigration Law Ltd
T: +44 (0)1273 434609
Skype:sdhusimmigration
E: sheller@us-visa.co.uk
www.us-visa.co.uk
US Visas and Ci>zenship
Medieval Style & Fantasy Robes
Made to measure & affordable
online shop: www.dornbluth.co.uk e service@dornbluth.co.uk

photography
bonfire
photos by carlotta luke
We’re delighted that Carlotta Luke has agreed to
be featured every month in this spot; the Lewesbased
photographer really gets herself around town
and we’re going to ask her to look into a few nooks
and crannies for us over the next few months. For
this, her second mini-feature, though, we’ve asked
her to delve into her Bonfire archive, and she’s
found a few crackers. The bottom two are grist to
the mill of those who think there’s a bit of Wicker
Man in the Night’s proceedings; the top two pictures
show more of the community side of affairs,
and how magical an occasion it is for Lewes kids.
25

its and bobs
Book Review: The Pubs of Lewes, David and Lynda Russell
David Russell is a Hastings-based pub historian who, having written three
books about the hostelries of our coastal neighbour, past and present,
has turned his attention to the county town, assisted by his wife, Lynda.
‘An old Lewes proverb reminds us that the town was once home to seven
breweries, seven churches and 70 pubs’ he tells us, in his introduction, and,
in the subsequent 313 pages, goes on to list all those establishments, and
more, talking about their foundation and history, inserting location-relevant
snippets from newspapers and photographs, turning the whole project into
something of a social history of Lewes. The result is a fascinating reference
book, with enormous pick-up-and-browse value, which will provide
much conversation fodder in Lewes’ surviving hostelries. We’ll leave you
with a season-relevant anecdote from the Pelham Arms entry: ‘One of the
earliest reports of [Borough Bonfire Society] is in 1855 when a Bonfire Boy
‘removed’ some wood for the bonfire from the Pelham Arms stables. He
was observed by a local constable and charged with theft but in his defence described himself as the Bonfire
Boys’ ‘Bishop’ and claimed ‘benefit of clergy’… With the support of the Pelham landlord he got off!’ AL
27

its and bobs
Book Review: against the grain
Norman Baker has written a book, Against the Grain, about his 28 years as
a Lib-Dem politician, from his election to the Ouse Valley Council (for the
villages of Glynde, Firle, Beddingham, Tarring Nevill and South Heighton)
to his shock General Election defeat in May of this year. The title, of
course, refers to his abrasive MO, both as a councillor and an MP, which led
to him being dubbed by David Cameron as ‘the most annoying man in Parliament’
– while he was serving in Cameron’s cabinet. He doesn’t skimp on
the early part of his career, and his battles with the Tories in County Hall,
but the most absorbing accounts are those of his time spent as an MP for
Lewes: his surprise election in 1997 made him the first non-Tory representative
of this constituency since 1874. The chapter on this election victory,
in fact, is unputdownable: he tells of his canny courting of the tactical vote,
reminds us of Paddy Ashdown’s arrival on Malling Rec in a helicopter to support him, and tells a hilarious
anecdote about a rather desperate Tim Rathbone (his Tory rival) canvassing one of his Liberal colleagues
in Telscombe Village, which happens to be in a different constituency. A tear nearly came to my eye when I
read his account of walking up the High Street the day after his victory – it took him over an hour, so many
people were congratulating him. Eighteen extremely eventful years later, of course – his candid description
of which forms the meat of this very readable book - it was arguably the lack of tactical voting that put
paid to his reign as an MP. As well, of course, as a national disenchantment with all things Lib Dem. Which
leads to a question which he doesn’t raise: if he had left the party, and declared himself an Independent
instead of becoming a Coalition government minister, would he still be an MP today? AL
There’s more at the Forge than just furniture!
Quality Country Furniture
for your home and garden
New Ranges of
Home Accessories
& Xmas Gifts
Custom-made service
make it yours . . .
Large showroom
Open 7 days a week
01273 814317
The Old Forge, Lewes Road, Ringmer BN8 5NB
www.theold-forge.co.uk
29

its and bobs
bonfire NEWS
Lewes Borough: ‘Death or Glory’
Borough are this year hoping to get into the
Guinness Book of Records with a 50-foot-high Guy
Fawkes, potentially the biggest ever. Their firesite,
as ever, is on Landport Bottom, off Nevill Road,
tickets £5/£3. Almost as excitingly it’s come to our
attention that Borough Bonfire Boys were briefly
featured in the original 1977 video of the Sex
Pistols’ God Save the Queen, which you can see on
YouTube. The video was rarely seen in its day as
the song was banned by the BBC.
Cliffe: ‘Nulli Secundus’
Cliffe are enormously proud of the newly opened
premises which have replaced their collection of
sheds and temporary buildings that they’ve used
for the 30 years they’ve owned their own yard.
This year’s programme editor has sneakily made
the publication a two-in-one job: one half is all
about Cliffe, the other half of their 96-page mag
is taken up, in an upside-down back-to-front sort
of way, by the more general-info Bonfire Night – A
Users’ Guide. Their firesite will, as it has been for
years now, be behind Ham Lane (access via Pinwell
Lane, tickets only). Their chosen charities this year
are St John’s Ambulance, The Sussex Heart Charity
and Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance.
Commercial Square: ‘For Independence’
After successfully experimenting with their Third
Procession route last year, Commercial Square will
again march to the top of town via Prince Edward’s
Road and Wallands. This is, in fact, their traditional
march, as evidenced by the earliest programme
they have on file, from 1873. Look out for the
Lewes Glynde and Beddingham Brass, as well as
the Barhulo Samba Band. And, of course, the ghost
of Edmund Godfrey. Their firesite is, as ever, on
Landport Recreation Ground; entry is free.
Southover: ‘Advance’
Southover are celebrating their tenth year since reforming,
and their eighth year with a firesite, which
this year (and for the foreseeable future, thanks to a
lot of hard negotiating) will be the Stanley Turner
Ground. Back in 2005 they managed to muster 100
marchers; now there are over 600 society members.
Look out for guest musicians the British Imperial
Marching Band and the Pentacle Drummers.
South Street: ‘Faithful unto Death’
This year South Street are collecting for three
charities: the Railway Land Wildlife Trust, the
Wildlife Rescue Ambulance Service and the Cystic
Fibrosis Trust. The last is close to stalwarts’ hearts
after the sad loss of young South Street member
Freya Murphy to the condition earlier this year.
South Street firesite is on the Railway Land, and as
ever starts earlier than the others at approximately
8.30pm. Tickets £5/£4.
Waterloo: ‘True to Each Other’
Waterloo bonfire boys are celebrating the 200th
anniversary of the decisive battle after which the
society is named. The two charities they are representing
this year are the Rockinghorse Children’s
Charity and St John’s Ambulance. Special guests in
the processions this year include the High Society
Military Marching Band and TS Swiftsure. Their
firesite is at Malling Brooks, behind Tesco, and is
the biggest of the night; entry costs £3.
Photos by Carlotta Luke
31

JEWELLERS AND SILVERSMITHS OF DISTINCTION
72/73 High Street · Lewes · East Sussex BN7 1XG
Telephone: 01273 474150 · Facsimile: 01273 486591
Email: marstonbarrett@btconnect.com
Web: www.marstonbarrett.com
FACIAL REJUVENATION
Anti-wrinle injections to smooth
and refresh the face using
botulinum toxin - BTX
Steven Kell and Katie Henry
have attended Professor Bob Khanna
advanced course and now bring his
techniques to Lewes and Sussex.
It is very important to discuss your goals and
expectations before making a decision, and
we want you to be fully and properly prepared.
Our consultations are held at Lewes High
Street Dental Practice. Consultations are
totally confidential, and there’s absolutely
no obligation to proceed.
To book a consultation, call us on
01273 478240 or email info@lewesdental.co.uk
60 High Street | Lewes | East Sussex

its and bobs
harveys competition winner
We have a lucky winner of our extremely popular
Harveys competition from last month – or twelve lucky
winners to be exact because Kevin Brinkhurst, his name
drawn out of a very big hat, can invite no fewer than
eleven of his friends along on a Harveys Brewery Tour,
anytime between now and Christmas. These tours are
so popular there’s usually a two-year waiting list for
places, so Kevin was rather pleased when we called him
up to tell him. Cheers, mate.
rocket fm
They’re back! After a year’s hiatus, Rocket FM is on our airwaves again with a full programme of
shows running in the last week of October and through, as ever, till November 6th. 87.8FM is the
frequency to tune into, though, of course, the show is also available on the internet. So it’s hurrah for
Peter Flanagan and his crew, including Dino Bishop and Ruth O’Keeffe, who start the day off with
their unmissable morning show from 7-9am. Our very own Alex Leith will be presenting My Lewes
on Saturdays at 1pm; Viva columnist Mark Bridge also has a show, Talking Culture, Mon 26th, Fri
30th Oct, 1-3pm.
www.thesussexox.co.uk
@thesussexox
The Sussex Ox
Milton Street
East Sussex
BN26 5RL
01323 870840
Mulled wine
Spiced Cider
Book now for Christmas
Choose from our delicious three course menu*
3 courses: £27.95
2 courses: £22.95
*Advance booking only
Open everyday except Christmas Day. Visit our website to view the menu
Food from our own farm
Cosy log fires

Advertising feature
Santon and Lewes District Council have made
amendments to their plans for Lewes’ Phoenix Estate
ahead of the South Downs National Park’s decision on
their planning application on 10 December 2015.
• Keep and grow Lewes’ unique economic cluster of
creative businesses, start-ups, light manufacturing, social
and cultural enterprises
• Retention of the Phoenix Ironworks buildings to keep
affordable work and venue space in the heart of our town
• Truly affordable housing at social rents
View and comment on the latest amendments to the Santon/LDC
plan at www.southdowns.gov.uk/planning (ref SDNP/15/01146/FUL)
by 16 November. Get your voice heard and get the best development
for your town.
Catch Lewes Phoenix Rising’s alternative
community-led plans for the Phoenix Estate at
Gorringes Auction Gallery, North Street.
Thursday 29 October 12-9pm
Friday 30 October 10.30am-8pm
Saturday 31 October 9.30am-4pm
Or see our plans at
www.lewesphoenixrising.com
www.lewesphoenixrising.com
Facebook: Lewes Phoenix Rising
*Based on 2,676 signatories to a recent petition to LDC, of which 1,687 came from the Lewes area

column
David Jarman
A Sussex Adlestrop
This year marks
the centenary of
the composition of
Adlestrop, probably
Edward Thomas’
best-known poem.
All of his 142 poems
were written
between December
1914 and January
1917. On 9th April
1917 he was killed
as the Arras Easter
offensive began.
Adlestrop is dated
8th January 1915, but as Edna Longley shows in
her scholarly edition of the Collected Poems, with
reference to Thomas’ field notebooks, the train
journey evoked in the poem actually took place on
24th June 1914. ‘Yes. I remember Adlestrop / The
name, because one afternoon / of heat the expresstrain
drew up there / Unwontedly. It was late
June’. Adlestrop is just west of Chipping Norton
on the main Great Western Railway line from
London to Oxford, Worcester and Malvern. ‘The
steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat / No
one left and no one came / On the bare platform’.
(No wonder, perhaps, that it was a casualty of Dr
Beeching’s cuts, closing to passengers on 3rd January
1966!) The relevant passage in the field notebook
reads: ‘Then we stopped at Adlestrop… one
thrush and no man seen, only a hiss of engine letting
off steam’. In the poem the solitary thrush becomes
a blackbird, and the man clearing his throat
is recorded in Thomas’ notebook as happening at
another unscheduled stop, outside Campden, as
are the ‘willow herb & meadowsweet’ mentioned
later in the poem.
Train travel often crops up in Philip Larkin’s
work. In I Remember, I Remember Larkin, ‘Coming
up England by a different line for once’, leans out
of the window of his train that has stopped and
exclaims: ‘Why Coventry!...
I was born
here’. Journeying
North from Oxford
in Dockery & Son, the
poet’s train pulls into
Sheffield ‘where I
changed / and ate an
awful pie’. And then
there’s The Whitsun
Weddings. He’s on a
train travelling from
Hull to London –
‘That Whitsun, I was
late getting away /
Not till about / one-twenty on the sunlit Saturday
/ Did my three-quarters empty train pull out’.
And then, ‘At first, I didn’t notice what a noise the
weddings made / Each station that we stopped at’.
As in Adlestrop, Larkin has altered the details of
the actual journey which appears to have inspired
the poem. The train from Hull in question was
bound for London but Larkin needed to change
again as he was in fact on his way to see his mother
in Loughborough. On 3rd August 1955 he wrote
to Monica Jones: ‘I went home on Saturday afternoon,
1.30 to Grantham – a lovely run… and at
every station, Goole, Doncaster, Retford, Newark,
importunate wedding parties, gawky and vociferous,
seeing off couples to London’. So, 30th July, I
think. Not Whitsun at all! Not, of course, that it
matters a jot.
More recently, browsing through the magazines
in Waitrose, I came across a poem by Connie
Bensley in the issue of The Spectator dated 19th
September 2015. Entitled On the Way to Plumpton,
it describes a meeting at Wivelsfield station between
‘the one figure on the platform / a mature,
buxom woman in pink’ and a ‘burly moustachioed
man’ who alights from the poet’s carriage. Try
and track it down. Not in the Thomas or Larkin
league, but rather delightful all the same.
35

Fixed Fee Family Law Advice
We provide cost effective, practical and
constructive advice on all areas of family law
We are able to offer fixed fees on:
• Undefended Divorce/Civil Partnership dissolution
• Living together Agreements
• Pre-Nuptial Agreements
• Deed of Separation
• Preliminary advice
We are here
to help!
For further details, please visit
www.lawsonlewis.co.uk/fixed-fees.htm
To ring for an appointment with Jeremy Sogno,
contact Lin Martin on 01273 480234
www.lawsonlewisblakers.co.uk
Suite 4, Sackville House, Brooks Close, Lewes BN7 2FZ
Offices also at: Eastbourne | Peacehaven
Check us out on Twitter and Facebook

column
Chloë King
Ate days a week
“Chloë!” It’s some students
from Friday’s session, goading
me from a table in the
cafeteria.
“Anything good to eat this
weekend?”
“Yes…” I’m being forced
to think on my feet, again.
Teaching is hard.
“…Sunday night: gammon,
mashed potatoes and peas.
Amazing!”
It seems that having a food
blogger for a teacher is funny, and becoming a
teacher is funny for a food blogger, so what better
way to record my first two weeks than with a
food diary?
Day one: Channelling a wholesome and professional
vibe with a breakfast of high-fruit muesli
and a banana. Arrive 50 minutes early then
get stuck in reception until five-to while the
receptionist fails to locate my course leader.
Nearly on! Neck two cups of strong black coffee
to waylay nerves… Phew, that could have gone
better. Celebrate with lunch of vegetable curry,
poppadom and mango chutney in the student
canteen.
Day two: Breakfast of toast and coffee. Find out
they sell Starbucks at school, forgo my boycott
of several years and order an Americano: small,
two-thirds full. Course leaders inform me my
teaching will be observed next week, just to
check ‘I’m not an axe murderer’. Digest the
unsettling news over lunch of macaroni cheese
with half a giant tomato.
Day three: I did have breakfast today, followed
by an Americano two-thirds full. The server
queries my order, presuming I must like a lot of
milk. We decide Starbucks needs to extend the
available cup sizes. Lunch is vegetable lasagne.
I receive a twenty seven-page assessment document
by email about my forthcoming observation
‘to check I’m not an axe
murderer’.
Day four: Short lesson this
morning preceded by an
Americano two-thirds full
and highlighted by a packet
of Maltesers. I must be
getting the hang of the job
because I managed to bring
a packed lunch: chorizo
sandwiches and an apple. I
also drank tea out of a staff
cup!
Day five: Observation day, rain is lashing down
heavily proving pathetic fallacy is actually a
thing. Americano two-thirds full in preparation;
run home without having lunch.
Day six: In order of appearance: Maltesers,
chicken tikka masala, samosa, poppadom, mango
chutney. Americano two-thirds full.
Day seven: Toast. Americano two-thirds full,
stay late prepping for next week. Find a friend
in the library, yes! Miss the canteen, no… See
sandwich board for café open till 2.15pm, rush
upstairs, through the doors, there’s a bar too!
Breathless: ‘are you still open?’
Smiling: ‘depends what for.’
‘A sandwich?’
The server goes to the fridge and pulls out a
limp sandwich. ‘We have ham and cheese, but
the toastie grill is off, sorry.’
‘I’ll take it,’ I say gratefully.
‘Cake?’
‘Oh go on, I was looking at that cake.’ She gives
me two slices for the price of one. The best
lemon drizzle I’ve eaten in ages.
Later that eve: two glasses of natural wine and
two-and-a-half pints of Harveys Best.
Day eight: High-fruit muesli and a banana.
Americano two-thirds full. Curriculum leader
hands me my report, ‘you’re not an axe murderer
but…’ And I understand now: I’m back at school.
Illustration by Chloë King
37

Cat’s
The
Whiskers
PET CARE PLAN
Complete
peace of
mind
Our clever Pet Care
Plan members enjoy
fantastic discounts on
everything, every time
they visit the vet.
Join today and start saving
money by calling our Lewes
team on 01273 478100,
or drop by the surgery at
137-139 Malling Street,
we’re next to Pets Corner.
CELEBRATING 41 YEARS OF PET CARE
1974-2015
Affordable pet care
you can trust
www.coastwayvets.co.uk

column
East of Earwig
Walking home and squashing snails
Photo by Mark Bridge
I’m tiptoeing across our patio in the dark.
Silhouetted in the moonlight, I cast a sinister
shadow rather like a Scooby-Doo villain. An
ominous rumble accompanies every step I take.
It’s Sunday night and I’m moving our wheeled
bin onto the driveway, ready for it to be emptied
in the morning. However, my caution isn’t an
attempt to keep quiet. It’s prompted by the
large number of snails that inhabit our garden.
You see, I have a particular fondness for snails,
although I’m not quite sure why. Perhaps it’s
the childhood trauma of having stood on one.
Perhaps it’s the graphic description of snail farming
that our French teacher gave us at secondary
school. Either way, I don my outdoor slippers and
tread very carefully whenever I’m in the garden at
night. If I didn’t, there’d be a lot of crunching.
Actually, I’m not sure if tiptoeing is a smart
move. Although it reduces the size of my footprint,
it increases the pressure if there is any unfortunate
snail-related incident. Maybe I ought
to wear bigger shoes to disperse the impact. I
wonder what size of shoe I’d need to ensure
the safety of the average snail? A quick internet
search reveals that dancing en pointe in ballet
shoes can double the pressures acting on a foot.
Therefore, strapping a pillow to each foot might
be enough – but my A-level physics fails me at
this stage. I’m tired and it’s time for bed.
Just a few minutes after my head hits the pillow
I’m drifting off into a world where snails are
telepathic. They’re trying to teach me something
about Newton’s Second Law of Motion. Julia
Bradbury is there, too. Perhaps she’s making a
TV show about my pillow-shoe invention. She
smiles at me and… hang on, Julia, I’m a married
man. My wife…
My wife’s phone wakes me with a beep. She
picks it up from the dressing table to see who’s
sent her a message. “Sorry”, she whispers.
I’m relieved it’s only the dream snails that are
telepathic. The message is a casual inquiry from
her daughter, whose five-month-old son is yet
to adopt conventional sleeping. Anything that
involves our nocturnal grandson is forgiven, of
course. He’s a delightful chap to whom I’ve already
promised an action-packed trip to the zoo
when he’s a little older. After all, if a grandparent’s
role is to indulge their children’s children,
then a step-grandparent’s role is surely even
more anarchic. I’ll need to behave like some kind
of louche character that might be portrayed on
film by Hugh Grant or Bill Nighy, arriving at
every birthday party on a Harley Davidson and
wearing a smoking jacket. But there’s one thing
I haven’t decided yet. Should I accessorise with
pointy-toed slippers or extra-wide soft-soled
shoes? Mark Bridge
39

The best display
you’ll see this year
MINI
With over 40 Premium Cars in stock and with more arriving daily, we are confident you will be
impressed by what bluauto have to offer. Specialising in Mercedes, Audi, BMW, MINI plus VW,
Skoda and SEAT, all of our cars are prepared to ‘Main Dealer’ standard, serviced and supplied
with 12 months MOT where applicable. So take a trip to bluauto or log on to www.bluauto.co.uk
• Great warranty options up to 3 years with 6 months Complimentary Road Side Assistance
• Great service from a knowledgeable team who know their cars
• Cars sourced to order
• Affordable Finance Options and Easy Set Up
in under an hour!.... Just SIGN and DRIVE
Loan
amount
Term
Agreement
Number of
Repayments
Monthly Representative Annual
Repayment* APR Interest
Rate
*An advance deposit or part exchange may be required.
Total
Amount
Payable
£10,000 60 months 60 £193.40 7.3% 3.15% £11,604
Representative APR from 7.3%
Find your dream car at:
London Road, Ringles Cross,
Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 1HE
Tel: 01825 761 222
Maresfield
A22 A26
Ringles
Cross
Coopers
Green
A272
WE ARE
HERE
bluauto. why buy an ordinary car?
Find out more at bluauto.co.uk
a bluebox automotive company

in town this month: cinema
Salt of the Earth
Turning the lens on a celebrated photographer
The German film director Wim Wenders was
walking down La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles
one day in the mid-1980s when he caught sight
of some startling photographs in the window
of a gallery. Intrigued, he entered and learned
that the photographer was a Brazilian named
Sebastião Salgado. He emerged soon after the
owner of a pair of prints – one from Salgado’s
Serra Pelada series of a gold mine in the Amazon,
the other an incredible portrait from the
Sahel in Africa – that continue to this day to
hang over the director’s desk in his Berlin office.
It was not until 2009, though, that the two men
actually met, at Salgado’s studio in Paris. That
led to Wenders accompanying the photographer
on trips to remote corners of the globe, and now
to the Oscar-nominated documentary The Salt
of the Earth, jointly directed by Wenders and
Salgado’s son Juliano Ribeiro, which is playing
at the All Saints on November 6th.
I manage to get an e-mail interview with Wenders,
who is a photographer himself, and is also
married to one. “I just wanted to know the
man,” he writes, “because he had impressed me
for so long. He seemed deserving of a portrait
of his own.”
Sebastião Salgado is perhaps the pre-eminent
‘social photographer’ of our times, honoured
by the Royal Photographic Society with its first
centenary award for his ‘sustained, significant
contribution to the art of photography’ and
immersed in conflicts, famines, mass migrations
and other man-made catastrophes. His recent
large-scale, nature-oriented project called Genesis
resulted in worldwide exhibitions and a 520-
page book of photographs covering Antarctica,
the Arctic and all points between.
The Salt of the Earth presents the basic facts
of Salgado’s life and his memories of them:
his childhood in Brazil’s isolated interior; his
years studying economics; exile in France with
his wife and business partner, Lélia Wanick,
after the Brazilian military imposed a dictatorial
regime. But its main focus is on Salgado as
>>>
41

in town this month: CINEMA
Salt of the Earth (cont.)
an artist, and Wenders
struggled for months
to find the best way to
capture the relationship
between the man and his
work before conceiving a
highly effective solution:
filming through the
scrim of a teleprompter
as Salgado looks at and
talks about some of the
most emblematic images
he has shot during a
career of more than 40
years.
“It was a way for
Sebastião to talk from
inside the photographs,
so to speak”, Wenders
says. “He had nothing
in front of him on that
screen except his own
work. He couldn’t see
the camera; he couldn’t
see me. It was a pitchblack
darkroom, so he
could totally remain in a
state of being completely
lost in the memory.”
For Salgado, now 71,
that process was at times painful, as the film also
examines the psychological crisis that all but
crippled him in the mid-1990s after covering the
genocidal wars in Rwanda and Bosnia, and the
massive refugee crises in their wake. At a particularly
poignant moment in the film, recalling the
scenes he witnessed and photographed, Salgado
admits to having completely despaired at any possible
salvation for mankind.
His son Juliano had already shot some footage for
a family-focused project of his own when he and
Wenders teamed up, and they continued to work
largely separately as they filmed. As a result, when
the two directors began
working together, they
had very different kinds
of footage and had to
confront a fundamental
challenge: how to piece
everything together into
a coherent whole that
would also do justice to
each man’s efforts and
vision.
Both have described
the editing process as
extremely difficult and
time-consuming, with
false starts and dead
ends. “After about a year,
we were sort of desperate,
because we hadn’t
a clue how to do this”,
Wenders recalls. “We
both knew that we could
make a film, each of us
alone, and at some point
that was a possibility.
But we knew that if we
managed to make one
film, it would be a better
film than our separate
films could possibly be.”
In the end, the film “tells the story of an entire
cycle, of a living land that dies and is then reborn.
That is also more or less the story of Sebastião, who
reached a breaking point and had to reinvent himself,
so it was a very powerful thing. And to tell the
truth, we only realised that in the editing room.”
The result is a truly captivating film, a journey
of discovery for all involved, and a remarkable
testimony to one man’s enduring empathy for the
human condition, told with pathos, humility and
cinematic precision. Yoram Allon
Salt of the Earth, Lewes Film Club, All Saints, Fri
Nov 6th, 8pm
42

Lewes Town & Country
Residential Sales & Lettings
Land & New Homes
T 01273 487444
E lewes@oakleyproperty.com
Property of the Month From - £875,000
SHOW HOME NOW AVAILABLE TO VIEW - Call now to book a viewing. A selection of substantial 2, 3 & 4
bedroom contemporary homes on the River Ouse with a range of balconies, large roof terraces,
double garages and parking. With completion set for winter and 3 houses already reserved off plan.
NEW
INSTRUCTION
NEW
INSTRUCTION
Lewes £785,000
Substantial house set across 4 floors offering a rare mix of
contemporary living space and period charm with a 24ft open
downstairs space, a further ground floor reception room and kitchen
breakfast room. Villa style front terrace and rear raised patio garden.
Lewes £500,000
Unique home and commercial property set up located in the
centre of Lewes. Ideally positioned corner shop unit with cellar
room and W/C. The maisonette above offers split level living
space and a wealth of period charm. 3 Bedrooms, bathroom
and separate W/C.
NEW
INSTRUCTION
NEW
INSTRUCTION
Lewes £399,950
This stylish 2 bed Victorian Terrace offers a wealth of period charm, in
the heart of Lewes. It is complemented by an open 20ft living space
with wood burning fire and stripped wood floors opening onto a
west facing patio. Fitted kitchen and contemporary style bathroom.
Lewes £339,950
Semi-detached family home in need of some updating in the
popular Malling area of Lewes. Great living space with a lounge,
dining room and fitted kitchen/breakfast room on the ground
floor. Large rear garden and garage with drive way parking.
oakleyproperty.com

east sussex
BACH
c h o i r
Johann Sebastian Bach
CHRISTMAS
ORATORIO
SATURDAY 5th DECEMBER
St John sub Castro Church, Lewes
www.eastsussexbachchoir.org
Bach
mass in B minor
With the Corelli Ensemble
Director: Sandy Chenery
Sunday 15 November 7.30pm
Lewes Town Hall, High Street, Lewes BN7 2QS
Tickets £15 on the door or £13 in advance from
our website or Lewes Tourist Information Centre
See www.esterhazychoir.org for more details

in town this month: opera
Mignon
Another bold choice from the NSO
The name ‘Breaky
Bottom’ is usually associated
with our fine
local wines, but in 1975
it was also the name
of the opera company
performing in a barn
owned by vintner Peter
Hall. Reborn in Lewes
as New Sussex Opera,
it’s still going strong,
under the leadership
of General Director
David James. No mere
administrator, he sang
in the first production,
and in every production
since.
You won’t see the same
old operas performed by NSO – they specialize
in works that are a bit off the beaten trail. David
James says, “With so much good stuff crying out
for a performance, why do yet another performance
of one of the top 20?” This year’s offering
is Mignon by French composer Ambroise Thomas.
Although Thomas wrote over 20 operas, only
two are well known – Mignon (1866) and Hamlet
(1868) – and these are performed infrequently at
best. During its time, however, Mignon was one
of the most successful operas in France’s history,
having had over one thousand performances by
1894 in Paris alone.
With Goethe as the source – like Gounod’s Faust
before and Massenet’s Werther after – the opera is
set in Germany and Italy. For the premiere at the
Opéra-Comique, it was expected to have a happy
ending, but for Berlin, the Germans insisted on
conforming to Goethe’s original tragic conclusion.
According to New York Times music critic
Donal Henahan, the plot is sentimental and
improbable, a contest between two female characters
representing opposite temperaments and
human qualities.
Philine, the unscrupulous
temptress, has the
most brilliant music to
sing, her dazzling “Je
suis Titania” capped
off with its top E
Flat. Against Philine’s
pyrotechnics, Mignon
offers gentleness and
pathos, and the aria
“Connais-tu le pays?” is
the enchanting melody
that stays long in the
ear of the listener.
Henahan says, “The
score is quite fetching,
disarmingly direct in its
appeal to the ear and
the operagoer’s tender heart. Many composers of
more prestigious works would kill to have written
half a dozen of the best numbers in Mignon.”
This NSO production rests in the capable hands
of conductor Nicholas Jenkins and director
Harry Fehr. Both of them have extensive experience
across the breadth of the operatic repertoire,
both in the UK and abroad. Mezzo-soprano
Victoria Simmonds plays the eponymous heroine;
she describes the challenges of singing this part:
“There are several different styles of singing
within this role - some arias are reflective and low
in the voice, and others are high and coloraturalike.
Musically I think it throws up lots of gems
that may surprise some people who think they
know the genre. It’s also got a very special ending,
which I won’t give away as I don’t want to
spoil it for you!”
She did let slip, however, that the opening night
falls on her birthday. Wouldn’t it be a lovely
surprise if the audience sang to her on her curtain
call? Paul Austin-Kelly
Lewes Town Hall, Wed 11th Nov, 7.30pm
Photo of Victoria Simmonds by Matt Smith Photography
45

Float in our luxury cabin with unique LED galactic
ceiling for a superior floatation experience...
BENEFITS OF FLOATING CAN INCLUDE
4
4
4
“I no longer need pain killers for my back”
“I feel so much happier and relaxed”
“I sleep much more soundly after my float sessions”
Brighton’s ONLY Floatation Centre
© 2015 Cocoon Healthcare
Ocoon
A Healing Arts Centre
3be safe
3be smart
3be strong
ARTS / YOGA / BALLET / PILATES / ACTING CLASSES
MASSAGE SESSIONS DAILY • HYPNOTHERAPY & COUNSELLING
ALLERGY/FOOD INTOLERANCE TESTING • SOUND HEALING + MORE!
OPEN 7 DAYS
01273 686882
www.cocoonhealthcare.co.uk
20-22 GLOUCESTER PLACE, BRIGHTON BN1 4AA

in town this month: literature
Bernadine Evaristo
On literary experimentation and Mrs Brown’s Boys
You might not guess it from
her latest novel, a readable
tragicomedy that’s been heartily
endorsed by Dawn French,
but Bernardine Evaristo is
“very interested in form and
being formally experimental
with my work”, and has even
written verse-novels. This
month, she’ll be telling Lewes
Literary Society about ‘subverting
the mainstream, challenging
boundaries and pushing
back literary limits’.
Is it difficult to be subversive
nowadays? There don’t seem to
be that many taboos anymore.
Well, writing about a 74-year-old
homosexual Caribbean man [in her
latest novel, Mr Loverman]… is it
a taboo? Yes. Is there a reason why
black homosexual men and women
do not appear in British fiction? Yes.
And that’s quite complicated but
the heart of it is that it’s a subject
that people are afraid to tackle.
So yes, when I say subverting the
mainstream, basically the mainstream
is the body of white, British
literature written from that perspective, which is
the majority of literature being published in this
country. People always say: ‘But what about this
person? What about that person?’ They might
mention Zadie Smith or Andrea Levy or Malorie
Blackman, and then they very quickly run out of
names. There aren’t that many of us out there. So
when you’re writing from an outsider’s perspective,
if you like, writing stories that haven’t been
told and are very different to the mainstream,
then you’re subverting it.
Is there a trade-off between artistically
pushing boundaries and making your books
Photo by Sharon Wallace
accessible? That’s something
I think about a lot. But, at the
end of the day, I have to stay
true to my creative instincts.
When I start writing a novel,
if it looks like it’s going to
be quite experimental, which
is what’s happening with my
new novel, I have to go with
it… Anyway, Mr Loverman is
a very accessible book; I know
that because of the reader
response that I’ve had to it.
When I write verse novels, or
novels with verse, the form
can actually be a barrier to people
even wanting to read it, even
though once they read a book like
The Emperor’s Babe, they realise
it’s not difficult; it’s accessible
poetry, if you like.
Apparently you like Mrs
Brown’s Boys. Which is interesting,
because you write these
boundary-pushing novels and
novels-in-verse, and then…
Sometimes people think writers
are sitting there reading the TLS
all the time, or some deep, meaningful,
erudite academic book. We’re human!
My work has a lot of humour in it, actually. And
I really do like popular culture, a lot. The whole
myth about writers in an ivory tower, just kind of
living in their imagination, doesn’t apply. Well,
I don’t want to speak for other writers, but you
need to be out there experiencing life as it’s experienced
by everybody else. So yes, I absolutely
love Mrs Brown’s Boys. It’s very 70s, very slapstick,
it’s very bawdy and very crude, very knowing,
very entertaining, very cheeky, very smutty. I love
all those things. Steve Ramsey
Nov 24th, All Saints, 8pm lewesliterarysociety.co.uk
47

Because every life is unique
…we are here to help you make your
farewell as personal and individual as possible,
and to support you in every way we can.
Inc. Cooper & Son
42 High Street, Lewes
01273 475 557
www.cpjfield.co.uk
Also at: Uckfield • Seaford • Cross In Hand

in town this month: theatre
The Circle
Costume drama
The second play of this season at Lewes Little
Theatre is Somerset Maugham’s The Circle. It is
a tale of marriage and duty, forbidden love and
infatuation; a study of society and the human
heart. Maugham wrote The Circle in 1921, the
year in which the action of the play opens, and
considered it to be his finest play. We met up with
costumiers Alison Soudain and Gerry Cortese, to
find out about the theatre’s wardrobe department
and the process of dressing a period drama.
How has the costume department changed
since you started volunteering here? A: There
was a much bigger team of people that volunteered
here when I started about 30 years ago.
There was quite a strong hiring element in the
department back then, with at least five people
dedicated specifically to hiring costumes out to
school groups and other societies, a service which
we can no longer offer due to time constraints
and lack of volunteers. The number of costumes
has definitely increased - we now have over 2,000
pieces! There were far more costumes made from
scratch when I started, and I would say now we
have gained more original pieces.
Talk me through the process of costuming a
production. G: We start by reading the play and
searching the script for clues. Then once the play
has been cast, we assess the rough sizes of the
actors, and begin to bring possible items out from
the wardrobe that we think might be suitable.
There are usually several options for each character.
We then hold fittings, where final choices are
made and necessary alterations are noted.
What have you learnt about dressing a period
production? A: The main thing I’ve discovered
is that if you can get the material right, you’re
actually halfway there. There’s no use trying to
create a 1920s outfit out of an electric blue, shiny
fabric - because even if the cut is right, the material
will look too modern. But if you can get hold
of a more toned-down, older-looking fabric and
then accessorise it with, say, a cloche hat, then
you’re more likely to end up with a believable
twenties look.
Photo by Cathryn Parker
How would you like to see the costume
department develop in years to come? G:
We want to see new blood coming in! It would
be great to know that the work we have done
is going to be carried on in the future with the
same love, enthusiasm and care. We need to build
up a bigger team so that more time can be spent
creating new pieces from scratch. I think perhaps
people are slightly wary of volunteering because
they think they need to have had prior experience,
but they really don’t. We just need willing
and enthusiastic people to come forward - you
can learn the rest on the job.
Isabella McCarthy Sommerville
The Circle, directed by Graham Stapley. Lewes
Little Theatre, Sat 28-Sat 5 Dec.
49

Beautiful art, affordable prices
Repose I I by featured artist Rachel Brooks Read
Chalk Gallery
4 North Street
Lewes, BN7 2PA
t: 01273 474477
w: chalkgallerylewes.co.uk

out of town this month: art
Kettle’s Yard
Cambridge comes to Hastings
In the late 1950s, Jim Ede and his wife, Helen,
acquired a row of four derelict seventeenthcentury
cottages in the shadow of St Peter’s
Church in Cambridge. These they converted
into one, so as to accommodate the fine collection
of modern art that Jim Ede had acquired,
mostly in the 1920s and 1930s, when he was
working as an assistant curator at the Tate
Gallery. And so Kettle’s Yard was born, now one
part of the University of Cambridge Museums.
Early last year, the Jerwood Gallery in Hastings
made a showcase for their own Alfred Wallis
painting, Two Boats, by borrowing 17 Wallis
seascapes from Kettle’s Yard. Now Kettle’s Yard
is closed, the subject of an extensive building
redevelopment project, and again the Jerwood
is a happy beneficiary. No fewer than five
rooms have been set aside for works on loan
from Kettle’s Yard, complemented by examples
of the featured artists from the Jerwood’s own
holdings. The exhibition, entitled Horizons,
runs until 3 January 2016.
Elizabeth Fisher has described Kettle’s Yard as
‘a place set slightly apart from the rest of the
world, a place in which the pace and hubbub
of modern life is drowned out by an immersive
aesthetic experience’. (Certainly it was one of
the places I spent far too much time in when,
ostensibly studying in Cambridge, I should
have been in the library). Obviously it would
be impossible to recreate the unique Kettle’s
Yard Gallery atmosphere at the Jerwood; foolish
even to try. But the artistic gems that Ede
assembled more than stand up for themselves.
And anyway, the Jerwood itself is an exquisite
and quiet cultural oasis!
Ben and Winifred Nicholson form the backbone
of this exhibition. But, to my mind, the
show’s star is their, and Ede’s, friend, Christopher
Wood. Bisexual, opium-addicted, an
acolyte of Jean Cocteau, Wood threw himself
under a train at Salisbury Station in 1930. He
was 29. And yet Ben Nicholson wrote to Jim
Ede on Wood’s death: ‘I could have parted
with almost anyone but him… he was the most
beautiful creature’.
When Jim Ede left Kettle’s Yard in 1973, he
left 25 paintings by Wood, thus forming the
largest public collection of the artist’s work. Six
of these are on show at the Jerwood, alongside
two from the Jerwood collection. There’s an
enchanting Paris snow scene of 1926, an extraordinary
self-portrait of 1927 and, best of all,
a portrait of Jean Bourgoint. A dazzling epicene
beauty who, together with his sister Jeanne
(for a time, Wood’s lover) were the originals of
Cocteau’s Les Enfants Terribles. David Jarman
jerwoodgallery.org
Alfred Wallis, Sailing ship and Orchard, circa 1935-37.
Courtesy Kettle’s Yard Collection, University of Cambridge
51

art
FOCUS ON: Chris Dawson
‘Restless Arrangements’, Acrylic on board, 61x61cms, £750
This looks like nine different paintings… In effect,
it is. It’s been carefully designed so they can be
moved around and the picture will still make sense.
If you look closely at the pebbles, for example, they
will all be aligned if you move the squares around, as
will the seaweed strands. In this square shape you can
get 36 different pictures. And there are many more
combinations, as you could arrange the pictures in
a rectangular shape, and other random shapes, too.
It’s almost endless. The idea is that this is like the sea
shore, where everything is moved by the waves, and
repositioned after it passes.
Clever! I was a product designer before I became
a full-time artist, so I like everything I do to have a
unique twist. I like playing with optical illusions, and
creating three-dimensional effects.
Which artists have influenced you? I’m a great
admirer of Magritte, which I think you can see in
some of my work. And Dürer. And Heath Robinson.
And Hockney, who’s very creative, and never sits still.
Also the twentieth century American artist Charles
Sheeler, who painted industrial buildings in a very
romantic, stylised way.
Where do you work? I have a studio upstairs in
my house. I like listening to talking books when I
work. Somehow I can concentrate on both at the
same time. At the moment I’m listening to Arthur C
Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama.
How do you get your ideas? I carry a notebook
everywhere, and sketch them down when they pop
into my head. Also ideas for my cartoons – which
will also be on show in the gallery – which are often
based on word plays.
Which painting would you nail to your desert island
palm tree? The Lady of Shalot, by John Waterhouse.
It’s in my favourite gallery, Tate Britain. If you
go up close to it you can see his brush strokes are so
confident they almost look impressionistic. Ask most
modern artists what their favourite painting is, and,
if they’re being honest, they’ll usually say something
traditional. Interview by Alex Leith
Out of the Box ‘The Return’, an exhibition of cartoons
and compositions by Chris Dawson, 11-22 November,
Hop Gallery
53

HUZZAH!
FOR
BONFIRE
BONFIRE ITEMS
K FOR SALE J
MATCHBOXES, MUGS,
PRINTS, CARDS etc.
K THE TOM PAINE J
PRINTING PRESS & GALLERY
151 High Street Lewes, opp. Bull House & Westgate Chapel
Tutton & Young
present
brighton
15
THE DESIGN AND CRAFT FAIR
Supported by
M A G A Z I N E
✹10
G L O R I O U S
Y E A R S
FRI
20
SAT
21
SUN
22
NOV NOV NOV
BRIGHTON DOME CORN EXCHANGE
WWW.BRIGHTON-MADE.CO.UK
DESIGN★SARAH YOUNG

in town this month: ART
art & about
Julian Bell
Kelly Hall
Richard Heys
Alinah Azadeh, creator of Burning the Books, has
completed a short series of small works for sale
based on 13 drawings made from her bedroom
window in Lewes and further afield. Her
workspace at Pop-Up Studios is under imminent
threat of closure with the redevelopment of
the Phoenix Industrial Estate, and so 25% of
proceeds will go to support the work of Lewes
Phoenix Rising. alinahazadeh.com
Julian Bell’s Genesis paintings, first exhibited at St
Anne’s Galleries in June, have been bound into a
limited edition book which beautifully reproduces
all 37 paintings, captioned with corresponding
text from the King James Bible. Available from St
Anne’s Galleries.
In town this month
Hop Gallery hosts Out of The Box ‘The Return’
with cartoons and compositions by Chris
Dawson from 11-22nd (see pg 53) and, from
28th, Phil Duncan’s Sussex Arts Collective and
Mohamed Hamid’s Star Pottery Group bring
together a diverse range of artists and makers
with creative gift ideas in their Baubles & Bells!
show (until 20th December).
From 21st, Keizer Frames hang their Christmas
exhibition of works from Adrian Parnell, Jackie
Fretton, Janine Shute, Bec Garland, Laura
Wright and Simon Tozer, and until the 14th,
Gallery 16 in Market Street have works in watercolour,
pastel and acrylic by local artist Sheila Lea.
Chalk Gallery features Richard Heys from 2nd,
whose vibrant paintings use opaque and transparent
layers to explore colour and form. Lynsey
Smith follows him on 23rd with her quirky watercolours
of familiar faces and places.
From 13th at Pelham House, sisters Sarah Gregson
and Judy Dewsbury have a joint exhibition
Mr Gregson Went to Work. Sarah and Judy’s father,
Sydney, worked in the building for 40 years while
it was the Council’s headquarters and the show
promises an evocative nod to family ties.
Inspired by a love of vintage graphics, Kelly Hall
exhibits her quintessentially British prints of iconic
beauty spots from Sussex to Scotland at Caffè
Lazzati, Southdown Sports Club, 8 Nov - 3 Jan.
Bam Bam by Judy Dewsbury
The second Pelham House Open Art Exhibition (Jan-March 2016) invites submissions from artists in Lewes
and nearby. Curated by hotel staff - from maintenance to management – the show raises funds for The Rocking
Horse Appeal. pelhamhouse.com
55

out of town: art
Just down the road
Celebrating its 10th year MADE Brighton is at the
Corn Exchange in Brighton from 19th-22nd. With
jewellery, textiles, ceramics, glassware, furniture and
much more from over 100 makers including Lewes’
own Phoebe Jewellery and Lomax and Skinner.
From 14th, the Royal Pavilion shows Exotic Creatures,
an exhibition exploring animals and political
beasts in the Royal Collection, menageries and early
zoos from 1750 to 1850. Discover the fascinating story
of the first living giraffe in the UK plus the history
of travelling menageries performing in London and
Brighton. brightonmuseums.org.uk
Expressions celebrates 60 years of the Newhaven
Art Club at the Crypt Gallery in Seaford from
14th-19th followed by the Christmas Craft Fair from
21st-29th.
Sarah Bryant, Made
Paula Kirkwood, Made John Dilnot, Made
Further Afield...
Royal Pavilion, Exotic Creatures exhibtion
David Remfry, Oscar, 2008, watercolour and graphite, Pallant House Gallery 2015
John Napier, Equus
Towner Gallery
presents Stages
from 29th. The first
major exhibition of
the work of iconic
theatre designer John
Napier. The show
encompasses costume
designs, 3D pieces
based on his theatre
work in shows like
Equus, Les Misérables
and Starlight Express,
and sculptures created
in parallel with his theatre career.
Horizons: Kettle’s Yard at Jerwood Gallery continues
through the month, see page 51.
Throughout November Pallant House hosts We
Think the World of You, an exhibition of drawings
by David Remfry RA, of people and their dogs. Better
known for his urban scenes and night clubs, he’s
had a fascination with the relationship that develops
between dogs and their owners – both celebrity and
humdrum.
57

nso
Opéra-comique by AMBROISE THOMAS
Staged, in costume and sung in English
NSO Chorus, St Paul’s Sinfonia c Nicholas Jenkins
d Harry Fehr des Eleanor Wdowski
with Victoria Simmonds, Ruth Jenkins-Róbertsson,
Adrian Powter, Ted Schmitz, Christopher Diffey
Lewes Town Hall
Wednesday 11 November 7.30pm
(and Devonshire Park, Eastbourne 22 Nov 3pm
Cadogan Hall, London SW1 24 Nov 7pm)
“A triumph at Cadogan Hall”
Robert Thicknesse on Oberon (2014)
www.NewSussexOpera.org
New Sussex Opera is a registered charity no. 279800

in town this month: classical
Classical Round-up
Bach, Beethoven and Bartók
Jambor Photography
An antidote to the blues
caused by our decreasing
daylight hours can be found
in the uplifting, mellifluous
sound of flutes. Flutes and
Friends concerts have been an
annual event for the past 12
years organized by flautist and
teacher Anne Hodgson. The
group, primarily comprised of
Anne’s students, supplemented
by other musicians, play everything
from Bach to Gilbert
& Sullivan and Jack Jordan.
Concerts are always in aid of
a charity and this one is for St
Peter and St James Hospice.
Sun 8, 3pm, St Mary’s Church,
Ringmer, free
New Sussex Opera presents
another operatic rarity that
deserves to be heard more
often – Mignon by French
composer Ambroise Thomas.
Premiered in Paris in 1866,
this score features beautiful
melodies and challenging
writing for its singers, especially
the title character, sung
by mezzo-soprano Victoria
Simmonds. Also performing
leading roles are Ruth
Jenkins-Róbertsson, Ted
Schmitz and Adrian Powter.
Conducted by NSO’s music
director Nicholas Jenkins,
the production, sung in English,
is directed by Harry Fehr.
See page 45.
Wed 11, 7:30pm, Lewes Town
Hall, £36, £22, £20, students /
children £12
Bach’s brilliant Mass in B
Minor will be the showpiece
of the Esterhazy Chamber
Choir and the Corelli
Ensemble. Sandy Chenery
will conduct the mass, with a
quartet of professional soloists
accompanying.
Sun 15, 7:30pm, Lewes Town
Hall, £15
Hot on the heels of Halloween,
Heber Opera are
offering up Fairies, Phantoms
and Fiends!, a mélange of
operatic scenes and arias with
supernatural themes. Included
will be excerpts from Heinrich
Marschner’s Der Vampyr,
Verdi’s Macbeth, Gounod’s
Faust, Puccini’s Turandot, Gilbert
& Sullivan’s Ruddigore
and others. Heber Opera’s
musical director Michael
Withers will narrate and
guide you through this house
of horrors.
Sun 22, 6pm, Steyning Centre,
Steyning, £12
The Arcadia Quartet formed
as recently as 2006, and have
already won many prestigious
awards, including the
2012 Wigmore Hall London
International String Quartet
Competition. They are appearing
in Lewes as part of
the Nicholas Yonge Society’s
concert series, performing
Haydn’s Quartet No. 1 in B
flat major, Beethoven’s String
Quartet No. 3 in D major and
Bartók’s String Quartet No.
4, Sz. 91. The Financial Times
have written that the quartet
‘create a mood of edgy expressionism
that, in its violent
swings and chromatic stresses,
is shockingly direct and
dramatic, like an opera – or a
nightmare.’ Chamber music
fans: don’t miss this one.
Fri 27, 7:45pm, Sussex Downs
College, £15
Paul Austin Kelly
59

NOV
6
7
13
14
20
21
22
27
MUSIC NIGHTS
@ The Con Club
FLASH MOB JAZZ
SWINGING, SINGING, JAZZ ENTERTAINMENT
TOM PALEY
WITH BEN PALEY & THE NEW DEAL STRING BAND
CURST SONS
HILLBILLY BLUES
THE GRAHAMS
UNION MUSIC STORE PRESENTATION
KING PORTER STOMP
AFRO FUNK HORNS, DUB REGGAE RHYTHMS
ZZ TAP
FINEST ZZ TOP TRIBUTE
HOTFOOT SPECIALS
CAJUN BARN PRESENTATION
ELLE OSBOURNE
UNION MUSIC STORE ALBUM LAUNCH
SEE WEBSITE FOR ENTRY AND DETAILS
10 Week
Playwriting
Course
with Philip Ayckbourn
Lewes
January 2016
Explore the fundamental elements of play
construction such as character, motivation,
conflict, subtext, theme and plot.
This practical course will help you discover
the tools needed to craft and shape a play.
Open to writers of all abilities.
Visit website for details and booking:
www.philipayckbourn.com. See Writing Course.

NOVlistings
Sun 1
Film. Ghostbusters. (12A) Three unemployed
parapsychology professors set up shop as a
unique ghost removal service. All Saints, 5pm,
£5.50-£6.50 or family tickets £15, with additional
kids only £3 each. filmatallsaints.com
Film. Mr Holmes. (PG) Ian McKellen plays
an aged Detective Holmes, as he recalls fragments
of an old case whilst struggling with his
deteriorating mind. All Saints, 7.15pm, £5-£6.50.
filmatallsaints.com
Mon 2
Drop-in. Lewes for a
Living Wage. Meet local
employers and councillors
and learn more about
the many benefits of the
Living Wage for our community.
Yarrow Room,
Town Hall, 5pm, free. 01273 470940
Tue 3
Talk. A Broken Silence? Mass Observation, Armistice
Day and Everyday Life in Britain 1937-
1941. Dr Lucy Noakes draws on the archive to
trace some of the diverse ways that remembrance
was embodied in everyday life, practised, experienced,
and understood by the British people as
the nation moved once again from peace to war.
The Keep, Falmer, 5.30pm, free. 01273 482349
Market. Bric-a-brac, jewellery, books, toys, fresh
produce, clothes and more. Town Hall, 9am-2pm.
Talk. Anna Karenina steps through the Looking
Glass. Dr Sonya Baksi explores to what
extent Tolstoy’s fictional character reflects the
real-life expectations of women in 19th-century
Russia. Town Hall, 2.30pm, free with collection.
u3asites.org.uk
Wed 4
Talk. Herbal Medicine. Julia Behrens, medical
herbalist and garden designer, will be talking
about herbs, healing, conservation and sustainability.
Christ Church Hall, 7.45pm, £3. 01273
474110
Talk. The Isle of Wight rocket-testing facility.
Richard Butchers speaks to the Lewes Astronomers.
Town Hall, 7.30pm, £3.
Thu 5
Remember Remember… what was it again?
Fri 6
Film. The Salt of the Earth. (12) Brazilian
photographer Sebastião Salgado’s life and work
are revealed to us in this documentary directed
by his son, Juliano, and Wim Wenders, himself
a photographer. All Saints, 8pm, £5.50. lewesfilmclub.com
Food market. Food and produce from local suppliers.
Market Tower, weekly, 9am-1.30pm.
Sat 7
Farmers’ Market. Fresh,
local produce and lots of
interesting stalls. Cliffe
Precinct, 9am-1pm. Also
on Sat 21. commoncause.
org.uk
Dr Bike. Weekly bike repair workshop. Trade
prices charged for parts. Nutty Wizard, 10.30am-
1.30pm, free.
Craft Market. Local artists and makers selling
their wares. Market Tower, 10am-2pm, free entry.
lewescraftmkt@gmail.com
61

NOVlistings (cont)
Talk. Light and Space in Landscape Painting.
Illustrated talk by Lewes artist Tom Benjamin.
Paddock Art Studios, 3pm, £4. paddockartstudios.co.uk
or 01273 487818
Mon 9
Talk. Future Perfect: HG Wells and Bolshevik
Russia 1917-1934. Professor Roger
Cockrell will focus on Wells’ view of the fledgling
Soviet society and the Bolsheviks. Friends
Meeting House, 7.15pm, £3.
Thu 12
Comedy at the Con!
Bobby Mair, Mandy
Muden and Jamali
Maddix take to the
stage, with MC David
Mounfield. Con Club,
8pm, £7.50-£11.
Tickets from Union
Music, 07582 408418,
or wegottickets.com/ComedyAtTheCon
Fri 13
Pop Up Horror Cinema. Screening of What
We Do in the Shadows (15) as well as a few
short films made by Lewes Creative Media
students. Themed night with costumes, decorations
and food. All Saints, 6pm, free. mbattrum@
gmail.com
Talk. Old Walls, Wellies and Wasps. Simon
Stevens will talk about recent archaeological
work and finds at the Priory that throw light
on the lives of medieval monks. King’s Church
Building, 7.30pm, £3/£2. leweshistory.org.uk/
meetings
Tue 10
Waitrose Birthday party. Celebrate 10 years
of the store being open, with a glass of fizz and
piece of cake. Waitrose, 10-11am.
Wed 11
Discussion group. Café of Reminiscence:
to Absent Friends. Bring along a photo or
memento and share your memories. Coffee and
Cake available. Buttercup Café, 7-9pm, free
(voluntary donations), drop-in. cafe@livingwelldyingwell.net
or 01273 933115
Sat 14
Charity Book Sale. Nearly new books, recently
published, at bargain prices. All proceeds go to
Jonathan Lamb’s education fund in Rwanda,
enabling children to be supported through
primary and secondary education. Cliffe Hall,
9.30am-1.30pm, free entry. jamesdenton778@
btinternet.com or 07765 403182
Vintage Christmas Home and Lifestyle Market.
Vintage stalls, food, drink and live music.
Town Hall, 10am-3.30pm, £1, children free.
popupvintagesussex@gmail.com
62

15 %
off
Christmas Preview
Friday 27th November
Enjoy a glass of Champagne, whilst browsing
through our beautiful new ranges of
Jewellery and Watches.
On this day only, we are delighted to offer a
very special 15% discount.*
For full details visit
www.weclarkandson.co.uk
*excludes pre-owned Rolex
watches and Services.
224 High Street, Lewes, BN7 2AF - 01273 487816

LEWES FARMERS’ MARKET
Cliffe Precinct
SATURDAY 9am - 1pm
7th & 21st NOVEMBER
5th & 19th DECEMBER
WWW.COMMONCAUSE.ORG.UK
COURAGEOUS, CHALLENGING AND ENGAGING…
Join Marina Cantacuzino and Dr Imad Karam for…
A CONVERSATION
about FORGIVENESS
Questions and reflections on forgiveness,
healing, reconciliation and peace in today’s
world.
NOVEMBER 24, 2015
7.00 – 9.00 PM
THE CHAMBER ROOM, PELHAM HOUSE
Tickets: £10.00, including refreshments
See www.ghfp.org.uk/events for more details and to book

NOVlistings (cont)
Sun 22
Film. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (12A) Espionage
action thriller about a CIA agent and a
KGB operative who are sent on a secret mission
to track down a criminal organisation developing
an advanced nuclear weapons programme.
All Saints, 5.30pm, £5-£6.50. filmatallsaints.com
Sat 14 & Sun 15
Film. Max. (12A) A military working dog, that
helped US Marines in Afghanistan, returns to
America and is adopted by his handler’s family
after suffering a traumatic experience. All Saints,
Sat 8pm, Sun 4.30pm, £5-£6.50. filmatallsaints.
com
Sun 15
Jumble Sale. Good quality adult and children’s
clothes, children’s toys and equipment. All proceeds
to Kingston Pre-School. Kingston Village
Hall, 2-5pm, 50p, children free.
Fri 20
Film. Like Father
like Son. (12)
Ryota, a successful
businessman, learns
that his biological
son was switched
with another child
after birth. Mr Sakai, the other father, is a wellpractised
loafer, but his children start squeaking
with joy when he so much as enters the room. A
heart-warming and tender story. All Saints, 8pm,
£5.50. lewes-filmclub.com
Film. Japanese Animation and the Famous
Studio Ghibli. A short introduction to the work
of Studio Ghibli, Japan’s most lauded animation
studio, and to one of its most sombre productions,
Grave of the Fireflies. All Saints, 2pm,
free to members and ticket holders of the film.
lewes-filmclub.com
Film. Grave of the Fireflies. (U) Japanese
animated film telling the story of two children
from the port city of Kobe, made homeless by
the bombs towards the end of WW2. All Saints,
4pm, £5.50. lewes-filmclub.com
Tue 24
Talk. A Conversation about Forgiveness.
Internationally renowned speakers Marina Cantacuzino
and Dr Imad Karam explore and reflect
on forgiveness, healing, reconciliation and peace
in today’s world. All proceeds go to speakers’
respective charities. Pelham House, 7pm, £10,
including refreshments. Book on 07791 075249
or ghfp.org.uk/events
Talk. Positive Investment. Jamie Hartzell from
Ethex will talk about how to put your money
directly into businesses whose mission and
impacts you support, that also offer a financial
return. Elly, 7.30pm, £5 suggested donation.
01273 477870
Talk. Lewes Literary
Society presents Bernardine
Evaristo. The award-winning
novelist, author of The
Emperor’s Babe and Mr Loverman,
discusses subverting
the mainstream, challenging
boundaries and pushing back literary limits. All
Saints, 8pm, £10. lewesliterarysociety.co.uk
65

NOVlistings (cont)
Wed 25
Talk. Edwardian Picture Postcards. Dr Annebella
Pollen will explore how the postcard was
used as a flirtatious means of communication
that often incited romance. The Keep, Falmer,
5.30pm, free. thekeep.info/events or 01273
843249
Thu 26
Talk. Tom Paine. Paul
Myles will talk about Tom
Paine’s time in Lewes
and the town’s influence
on his subsequent work.
Questions and discussion
will follow. Elly, 8pm, £3.
annabinger@btinternet.
com
Talk. Fifty Shades of Green: the Role of the
Trees and Landscape Officer. Daniel Wynn
from Lewes District Council describes his work
and its implications for our town. Town Hall,
7.45pm, £3. 01273 473098
Film. Girlhood. (15) A girl with few real
prospects joins a gang, reinventing herself and
gaining a sense of self confidence in the process.
However, she soon discovers this new life does
not necessarily make her any happier. French
with English subtitles. All Saints, 8pm, £5-£6.50.
filmatallsaints.com
Sat 28
Live Literature. Roll over Atlantic. Satirical
revisiting of the voyages of Christopher Columbus.
The first one-man show by poet and
performer John Agard. All Saints, 8pm, £12
door/£10 advance. leweslivelit.co.uk
Collectors and Antiques Fair. In aid of Action
Medical Research for Children. Town Hall,
10am-4pm, free entry. 01273 400352
Sat 28 & Sun 29
Fri 27
Talk. The Wealden Iron Industry from Prehistory
to 19th century, by Jeremy Hodgkinson.
Town Hall, 7.30pm, £4/£3, under 18s free.
lewesarchaeology.org.uk
Film. Southpaw. (15) US drama about a
successful boxer whose world falls apart after
a tragedy and his fight to get his life back. All
Saints, 5.30pm, £5-£6.50. filmatallsaints.com
Vintage Christmas.
Gifts, produce, antique
interiors, swing jazz and
dancing, mulled wine,
kids’ entertainment and
more. Middle Farm,
9.30am-4.30pm, £5,
under 5s free. firleandcountry.co.uk
Sat 28-Sat 5
Theatre. The Circle, by Somerset Maugham.
A period drawing room comedy dealing with
the difficulties of love within marriage, with the
pressures of society and the triumph of character
over circumstance. Lewes Little Theatre, all
shows 7.45pm, apart from additional 2.45pm
matinee on Sat 5, and no show on Sun 29.
£10/£8. lewestheatre.org

gig of the month
It’s a truth universally acknowledged
that nobody hates swing music (that’s
why it’s always played at weddings),
but Flash Mob Jazz will make you
love it. The young Brighton-based
band have racked up over one million
views on YouTube with their slick
performances of swing standards and
jazzy re-workings of modern pop
songs – think Daft Punk, Lorde and
John Legend – but if there ever was a
band to come and jive live to, this is it.
Fri 6, Con Club, 8pm, £7.50
(members free).
november listings
sun 1
English tunes session. Traditional folk – bring
instruments. Lamb, 12pm, free
Swing Time. Swing dancing. Lamb, 5pm, free
Open mic. All welcome. Elephant & Castle,
7.30pm, free
MON 2
Lawrence Jones with Malcolm Mortimore &
Terry Seabrook. Jazz. Snowdrop, 8pm, free
TUE 3
English tunes session. Traditional folk – bring
instruments. John Harvey, 8pm, free
Ceilidh Crew session. Folk. Lamb, 8.30pm, free
FRI 6
The Staves. Acoustic folk rock trio. De La Warr
Pavilion, Bexhill, 7pm, £16
Funke & the Two Tone Baby. Blues Americana.
Lamb, 8.30pm, free
SAT 7
Tom Paley. Legendary American folk singer,
joined by his son Ben of the New Deal String
Band. Con Club, 7.30pm, £5 (members free)
Tim Laycock. Traditional English folk. Elephant
& Castle, 8pm, £8
Wakin’ Snakes. Cajun and old time. Lamb,
8.30pm, free
SUN 8
Two Step Duo. Acoustic. Con Club, 3pm, free
Everything Everything. Manchester art-rock
band. De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, 7pm, £17.50
MON 9
Terry Seabrook with Paul Whitten & Alex
Eberhard. Jazz. Snowdrop, 8pm, free
TUE 10
Goodtimes Music Open Mic. All welcome.
Lamb, 8.30pm, free
WED 11
Old Time session. Appalachian roots. Lamb,
8.30pm, free
>>>
69

gig guide (cont)
FRI 13
Sonpikkante. Cumbia salsa. Lamb, 8.30pm, free
Curst Sons. Hillbilly blues. Con Club, 8pm, free
SAT 14
Hannah Peel. Electronic multi-instrumentalist.
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, 7.30pm, £9.50
The Grahams. Americana. Plus support. Con
Club, 8pm. £10 advance, £12 OTD (members: £8
advance, £10 OTD)
Sarah Grey & Kieron Means. Traditional
American folk. Elephant & Castle, 8pm, £8
Super8. Funk/soul. Roebuck Inn, Laughton,
9pm, free
Dirty Vertebrae. Alternative rap rock. Lamb,
8.30pm, free
SUN 15
The Koans. Acoustic. Con Club, 3pm, free
Curst Sons, photo by JJ Waller
MON 16
The Waterboys. Freewheeling rock and roll. De
La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, 7pm, £26.50-£28
Ashley Slater + the Terry Seabrook Trio. Jazz.
Snowdrop, 8pm, free
TUE 17
Ceilidh Crew session. Folk. Lamb, 8.30pm, free
FRI 20
King Porter Stomp. Ska, funk, afrobeat and hip
hop. Con Club, 8pm, free
AYU. Funk. Lamb, 8.30pm, free
SAT 21
Mark Morriss. Frontman of The Bluetones.
With support from The Standard Lamps, Linus
& Lucy and Jason Loughran. All Saints, 7.30pm,
£15/£10
Graeme Knights & Jim Mageean. Sea songs
and shanties. Elephant & Castle, 8pm, £7
ZZ Tap. Tribute band. Con Club, 8pm, £5
(members free)
Fabulous Red Diesel. Festi-funk. Lamb,
8.30pm, free
SUN 22
Cotillion + Mike Nicholson + The Barnfield
Band. Folk. Westgate Chapel, 2.30pm, £5
Hotfoot Specials. Cajun. Con Club, 7pm, £10
MON 23
Andy Williams & Terry Seabrook. Jazz. Snowdrop,
8pm, free
WED 25
Goodtimes Music. open mic. All welcome.
Lamb, 8.30pm, free
THU 26
Cellardoor. Lamb, 7.30pm, free
FRI 27
Elle Osborne. Alt-folk musician, launching her
new album ‘It’s Not Your Gold Shall Me Entice’.
Con Club, 7.30pm, £10 (members £8)
Tatsmiths. Gypsy folk fusion. Lamb, 8.30pm, free
SAT 28
Alistair Anderson. Traditional Northumbrian
folk. Elephant & Castle, 8pm, £8
Jacquemo. Ska funk pop. Lamb, 8.30pm, free
MON 30
Quentin Collins + the Terry Seabrook Trio.
Jazz. Snowdrop, 8pm, free
71

wave
Live life
Let’s get
MOTIVATED
Lewes Leisure Centre
We have everything you need to enjoy a fitter and healthier lifestyle,
with a range of activities including cardio programmes, resistance
training, exercise classes and swimming.
You can choose a membership that suits your goals and lifestyle with
our range of great value memberships.
Visit the website or email info@waveleisure.co.uk for further information
www.waveleisure.co.uk

FreeTIME
What’s on
sun 1
Film. Corpse Bride (PG). Animated feature
by Tim Burton. Victor is whisked away
to the underworld and wed to a mysterious
Corpse Bride, while his real bride waits
bereft in the land of the living. Fancy-dress
screening with a chance to win a prize. All
Saints, 3pm, £5-£6.50. filmatallsaints.com
Sat 7
Bonfire
Night. Family
night out with
1960s theme.
Fireworks,
bonfire, BBQ,
Harveys Bar,
raffle and more. Iford & Kingston School,
doors 5pm, quiet fireworks 6pm, bonfire
lighting 6.30pm, main show 7pm, £3-£8,
family tickets available. Tickets from school
office and Juggs pub.
Sat 14
Christmas Grotto. Chance to visit Santa in
his grotto, take a gift home and have tea with
him. Wyevale Garden Centre. Tickets, dates
and prices at wyevalegardencentres.co.uk
Sun 15
Film. Minions (U).
Animated comedy
spin-off from
Despicable Me
in which minions
set out to find a
despicable master
to follow. Minions
Stuart, Kevin and Bob are recruited by Scarlett
Overkill, a super-villain who, alongside
her inventor husband Herb, hatches a plot to
take over the world. All Saints, 2.30pm, £5-
£6.50. filmatallsaints.com
Sat 21
Sussex Santa Experience. Cheer Santa on
as he makes his grand entrance and then
meet him and his elves in the Winter Wonderland.
Spring Barn Farm, 10am, early arrival
recommended. Tickets, dates and prices
at springbarnfarm.com
Sat 28
Winter Fair. Storytelling, crafts, games and
winter warmers. Lewes New School, 12-4pm.
lewesnewschool.co.uk
Sun 8
Comedy Magic Show. SESKA - The
Magic Beard. Energetic and fun-packed
family show. With sword swallowing,
strange appearances and disappearances.
Make a bogey cake and saw a mum in
half. Nominated for best family show at
Brighton Fringe. All Saints, 4pm, £5.
cakecrasher.com
School Open Days
Wed 11, Lewes New School
Fri 13 & Sat 14, St Andrew’s Prep, Eastbourne
Fri 20, Mayfield School, Mayfield
Sat 21, Michael Hall Steiner Waldorf
School, Forest Row
(A day in the classroom for adults)
Wed 25, Barcombe School (reception)
Thu 26, Singing Tree Steiner Kindergarten

Educating
mind, body,
heart & soul
Open Mornings: Friday 20 November 2015, Thursday 10 March 2016
To see rst hand how we can help your daughter to ourish academically,
to develop her talents – wherever they lie – and discover hidden ones,
join us for an open morning or personal visit.
• New Sixth Form Centre
• Oxbridge Success
• Full & Weekly Boarding
• Creative Thinking
01435 874642
admissions@mayeldgirls.org
The Old Palace, Mayeld, East Sussex TN20 6PH
www.mayeldgirls.org
An independent Catholic boarding
and day school for girls aged 11 to 18

interview êêêê
Danger Mouse
He’s back…
Ben Ward – head writer on the new Danger
Mouse series answers questions from Japhy
Shephard (12) and Alexander Holford (13) of
Talbot Terrace, Lewes.
Did you watch Danger Mouse back when you
were a kid? Yes. It’s why I was so keen to do
it, and also why I was so nervous. It was such a
great series, I think we were all a bit worried that
people wouldn’t like what we did with it. Luckily,
the response has been amazingly positive.
Back in the old series Penfold had catchphrases
like “oh crumbs”; does he have a
new catchphrase? Penfold still says “Crumbs”
as well as “Carrots!” and “Crikey!” Some things
never change.
What is your favourite moment in the first
series? There are a few but I always enjoy Colonel
K not knowing who Penfold is. Penfold: “if
you fire Danger Mouse I will resign!” Colonel
K: “That’s a shame, where do you work?” Penfold:
“Um… here?” That always makes me smile.
Who is your favourite character and why?
There’s a villain called the Snowman, played by
Richard Ayoade, who is very funny. He thinks
he’s a big scary villain, but whenever he causes
trouble someone just turns the heating on and
he melts.
How old were you when Danger Mouse
came out? I think I was 12. It’s one of the big
shows of my childhood. I’d love to re-invent
Rentaghost and Potty Time too. Look them up.
They were great.
Tell us about the new baddies? There are so
many. I think we have at least 30 and I love them
all. Look out especially for Miranda Richardson
as the Queen of Weevils and John Oliver
as Crumhorn. And I love Isambard Kingkong
Brunel. He’s a time travelling gentlechimp who
pretends he’s taller by wearing a very tall hat.
Also the World Wide Spider, who is played by…
Ben Ward. It’s one of a few parts I got to play in
the show.
Will custard take over London? It hasn’t yet,
but who knows. London does get taken over by
garbage at one point.
Does the new theme tune sound like the
old one? I’ve been told it’s a lot faster and I’ve
been told it’s a lot slower. I’ve been told it’s a lot
rockier and a lot softer. So I guess yes, it must be
pretty much the same as the old one.
CBBC is launching a new game, do you like
it? I do, I was lucky enough to help out while
they were making it.
Is there going to be any love interest? There
is a bit of a spark when Danger Mouse is working
with Jeopardy Mouse, his US counterpart,
but it’s very early days. They are constantly arguing,
but often that can mean people like each
other deep down. It can also mean they don’t.
Only time and 52 episodes will tell.
Photo by Piers Allardyce. © FremantleMedia
75

under 16
êêêê
Hugs from Hoodies
Priory School - Acts of Kindness Weekend
Friday 20th November is Takeover Day - a day where
organisations all across the country invite children
and young people to ‘takeover’, ie be involved in
decision making and have a say in matters that affect
them. Wisely, the student leaders at Priory School
are using the opportunity to spread a message of
community spirit and mutual support. Look out
for Priory students who’ll be out and about in their
communities over the weekend sharing the school’s
values and offering random acts of kindness. Their
mission is to encourage us all to be more thoughtful
and supportive to each other and hope that recipients
will be inspired to pay it forward. That seems like an
idea worth sharing.

With its excellent and imaginative
approach, the Steiner Waldorf
curriculum has gained everwidening
recognition as a creative
and compassionate alternative to
traditional avenues of education.
But just how does it feel to be a child
in the classroom, soaking up this
stimulating and rewarding teaching?
Find out for yourself...
A Day in the Classroom
Saturday 21st November 2015 - 08:15
Open Day
Thursday 28th January - 08:30
Please call for more information or to
book a place: Julie Ruse 01342 827918
www.michaelhall.co.uk
Kidbrooke Park, Priory Road, Forest Row. East Sussex, RH18 5JA
Registered Charity Number 307006
under 16
êêêê
matotu
Machines are taking over the Universe, and if you have a
7-11-year-old child, they can help save it. MATOTU, an
interactive trading card game/cartoon strip/computer game
like no other before it, is the brainchild of Lewes-based illustrator
Malcolm Trollope-Davis, and he has spent the last 15
years developing it. We were given a run-down of the game in
his Star Brewery base, and it’s amazing that such a small team
(he’s been joined by a gaming expert and a business guru) has
produced a concept – including a patented finger-swapping
mechanism, and computerised strips on each card – that looks
more complex and engaging than anything the multi-million
big boys (think Disney, think Mind Candy) have produced. It’s
being soft-launched this autumn, with a number of Lewes kids
involved, so expect to see some MATOTU action in a playground
near you soon. More on this phenomenon in a future
issue. Cards available at Si’s Sounds and Mary’s.
77

Lewes advert 4.qxp_Layout 1 08/09/2015 17:00 Page 1
Lewes
Sing, Dance, Act Now!
Saturday classes (am & pm)
for children from 4 to 18 years
At Ringmer Community
College, BN8 5RB
Get in touch
to book a
trial or to find
out more
01273 504380
lewes@stagecoach.co.uk
www.stagecoach.co.uk/lewes
On Friday 11 December
2015 organise some festive
fun and show your support
for Chestnut Tree House
(or choose another date
if you wish)
01903 871846
www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk/getfestive
Registered Charity No 256789
All aboard
The Polar Express
for the
LEWES NEW SCHOOL
WINTER FAIR
Delicious Winter Warmers, Storytelling, Crafts & Games
Saturday 28th November 12-4pm
Talbot Terrace, Lewes, BN7 2DS
www.lewesnewschool.co.uk

under 16
êêêê
young Photo
of the month
This photo was taken by
13-year-old Lottie Rodger at
the Nevill Juvenile firesite last
month. She says, “the flames
looked like they were dancing,
it was so amazing I had to take a
photo!” Lottie wins a £10 book
token, kindly donated by Bags of
Books bookshop.
Please email your photos to
photos@vivalewes.com, with your
contact details.
SINGING TREE
STEINER KINDERGARTEN
Falmer Village Hall,Falmer BN1 9PT
For children 2 yrs 10 months to 6 years
Plus Weekly Forest day (4 years+)
OPEN DAY
Thursday 26 th November 9.30am to 11am
“The setting makes outstanding provision in meeting the needs of
the range of children who attend.” Schools Inspection Service Report, June 2013.
Early years funding available
To Book Call Brighton Steiner School Tel: 01273 386 300
enquiries@brightonsteinerschool.org.uk
Charity registration number 802036
79

under 16
êêêê
shoes on now: The Llama Park
My toddler wasn’t sure if llamas actually existed, like unicorns, or
gnomes. Thus on Sunday we set out to prove to him that far from
being apocryphal, these animals, with their short stumpy bodies
and long necks, are just as real as the pigs and cows with which he is
more familiar.
Lying half an hour outside Lewes on the A22, the Llama Park
consists of 33 acres of rolling countryside. And despite its name,
the park is home not just to llamas but to several other animals as
well, including alpacas, pigs, goats, donkeys, hens and even some
peacocks. We were surprised at how sociable all of the animals seemed to be. The llamas in particular
seemed eager to interact with us, following the children around and even graciously allowing their
necks to be stroked and their heads to be patted. If you book in advance you can even take a llama for a
walk, which surely has to be up there on the National Trust’s ‘things to do before you are 11¾’ list.
Ambling further around the park we were able to get very close to the goats and even the donkeys,
notorious for a rather unyielding temperament, consented to a brief pat and a photo or two.
The park also contains an outdoor play area - including a bouncy castle - where parents can sit at conveniently
placed picnic benches and sup a coffee whilst their offspring cavort around. Jacky Adams
Wych Cross, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5JN. llamapark.co.uk
Prepare to Feast!
...Christmas orders
now being taken...
• Local
Produce,
Eggs &
Honey
• Home-made
Cakes & Pies
• Outstanding
quality & value
• Tea Room &
Refreshments
Discover REAL Flavour...
For a Splendid, Succulent
Local Turkey and our
Tasty, Home-Produced,
Additive-Free Beef,
Lamb & Pork, call in to
our shop today or phone
01273 478265
OFFHAM
FARM SHOP
Less food miles = more food smiles...
On the A275 OFFHAM
near LEWES BN7 3QE
USUAL HOURS
Shop Xmas Opening: 17-23 Dec 9am–4.30pm / 24 Dec 7.30am–2.00pm
25-28 Dec CLOSED / 29-31 Dec Normal hours / New Years Day CLOSED

food
Zereshk Polo
ba Morgh
Persian food to your own table
A busy pre-deadline Friday lunchtime isn’t the
most conventional time to have a Persian feast, but
I’ve promised four hungry Viva mouths that they
can participate in this review, so I wander up to St
Peter’s Place, and am greeted at the door by Azar,
the chef in the mother-daughter partnership that
runs The Persian Food Company.
She’s been making some chicken and saffron
stew, and some barberry rice, which she delicately
transfers into different-sized Tupperware dishes
for me to carry back down the hill. The chicken
looks great, but it’s the rice that’s the most visually
arresting: she’s soaked a little bowlful in the saffron
stew, and laid it in a yellow stripe over the rest, then
sprinkled this colourful pile with barberries, which
look like mini blueberries. A third dish is filled with
‘borani’, a yoghurt and spinach combination.
This is a just-for-us version of the PFC’s new
catering service in which they bring ‘feasts’ to your
house, served in beautiful Persian dishes, which
they collect again the next day. They also on occasion
magic up pop-up restaurant nights in their
family house.
Persian food is known for its subtle, mild, delicately
balanced flavours, and the combination we try
today is a fine example of this. If you’re expecting
big-hitting piquancy, think again: the chicken is as
delicate as it’s tender: the rice is perfectly cooked so
each grain falls away easily from its mates, and the
faint taste of saffron is interestingly complemented
by the acidic tang of the berries, which lingers on
the palate. Alex Leith
thepersianfoodcompany.com/01273 479987
83

Nestling below the South Downs with a picturesque cottage garden.
The Cricketers’ Arms is a popular destination for discerning customers
who enjoy quality Harvey’s ales served direct from the cask and
delicious homemade food prepared by our enthusiastic chefs.
Twitter: TCricketersArms Facebook: thecricketersarmsberwick
www.cricketersberwick.co.uk Tel: 01323 870 469
£10 Food voucher for the Cricketers’ Arms Berwick
For use in November 2015, Monday to Thursday only.
VivaLewes

food
Pelham Arms
Steak burger... and a brandy chaser
Photo by Alex Leith
The last time I ate at the Pelham Arms, one
midweek lunchtime about eighteen months ago,
I was surprised to see that they had bouillabaisse
on the menu, and I mused as I was eating
a well-prepared bowl of that wonderful dish how
this reflected the changing face of the town.
Five years before, in exactly the same spot, I
would have been sinking pool balls rather than
supping French soup. The Pelham Arms was
never really a rough pub, but it did have a kind
of rough-around-the-edginess. That’s all in the
past now.
This time I visit at 7.30 on a Sunday evening,
having worked all afternoon on the magazine
with sub-editor David Jarman. David does an
awful lot for this publication for very little in
return, and so it seemed appropriate for him
to be my guest. That and the fact that I knew
that a couple of hours in his company would
provide me with a steady stream of drily amusing
anecdote and gossip. We sit at the big table
overlooking the garden/car park.
David is a great lover of fine wine, so it seemed
sensible to let him choose what we’re drinking,
which he does before looking at the food
menu. “What would you say to the Argentinian
Malbec?” he muses, and I concur, glad that he
hasn’t done that thing of choosing the second
cheapest red on offer, in this case an American
Merlot. I haven’t drunk American Merlot since
watching Sideways.
It’s Sunday, so the menu is limited to roasty
style things, which is a pity because I don’t
really fancy a roast. Then I spot ‘Steak burger
7oz, ground in-house, Tremains Organic Sussex
cheddar, baconnaise, Flint Owl bun, house
chips & slaw £12’ and become a happy man.
David goes for the roast beef.
The burger comes on a platter, held together
with a pointy skewer; the chips and slaw each
have their own ceramic container. I can tell
from the look of the thing it’s going to be one
tasty burger, and I’m right. The meat, it’s written
on the menu, is from Holmansbridge Farm
– their policy is to buy local whenever possible
– and it has a really beefy flavour, which you
can’t say of most burger beef. Every bite is given
extra tang by the ‘baconnaise’, a sauce I assume
to be made by putting bacon and mayonnaise
together in a blender. Yum.
My only problem with my choice is trying to
make it last, as it takes a good deal longer to get
through a roast meal than it does to polish off
a burger and chips, even if it does come with a
ramekin of slaw. David tells me that the beef is
every bit as good as he expected, which I take to
be a compliment, trying to contain a brief attack
of Yorkshire pudding envy. Afterwards, we both
decline the offer of dessert, and opt instead for a
glass of Remy Martin, which seems a sophisticated
enough way of finishing off a thoroughly
pleasant evening. Alex Leith
85

86
Photo by Lizzie Lower

food
Brighton Blue cheesy mash
and Falmer sausages
Top spud tips from Park Farm Shop’s Pete Lenihan, and his son Mat
Pete Lenihan knows his spuds. He’s been growing
them all his life. As has his son Mat, who’s recently
taken over running the family business, Park Farm
Shop in Falmer. They sell several varieties, by the
single spud, or in up-to-25-kilo sacks, and can talk
you through the relative merits of each. So, as the
season of baked potatoes and comfort food is upon
us, I’ve come to talk tatties with Pete and to try one
of Mat’s favourite recipes.
Pete tells me; “Everybody should try two or three
different varieties a year as they’ll cook differently
across the growing season. Having said that, there
are new ones that are good for everything. Like the
Picasso, a pure white flesh potato, nicely shaped
with a red eye like a King Edwards. They bake
brilliantly and roast well too… but nothing beats a
Maris Piper for roasting. They go lovely and floury
white on the inside whilst crisping up nicely on the
skin. That makes them great for frying too and a
favourite with the chippies. They easily fall apart
when you boil them though so, if you look away for
a minute, you can end up with a pan of potato soup.
Agria are a newer variety, a waxier white potato with
yellow flesh, that holds together when boiled and
makes for great chips and mash.
We also stock some older varieties as customers still
ask for them. Like Wilja, a mosaic-skinned white
potato and red-skinned Desiree, when we can get
them. Both are great for dauphinoise. My favourite
is still Maris Bard as I’ve always looked forward to
the first British new potatoes of the season. They
appear around June, or May if you’re lucky. I also
appreciate when a chip’s done well, but god knows
what the secret is. Ask a chippy. I grow the bloody
things and you can’t have everything but I do know
that South Street Fish Bar in Lewes and Osborne’s
in Seaford know how to do a good one.”
Mat Lenihan’s Brighton Blue cheesy mash and
Falmer sausages with onion gravy.
For 4 people:
2 large Agria potatoes
1 sweet potato
120 grams of High Weald Brighton Blue cheese -
rind removed
12 Falmer sausages - made with thyme and honey
especially for Park Farm by Pete ‘the meat’ Richards
of Lewes
Onion
Gravy granules
Salt & pepper
Peel and chop the Agria and sweet potatoes and
bring to the boil together in the same pan. Meanwhile,
prick and oven-roast the sausages until
golden brown. For the onion gravy, chop and
gently fry one large onion and, when soft, add a
little water and allow to stew whilst the potatoes
cook. Drain the potatoes when they fall apart when
poked with a knife, then crumble in the Brighton
Blue. Mash until smooth, adding butter and milk if
necessary but the cheese is so creamy you don’t really
need to. Add gravy granules to the stewed onion
and stir well. Season with some freshly ground
black pepper and pile it all on a plate. It’s so good
I can eat it three times a week, although sometimes
I’ll vary the sausages. Maybe I’ll have Lewes Castle,
flavoured with Harveys Castle Brown Ale, or
spicy lamb-and-pork Merguez, but always made
by Richards.
As told to Lizzie Lower
Park Farm Shop, Monday to Saturday 9am - 5pm,
Sunday 9am - 12.30pm. Park St, Falmer, BN1 9PG
01273 671002
87

drink
Ground
Viva la revolucion
Photo by William Leith
The first thing
I notice about
Ground, the
new café on
Lansdown Place
I visit one rainy
Wednesday
morning in
October, is the
smell. Or maybe
‘aroma’ would
be a better word.
It’s a tiny place
where they
freshly grind their freshly roasted coffee beans, and
it’s a pleasure just going through the door.
Ground have played a part in the coffee revolution
that’s hit Brighton in recent years, having opened a
café in Kemptown in 2009, a place where you can be
sure of getting ethically sourced coffee, and a full
explanation of where it’s from, how it’s processed,
and how to describe the taste (a difficult art; I’ve yet
to learn the vocabulary to be able to do this myself).
On hand to explain all is John, who works there
four days a week, moonlighting on the other three
as a trumpeter in the ska/hip-hop band King Porter
Stomp. First he serves me a Costa Rican, naturally
processed (ie roasted with pulp on) filter coffee
which I drink milk-less and black. I venture that it’s
‘pleasantly acidic’: he points out that I’m referring
to the ‘funky, boozy, tropical fruit flavours’.
Next up I try a Brazilian/Columbian fully washed
(ie no pulp) flat white, prepared in an espresso
machine, a fuller bodied number that would have
suited me just right earlier in the morning. He talks
about its ‘well-rounded’ nature, and the stronger
‘mouth feel’.
You live and learn: the best news is that the smallbatch
(note lower case) locally-roast coffee scene
now has an outlet in the county town. Smitten at
first sniff, I’ll be a regular customer.
Alex Leith
Two Main Meals
for the
Price of one
With this voucher
@thesussexox
The Sussex Ox
www.thesussexox.co.uk
Milton Street
East Sussex
BN26 5RL
01323 870840

Offer excludes drinks and weekends
Cheapest meal for free. One voucher per table
Valid until 12th December 2015
@thesussexox
The Sussex Ox
www.thesussexox.co.uk
Milton Street
East Sussex
BN26 5RL
01323 870840

food
Edible Updates
Coming to a table near you soon
As the air turns colder and the leaves turn from green
to gold, our cottage industrialists are gearing up for
the seasonal rush. Pleasant Stores have extended
their opening hours to Thursday and Friday evenings
from 6.30 to 10.30pm. Owner Sara Grisewood has
put together a tidy list of natural organic wines,
gluten-free beers, and a light menu featuring ‘Lewesian
membrillo’ served with High Weald Dairy
Sister Sarah, and other lusciousness.
At the Friday Food Market you’ll find handmade
cheese from Plumpton College, and forager Jane
Fairman selling her “spicy, smoky, hot and fruity”
Bonfire Sauce. Flavoured with plums, wild berries,
wild garlic, smoked paprika, chilli, seaweed and nettles:
the perfect accompaniment to a Harveys banger.
Chloe Edwards of Seven Sisters Spices is teaming
up with VRAC and the creators of Lewes Map to
offer a seasonal hamper, and will also be teaching
Christmas Baking classes at Lewes Community
Kitchen on 16th
and 22nd Nov,
see sevensistersspices.com.
Also at Lewes
Community
Kitchen, on 12th Dec, Petra Lovelock will share
some Scandi-inspired skills at her Make & Bake
Christmas workshop, see nordickitchen.me.uk.
Anyone experiencing a coffee-scented void left
by the transformation of Bar & Coffeehouse into
Fisher St Studios, or Baltica’s decision to focus on
their sought-after pottery, may need to discover
Ground. The award-winning Kemptown coffee
merchants opened a pop-up on Lansdown Place in
Sept, and Rick and Tash say they are also planning
a retail micro-roastery, for customers to sit and
drink “whilst watching the beans turning from
green to gold.” Chloë King
Illustration by Chloë King
91

cheese
Lancashire Bomb
Explosive afters
I’ve been cooked dinner and asked to bring dessert,
and all through the duck in cranberry sauce
with spinach purée and fried potatoes, which is
really delicious, I’ve been looking forward to the
big reveal.
“Ta-da!” I exclaim, pulling a Lancashire Bomb,
bought a few days before from Cheese Please and
since hidden in my fridge, out of my rucksack.
My host makes the appropriate response. The
Lancashire Bomb looks like an old-style grenade
– one of the ones that you light the fuse of – and
when you bring it out, the wow factor is high.
I’ve also brought some Cheese Please Peter’s
Yard Swedish knäckebröd (crispbread) discs; said
host provides chutney and fruit, and a pot of the
cranberry sauce, and we dig in – kind of literally.
The MO with an LB is to cut off the top of the
wax casing, and attack the cheese inside – not
a soft cheese, but easily scoopable - with a teaspoon.
It’s creamy and mature and eaten straight
from the spoon it’s a little rich, but when added
with the extras it’s sensational.
Shorrocks have been making this type of cheese
since 1923, but it wasn’t until 25 years ago that
Andrew Shorrock devised its casing for a friend
who was emigrating to America. It’s a brilliant
invention, and makes for a fine Christmas present,
or Bonfire feast offering, too. The beauty is,
when you’ve had your fill (and there’s plenty left,
seeing as each bomb weighs 500g) you can simply
put the lid back on, and put it back in the fridge:
it keeps for up to a month. AL
KITCHEN.ROOMS.BAR.EVENTS
- Hot chocolate by the fire in our Kitchen
- Family style Sunday roasts in our Friston Room
- Supper Club dinners in our Garden Room
013 2 3 8 7 0 218 www.saltmarshfarmhouse.co.uk
Seven Sisters Country Park, Exceat BN25 4AD
93

the way we burn
The photographer JJ Waller is most famous for his pictures of people. JJ used to be a
street performer, and later in life found those thinking-on-his-feet skills he’d learnt were
applicable to a new career as a street photographer. He grew adept at capturing people
at Cartier-Bresson’s ‘decisive moment’ in and around Brighton and other UK coastal
cities. This project, however, is completely different from his normal MO: last year
he travelled round Sussex during Bonfire season, photographing bonfires before they
were ignited, in the daytime. There’s a quiet beauty to the series, and a strange sense of
poignancy, too, as we know the fate of these elegant piles. We have deliberately left the
bonfires ‘anonymous’: do you recognise yours?
jjwaller.com

the way we burn

the way we burn

the way we burn

the way we burn

the way we burn

All part of Riverside’s rich
Is there a better view from your
table than upstairs at the
Riverside Brasserie?
Or better farm produce than
the home-reared meat at
Mays Farm Cart?
Or a better selection
of sewing materials and
haberdashery than at
The-Stitchery?
We don’t
think so.
tapestry!
By Cliffe Bridge, Lewes
www.riverside-lewes.co.uk
RIVERSIDE

shopping
Bonfire
Essential accoutrements for the Fifth
Whether you’re celebrating at home or
out in the town on the Fifth (or thereabouts),
it’s going to be chilly. Keep warm
in these recycled cashmere wrist warmers
from Popsicle at the Needlemakers.
They’re made from the sleeves of an old
jumper, so every pair has a different colour
and design. £24
Matches are always useful, but extra-long
matches in a limited edition, hand-printed,
bonfire-themed matchbox are absolutely
essential. Pick up a box at the Tom
Paine Printing Press this November,
and be prepared. £5
Form your own First Pioneer group with
a custom-made medieval gown from
Dornbluth. All costumes are designed
and hand-made, to measure, in their
workshop, and are available in a huge
range of styles and colours. £155 (pictured),
dornbluth.co.uk
Put on your own miniature display in the
living room, with a box of Indoor Fireworks
from Mary’s at the Needlemakers.
Each box contains a selection of tabletopsized
explosives, as well as bonfire party
favourites, sparklers! £10, maryfellows.
co.uk
If you’re holding your own outdoor party
this year, these Kadai Fire Bowls are the
perfect way to create the warmth and
crackling cosiness of bonfire, even in a
smaller garden. Originally used over an
open fire to cook food at ceremonies,
each one is unique and hand-crafted in
India. From £164, kadai.co.uk
103

Lewes Mobile Communications
Wishing all of our
customers a fantastic
Bonfire Night!
2015
52 High Street, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1XE
01273 473400

PET CARE ROUND-UP
Animal magic
Let your pets enjoy Bonfire, too
Photos from Coastway Vets
Cliffe Veterinary Group has been a part of the
Lewes community for over 150 years, with a practice
based in the centre of town and branch surgeries
in Woodingdean and Ringmer. Practice Manager
Karen Walker advises dog owners preparing
for the fireworks season to “talk to your vet about
pheromone diffusers, which disperse calming chemicals
into the room. In some cases your vet may even
prescribe medication.” 21 Cliffe High St, BN7 2AH.
cliffevets.co.uk, 01273 473 232
Coastway Vets have 41 years of veterinary knowledge
and offer free puppy checks and Weight
Watchers sessions for overweight pets. Their outof-hours
24/7 emergency surgery is located 15 minutes’
drive away in Brighton. They recommend using
desensitising CDs like Sounds Scary – which play
firework noises – during the weeks before fireworks
season. Play them quietly at first, then increasingly
loudly. 137-139 Malling Street, BN7 2RB. coastwayvets.co.uk,
01273 478 100
Sara Miller at Mount Pleasant Pet Services provides
pet care and boarding across Lewes, Saltdean,
Ringmer and everywhere in between. Their Doggy
Day Care service from 8am to 6pm includes two
walks and Sara says she has found some beautiful
new routes across the South Downs. She suggests
playing with pets during the fireworks so they don’t
try to hide, and rewarding them for being calm. 4
Howey Close, Mount Pleasant, Newhaven, BN9 0NX.
mountpleasantpetservices.com, 07908 238 480
The Pet Store in Ringmer is offering 10% off all
preventative anxiety treatments such as Adaptil,
and Thundershirts, for pets who struggle with the
stress of Bonfire Night and the ongoing fireworks
displays. “It’s important to start using these products
long before dark and ideally days in advance
of Bonfire Night,” explains co-owner Gregg Leon,
“as it’s much easier to keep your pet from becoming
stressed than it is to calm them down.” 86 Springett
Avenue, Ringmer, BN8 5QX. thepetstore-ringmer.
co.uk, 01273 812 732
Fifty Sheep specialise in high quality pet foods,
sourcing natural and nutritional alternatives to the
mainstream brands. Owner Kerrie Elliott explains,
“It’s quite surprising the amount of salt and sugar
that you find in pet foods, and in the long term these
things can be detrimental to the animal’s health.”
They stock a range of natural stress-relieving products
including Pet Remedy, which comes in a spray
or a plug-in diffuser. “It works on all animals and
birds, and even humans too!” 41 Cliffe High Street,
BN7 2AN. 50sheep.co.uk, 01273 473 283
Isabel Warren at Barker and Yapp provides an alternative
grooming service for dogs. Isabel trained
at Sussex Canine Centre and specialises in working
with nervous dogs – for especially anxious or elderly
pets she also does home visits. “Bonfire season
is difficult; the best thing you can do is to be
calm yourself. If you’re stressed because they’re getting
stressed then they’ll get more stressed because
you’re stressed!” 2 St Swithun’s Terrace, BN7 1UJ.
07967 244282 or 01273 480324
105

Russell Gates
Instructor of Animal Care at Plumpton
I always wanted to work with animals, so I love
working here. I teach all aspects of looking after
them. From correct handling of different species,
to diet, hygiene and anatomy. We also teach the
practicalities of keeping animals – their housing and
necessary equipment as well as health and safety and
legislation covering the keeping of them, too.
We run all sorts of Animal Care courses here,
from day release for schools, right up to Foundation
Degrees in Animal Science. Most jobs involving animal
care will expect applicants to have some qualification
and experience and our courses offer both
the technical knowledge and the practical handling.
Many of our students go on to work in veterinary
nursing, animal shelters and sanctuaries, zoos and
pet shops. I was a student here myself seven or eight
years ago. Then I became a technician, worked for
a while on a farm and then came back as an
instructor. The college has grown hugely in
popularity since I was a student. Now we have
around 600 students on animal care courses.
We have so many individual animals here;
there are too many to count. The variety of
species is amazing and makes it a real pleasure to
come to work. From rabbits and guinea pigs to
tortoises, corn snakes, degus, sugar gliders, uromastyx,
wallabies, owls, puffer fish, poison-dart
frogs and birds like the white-cheeked turacos;
they all have their own personalities. Every room
you go into you can interact with another animal
and many of them are incredibly sociable. The
rarest animal we’ve got at the moment is probably
Hugo the skunk. A few years ago it looked
like there was going to be a craze for keeping
skunks as pets but luckily it didn’t take off.
My favourite is probably Reggae. He’s a
green-cheeked Amazon parrot. When I was a
technician, I had a great relationship with him as
106

my space
Photos by Lizzie Lower
they really like to bond with one person. Now I’m
an instructor, I have less time to hang out with him
but he still likes to chat.
I’m not sure exactly what our food bill is but
I know it’s huge. Common pets are easy to buy
for but we often have to make up the diet for the
more specialist animals, including all the necessary
supplements. We also buy in live food every couple
of weeks in the form of insects like crickets and
it’s important that they have a happy, healthy life
whilst they’re with us too. It’s one of the things the
students find hardest – handling live food.
I’d like to be the next David Attenborough. To
be a naturalist, travelling the world, seeing all the
different species whilst educating people at the
same time. How fantastic would that be? LL
If you’d like to find out more about animal care
and other courses at Plumpton College, their
next open information morning is on Saturday
7 November, from 9am to 12.30pm. 01273
890454 plumpton.ac.uk
107

shepherding
Alex Callf stands with his back to me, making a series
of undecipherable, half-human exclamations.
Suddenly the far edge of the field we’re in is fringed
with fast-moving sheep. They turn, as one, and
start thundering down the hill towards me, and I
spot two dancing dogs, directing the flock towards
us. The sheep charge, as one, into a pen, made of
portable steel units, and abruptly stop, as they have
nowhere else to go. It seems to have been a flawless,
beautiful manoeuvre, but as Alex turns round
towards me, his face shows a hint of dissatisfaction.
“We’ve missed a couple,” he says, and sends the
dogs back up the hill.
Half an hour before, Alex has picked me up in his
4x4 truck in Lewes, and driven me to this field in
Vixen Grove Farm, in Chailey, talking sheep. He’s a
laid-back guy, with a ready smile, and, he says, he’s
not really wanted to do anything else but look after
sheep since he was 12, when he got his first experience
of helping a farmer out. The guy took him on
as an apprentice, of sorts, and he worked there in
his spare time, for several years, until he went to
study agriculture in Somerset, then Plumpton Agricultural
College.
Alex is now a contract shepherd, working for several
different farmers in East Sussex, aided by his
partner Taz. At peak times in the year, like when
it’s time for lambing and shearing, he hires other
A Sussex shepherd
‘To work with sheep, you have to think like a sheep’
sheep-hands to help. He’s currently tending around
3,000 head, for several different farmers. “I dream
of owning my own flock of 2,000, one day,” he says.
I learn a lot about sheep over the next two hours,
as Alex and today’s colleague Tommy ‘enzovax’ the
sheep to guard against miscarriage, inject them with
small doses of foot-rot bacteria, so they can build
resistance against it, and drive them through a formaldehyde
foot bath. For example: this year Alex
has lost nine sheep after they’ve been attacked by
dogs, some through stress; indeed the biggest killer
of sheep is stress; all these sheep will eventually
be culled, and turned into mutton, when they’ve
grown too long in the tooth; the ewes, primarily
reared for breeding, are multipurpose animals - as
well as ending up on our plates, they produce wool
(just a sideline) and act as ‘glorified lawnmowers’,
preventing grass from going to seed and losing its
nutritional value.
My favourite bit is trying to get the sheep through
the foot bath. “They don’t like going through water,”
says Alex, and shows me how lifting the tail up
acts as a ‘go pedal’, then, best of all, how walking
in the opposite direction to them creates an optical
illusion, and makes them move faster. This leads to
Alex’s best quote of the day: “to work with sheep,
you have to learn to think like a sheep.”
Alex Leith
Photo by Alex Leith
109

fitnessforfeet
podiatry in lewes
Call on 01273 805272
The Silvery
natural silver jewellery
For feet that need care
Phone 01273 805272
Email helen@fitnessforfeet.com
www.fitnessforfeet.com

Day in the life...
Val Suleski
Kennels Manager at Raystede
My working day starts at 8.30am but I normally
get in about 7.30am - I can’t keep away!
That’s my favourite part of the day, first thing in
the morning when the dogs are all cosy in their
beds and they do that wake up stretch and wag
their tails. That’s the moment when you hope that
today is going to be their lucky day.
The first job is giving them each a quick ‘hello’
and checking that they haven’t been poorly
during the night. After that it’s time for cleaning
out. Each dog goes out into the play run so they
can stretch their legs and go to the toilet while we
clean out their kennel. Then they can have their
breakfast. There’s a mixture of dry food and meat;
all of our food is donated so they can have what
they like. Scrambled eggs and sausages left over
from the café are a favourite.
Then the day is divided up: staff take it in turns
dealing with rehoming enquiries, face-to-face or
over the phone, and following up with new owners
who have adopted animals from here. When we’re
not doing that, we’re spending quality time with
the dogs, giving them the training they need,
grooming them and playing with them.
We can have anything up to ten new
dogs a week arriving at the centre and
each one needs to have a full behavioural
assessment. We need to assess their
character and personality, what requirements they
have training-wise and what they need from us to
make them happy. We put all of this together for
prospective owners so they can choose a suitable
canine companion.
We’ve been described as a ‘dating service for
dogs’. We can see by the body language and the
way people interact with the dogs whether it’s
going to be a match. Each dog is individual. I’ve
worked with so many dogs over so many years and
there’s something loveable about each and every
one of them, they’ve all got a little quirk.
They have their dinner at about 4.30pm, and
we check they’ve got fresh water and bedding.
Every night we give each of them a bedtime biscuit
and a ‘night-night’ and tell them that they’re
loved. It’s important to let them know it’s the end
of the day and their activities are finished.
We normally leave at about 5 o’clock, unless
there’s a reason for someone to stay, like an animal
needing medication or if one of the dogs is having
puppies – I’ve stayed here all night before. The
dogs have had a busy day and plenty of exercise so
are ready for bed! As told to Rebecca Cunningham
Would you like to try being an animal carer for a
day? Young people aged 13-17
can spend the day helping out
at Raystede, visit the website
for more info. Raystede is entirely
dependent on voluntary
donations, find out how you
can help at raystede.org
111

Chartered Surveyors & Property Consultants
• Residential and Commercial
• Building Surveys
• Defect Analysis
• Project Management
• Party Wall
• Dilapidations
• Compliance Consultancy
• Historic Building Specialists
Offices now in Lewes, Eastbourne & London
Contact us for friendly professional advice
01273 840 608 | www.gradientconsultants.com

trade secrets
Mark Kenward
Head Keeper, Drusillas
Photo by Emma Chaplin
How long have you been a zoo keeper? Twentythree
years, since I was 15. I knew I was born to do
this. I wasn’t great at school. I’d bunk off and go
bird watching.
Are you from an animal-loving family? My sister
is a veterinary nurse, my dad was a police dog
handler. My wife and I met here. My mum works at
Drusillas, so does my son. I was hand-rearing a black
and white ruffed lemur at home when he was born.
He’s grown up with animals.
Do you know many other zoo keepers? Oh yes.
All my friends are keepers. The guy who was my
Best Man is curator of Cotswold Zoo. We’re all on
the phone to each other all the time, talking about
any problems that come up, supporting each other.
We’re a bit competitive too.
Talk us through your day. I get here about 7.30am
and my first job is a head count of the animals,
checking for any births or if any have been taken
poorly. There are ten keepers on duty every day
who call me if they have any concerns. I also manage
the nutrition of all the animals in the park.
What qualities do you need to do your job? Excellent
observation skills, a caring nature and lots of
patience. It’s a hard job emotionally and physically
and you must be prepared to go out in all weathers.
What do you most enjoy? Being with the animals
and taking the best possible care of them – it’s the
reason any of us get into this kind of work.
Anything you’re less keen on? The admin, and
there is a lot of that with a zoo. Lab reports, veterinary
involvement. Every animal is microchipped
and has a record that stays with them throughout
their life.
What are the fruit bats like to work with? Amazing.
They’re really intelligent, fluffy flying mammals.
They have a hierarchy.
What are you proudest of? Pandas are very secretive,
especially with their babies, but after our red
panda gave birth to twins, she brought them out for
me to see.
What’s the most popular animal? Meerkats and
penguins, but we try to educate people about lesserknown
creatures as well, such as our binturong (a
‘bear-cat’), which smells of popcorn.
Do fireworks cause distress? No, we don’t get
many around here. All the animals have indoor accommodation
and are with companions.
What’s your favourite time of year at the park?
The spring, with so much new growth horticulturally
and new life with the animals, as we get ready
for a busy summer.
Is there anything you always get asked? Can we
touch the animals? Can we feed the animals? (No!)
What’s your favourite animal? That’s like asking
‘who is your favourite child?’ I have a soft spot for
primates because I’ve worked so much with them.
And two-toed sloths. Emma Chaplin drusillas.co.uk
113

column
Lewes Out Loud
Plenty more Henty
In my new approach
to this page, the
editor will no doubt
be pleased to learn
that I do not intend
to introduce politics
into the mix – even
though my portrait
by Leslie Norah Hills
has recently been
spotted alongside
Boris Johnson in the
Cancer Research
shop window.
It’s tempting, though,
especially when I read
in the Daily Telegraph this description by sketch
writer, Michael Deacon, of the new Labour
Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn: ‘His trousers
were a different shade than his jacket. The top
button of his shirt was undone. From his pocket
poked the lid of a pen. He looked like a lecturer
who’d woken late, got dressed in the dark, then
loosened his collar to recover from the mad,
panting dash to the bus stop.’
‘How cruel’, I thought to myself, and anyway,
surely Jeremy cycles everywhere, doesn’t he?
Even more reason to suggest that he’d make a
very typical resident of this tweedy town. Men
with beards, glasses and no fashion sense are
not only tolerated in Lewes, they are positively
encouraged… and I should know!
Former MP Norman Baker was hardly a dedicated
follower of fashion, as he walked through
the High Street, but we forgave him. Not least
because he was actually seen walking in the
town he represented for 18 years. Congratulations
on the book, Norman.
My promise last month to share more than
a polite ‘Good Morning’ with people in the
High Street got off
to a rather wobbly
start. Walking down
School Hill, I spotted
a couple on the other
side of the road who I
thought I recognised.
We waved at each
other. I crossed over,
explained that my
wife was at home, to
which a bemused,
but smiling, Philip
responded “I don’t
think we actually
know each other!”
Well, we do now! Karen and Philip told me
that they live on a hill overlooking the town,
and meeting people in this casual way is one of
the pleasures of their life in Lewes today.
One of mine, of course, is supporting, when I
can, Lewes FC, and as a badge-wearing owner,
I was delighted to obtain a couple of tickets for
the Squeeze gig at the town hall recently. The
club is great when it comes to posters, publicity,
pints and pies but not so hot on the presentation
front. We all know who the Squeeze are
but I do think someone should have given a
decent build-up to the talented Lola Britten-
Hepper who represented the Starfish Youth
Music Project. Lola is 12 and had to introduce
her excellent three-song set herself. A pity.
Inevitably, Squeeze ended their powerful participation
with Cool For Cats. which reminded
me of this month’s bonfire theme, and the need
to keep all animals securely inside on the night.
As you can see from my dramatic photograph,
our neighbourhood cat, De Niro, enjoys being
a creature of the night… but not on November
5th! John Henty
115

football
Louis Erangey
Lewes FC’s teenage kit man
As anyone who’s seen Patrick Marber’s play about
non-league football will know, the kit man is a
pivotal member of the dressing room. Confidant,
organiser and, literally, the person who sweeps up
the mess left by others, the kit man is the unsung
hero of every club.
Normally he’s a wearied, fifty-something former
player who can’t stay away from the banter and the
reek of Deep Heat. At Lewes FC, however, the kit
man is Louis Erangey, who only just qualifies for
the term “man” at all at only 18 years of age, and
who is almost certainly the youngest kit man in
the entire Ryman Premier League.
Louis has only been kit man at the club since the
beginning of last season, yet has already worked
under three different managers. Each of them
have talked warmly of the unassuming, lofty
teenager, who quietly goes about his work and refuses
to divulge what goes on behind the battered
dressing room doors. “Everything I hear, nothing
leaves the changing room,” says Louis, who sits in
on team-talks, half-time rollickings and whatever
else transpires when 20 adrenaline-saturated men
are jammed in a space no bigger than a garage.
“There’s 100% confidentiality,” he confirms, rebuffing
our correspondent’s attempt to tease out a
little dressing room gossip. “I’ve had that with all
the managers I’ve worked with. They know they
can trust me.”
It’s not only the managers who know they can
place their faith in Erangey. Sometimes players
will drag him aside after games and seek his feedback
on their performance. “There’s a certain few
that do that,” said Erangey, once again refusing
to divulge names. “They want to discuss how the
game was and how did it look from the sidelines.
Some ask how I think they performed and I try to
be honest with them.”
Louis, who was recently promoted to Assistant
Operations Manager at the club, doesn’t only
look after the first team’s kit. He’s now responsible
for managing the kit for all six of the men’s
and women’s sides, as well as the club’s Academy.
A band of volunteers help with the unenviable task
of loading seven loads of sweat-soaked shirts into
the club’s washing machines, but it still requires
a feat of organisation to ensure that seven teams
have the correct colours, tape and bench gear for
up to a dozen games per week.
He now also bears responsibility for maintaining
the club’s new 3G training pitch and ensuring
everything is locked up at the Dripping Pan when
everyone’s finished for the night. Indeed, when
we spoke on a Sunday morning, he hadn’t left the
club until 10pm the night before, getting everything
ready for the Ladies match after getting
back from an away trip with the men. Unsung
hero? He fits the stereotype perfectly.
Interview and photo by Barry Collins
Forthcoming home fixtures. Sat 31st Oct 3pm:
Hampton, Wed 11th 7.45pm: Enfield, Sat 14th 3pm:
Leiston (or FA Trophy), Sat 21st 3pm: Kinstonian
Photo by Barry Collins
117

TREKKING
TRAIL RUNNING
SKIING
CAMPING
SKIING
WALKING
HIKING

feature: wildlife
Death’s-head hawkmoth.
Pleased to meet you. Hope you guess my name.
In August I was sent a photo of a giant caterpillar
seen in an Iford garden. The colourful caterpillar;
garish yellow with flamboyant blue chevrons and
spots, was shuffling along on its stumpy legs like a
miniature conga-line in search of a party. The caterpillar
would have buried itself in some soft Sussex
soil and, within its cocoon, would have undertaken
an amazing transformation. Around November, a
completely different beast will be emerging from
the Iford earth and into the night skies; a moth.
But, with a 12cm wingspan and ornate patterned
wings, this is no ordinary moth. Its beauty should
be admired and respected if it wasn’t for one small
thing. Stamped on its thorax is the spectral image
of an eyeless human skull, an eerie façade that has
given it its name; the Death’s-head hawkmoth.
The moth’s baleful birthmark has, for centuries,
struck fear into the hearts of us superstitious
humans who have seen it as a messenger of the
Devil. And, just like the big man himself in The
Stones’ Sympathy for the Devil, this rare moth
seems to have put in regular appearances throughout
history. Even learned naturalists once claimed
that the moth was a “foretelling of war, pestilence,
hunger, and death to man and beast.”
Legend has it that the appearance of a number of
Death’s-head hawkmoths signalled the start of the
French Revolution in 1789. The moth appeared
in the bedchamber of King George III; a visitation
that allegedly tormented the crazed monarch
and sped him to his demise in 1820.
The Death’s-head’s notoriety has continued to
seep through the centuries in art and literature. It
appeared prophesying doom in Thomas Hardy’s
Return of the Native (1878) and was an instrument
of evil in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1897). In the
surrealist film Un Chien Andalou (1929) it gave life
to Salvador Dali’s nightmares. In 1968’s English
horror The Blood Beast Terror Peter Cushing was
on the trail of a monster that was half-woman
and half-hawkmoth. In 1991 the moth was seen
perching on the lips of Jodie Foster on posters
advertising The Silence of the Lambs. In the film its
cocoons were placed inside Buffalo Bill’s victims
as a grizzly calling card (the hawkmoths that
actually appeared in the movie were a different
species to the ones that appeared in the script;
only a minor point but it did ruin the movie for
me somewhat).
Like all moths the Death’s-head hawkmoth is
harmless. It is a largely African species which
some years undertakes an amazing migration
north, arriving on extremely rare occasions in
Sussex. Of course its links to death and destruction
are just superstitious claptrap. But with a
Death’s-head on the loose in Lewes this Autumn
I’d keep your windows closed, just in case.
Michael Blencowe, Sussex Wildlife Trust
sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk
Illustration by Mark Greco
119

icks and mortar
Shelling out
Ringmer’s renowned reptile
We’re taking a look around a celebrity home for
this month’s Bricks and Mortar feature. Now, who
would live in a place like this? It’s custom-made
for a single resident and was built by the original
occupant. Yet despite its bespoke nature, this isn’t
a luxury property. Instead, it’s a tiny, environmentally
sensitive place that’s constructed from natural
materials. What’s that, you’d like a clue? Okay,
our celebrity used to live in Ringmer. No, not former
Prime Minister James Callaghan. Not singer
Wendy James. It’s 18th century icon Timothy the
Tortoise.
Timothy’s early life is something of a mystery.
In fact, it was only after the tortoise’s death that
anyone realised ‘he’ was actually ‘she’. It’s thought
Timothy was a Greek spur-thighed tortoise (Testudo
graeca) bought from a sailor in Chichester in
1740 by Henry Snooke. Mr Snooke – “one of the
most rabid Tories in Sussex”, historian Jeffrey Scott
Chamberlain tells us – paid half a crown (12½p)
and took Timothy back to his home in Delves
House, next to the church in Ringmer. There he
quickly lost interest, with wife Rebecca caring for
the creature.
The life of this tortoise would have gone unreported
were it not for naturalist Gilbert White,
Rebecca’s nephew. He was fascinated by his aunt’s
pet and wrote reports about Timothy whenever he
visited, creating what’s probably the first natural
history study of a tortoise. Timothy feasted on kidney
beans and cucumbers, survived flood and frost,
and buried herself in the garden to hibernate each
winter. When Mrs Snooke died in 1780 (apparently
she’s interred below Ringmer’s parish church in the
same grave as her husband), Gilbert White became
Timothy’s new owner. He dug Timothy out of the
hollow she was hibernating in – ‘it resented the insult
by hissing’, he notes – and took her in a horsedrawn
carriage to his home in Selborne. There he
continued to observe Timothy, whose later years
are documented in detail as part of White’s renowned
book The Natural History and Antiquities of
Selborne. Indeed, Timothy is such a major character
that novelist Sylvia Townsend Warner later compiled
all the tortoise-related mentions and published
them in a short book entitled The Portrait of a
Tortoise. More recently, Verlyn Klinkenborg turned
these into a fictionalised tortoise-eye view that’s
published as Timothy; or, Notes of an Abject Reptile.
Gilbert White died in 1793. Timothy died a year
later in the spring of 1794; her age was probably
around 60, based on White’s notes. But this isn’t
the end of the story. Not only does Timothy live
on in print, her shell was presented to the Natural
History Museum by Gilbert White’s great-niece
in April 1853. Meanwhile, Timothy’s importance
is immortalised locally in Ringmer’s village sign
and also on the badge for the local primary school.
That’s an impressive legacy for a 12½p pet.
Mark Bridge
Photo by Mark Bridge
121

usiness news
Celebrations this month for the Waitrose Lewes
store, who’ve been in town for ten years, and Avant
Garde, the Lewes High Street hairdressers who
are opening a new salon in Haywards Heath. The
Pine Chest, previously on Market Street (for 36
years!) and now in Ringmer, is having a clearance
sale of pine and oak furniture and much more
besides and Baltica at the top of town, are expanding
their distinctive Bolesławiec pottery showroom
(and closing down their café) . Also at the bottleneck,
Bears and Bygones has closed. After 40 years
of having a shop Sue is taking her business online
where she’ll still be ensuring old bears find safe
homes. It’s also farewell to Langfields hairdressers
who have closed their doors after 12 years in Cliffe.
The Chamber of Commerce are busy planning the
2015 late night shopping event. On 3rd December
the town centre will be closed to traffic from
6-8.30 pm and there’ll be entertainments up and
down the High Street raising funds for this year’s
nominated charity, The Bevern Trust. Of course,
you’re invited to take part too and if your business
would like to feature on the bauble trail, have your
own entertainments planned or would like to make
a donation to help meet the running costs, contact
Adam Bagnall on 07527 845235 or email ab@
harveys.org.uk asap.
We’ll be featuring a guide to festivities in next
month’s magazine and so the earlier you sign up,
the more likely you are to make it into the guide.

DIRECTORY
Please note that though we aim to only take advertising from reputable businesses, we cannot guarantee
the quality of any work undertaken, and accept no responsibility or liability for any issues arising.
To advertise in Viva Lewes please call 01273 434567 or email advertising@vivalewes.com
Directory Spotlight: Harvey Malthouse - From the Wood
We supply woodland products,
all grown and processed
from woodland we manage
here in Sussex. Coppicing is
like a very slow form of farming.
We’ll harvest around an acre
each year. The coppice regrows
and is ready for harvesting again
in around 25 years time. I’m at
my happiest when I’m working
the coppice. It’s part of sustainable
woodland management,
protecting it for the future.
Everything we do here is time honoured. We
cut the Hornbeam in this wood to make smallbatch
charcoal, as has been done for hundreds of
years. It was the fuel that powered the Iron Age.
Our firewood is seasoned in the open air for two
years – dried by the sun and the wind – then sold
Photo by Lizzie Lower
by the bag or truckload. Our net bags
are designed for all the awkward access
and difficult deliveries in Lewes.
We’re at Lewes Farmers’ Market
on the first Saturday of each month
selling whatever’s seasonal – from
logs to serving boards and hand-made
baskets, with foliage and mistletoe at
Christmas.
The more time I spend in the
woods, the more time I want to
spend there. It’s the healthiest place
to be. I’ve had volunteers come to the
woods for the last ten years for this reason. It’s
great to spend time in the woods; it meets a need
in us. Interview by Lizzie Lower
Logs start from £5.50 a bag from the Farmers’ Market,
or delivered with a minimum order of 5 bags.
Telephone 07815 148034

home

home
south downs sweeps
Rob Mortimer
Lewes 01273 470202 07788 675264
rj.mortimer@yahoo.co.uk fully certificated & insured
Rob Mortimer
south downs sweeps
Lewes 01273 470202 07788 675264
rj.mortimer@yahoo.co.uk fully certificated & insured
PVC Windows
Timber Windows
Aluminum Windows
Doors and Conservatories
coloured glass splashbacks
Give your kitchen a touch
of colour this summer!
Call for a free, no obligation quote!
(01273) 475123 www.lewesglass.com

home

home
CP Viva Lewes Ad (Qtr Pg)_62 x 94mm 18/02/2011 17:
Colin Poulter
Plastering
Professional Plasterer
Over 25 years experience
All types of plastering work
and finishes undertaken
FREE estimates
Telephone 01273 472 836
Mobile 07974 752 491
Email cdpoulter@btinternet.com

home
129

home & garden
Jack Plane Carpenter
Nice work, fair price,
totally reliable.
www.jackplanecarpentry.co.uk
01273 483339 / 07887 993396
Handyman Services for your House and Garden
Lewes based. Free quotes.
Honest, reliable, friendly service.
Reasonable rates
Tel: 07460 828240
Email: ahbservices@outlook.com
come & see us at
the farmers’
market
AHB ad.indd 1 27/07/2015 17:46
to lewes and
surrounding areas
info@fromthewood.com www.fromthewood.com
Ideas for Alcoves
ollieclarkfurniture.co.uk
lewes 01273 479909 - 07876 069681
Kate Sippetts
Designer Gardener
www.InspiredPlanting.co.uk
The
Gardeners
Guild
REGISTERED
MEMBER
f
t
RHS hort & BA hons

Garden
HEALTH & WELLBEING
Global
Gardens
Design,
Restoration &
Landscaping
alitura
landscape and garden design
Services include
01273 401581/ 07900 416679
design@alitura.co.uk
www.alitura.co.uk
- Garden Design & Project Monitoring
- Redesign of Existing Beds & Borders
- Plant Sourcing
Stella Joy Round 10.15 Call us Viva for Ad.qxp_66 a free consultation 13/10/2015 09:
Joy of Movement
Mobile 07941 057337
Phone 01273 488261
12 Priory Street, Lewes, BN7 1HH
info@ globalgardens.co.uk
www.globalgardens.co.uk
Holistic dance &
movement for health
A guided class combining simple, flowing and easy to
GGS1.001_QuarterPage_Ad_01.indd 1 12/11/10 18:24:51follow steps with mindful movement for adults of all ages,
fitness levels and experience. Feel balanced, connected
and energised as you find your own natural way of
moving in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
First taster class free.
Lewes - Thursdays 10.30 - 11.30am
Cliffe Hall, St Thomas a Becket, Cliffe High St, Lewes BN7 2AH
Drop in £8, or 5 classes for £35 (Concessions available)
Call Stella on 07733 450631
Email: stellahomewood@yahoo.com
www.stellahomewood.com
Month by month vegetable growing
tuition in your own garden
Call or email me now for more information
on fruit and vegetable growing
Free initial consultation
Angela Craven
07942 898911 | info@vegbuddies.com
www.vegbuddies.co.uk

health & Well-being
neck or back pain?
Lin Peters & Beth Hazelwood
VALENCE ROAD OSTEOPATHS
for the treatment of:
neck or low back pain • sports injuries • rheumatic
arthritic symptoms • pulled muscles • joint pain
stiffness • sciatica - trapped nerves • slipped discs
tension • frozen shoulders • cranial osteopathy
pre and post natal
www.lewesosteopath.co.uk
20 Valence Road Lewes 01273 476371
Viva Lewes 45highx62wide.indd 1 16/11/2010 20:45

health & Well-being
OSteOpathy & Cranial OSteOpathy
Michaela Kullack & Simon Murray
Experienced, Registered Osteopaths
Like us on
Facebook
River Clinic
COMpleMentary therapieS
Acupuncture, Alexander Technique, Bowen Technique,
Children’s Clinic, Counselling, Psychotherapy,
Family Therapy, Herbal Medicine, Homeopathy,
Hypnotherapy, Massage, NLP, Nutritional Therapy,
Physiotherapy, Pilates, Reflexology, Rolfing ® , Shiatsu
THerAPy rooMS AvAiLABLe To reNT
open Monday to Saturday
For appointments call
01273 475735
river Clinic, Wellers yard,
Brooks road, Lewes BN7 2By
email: info@lewesosteopathy.com
www.lewesriverclinic.co.uk

lessons and courses

cars
other services
Outstanding
in all areas
Ofsted
June 2015
OPEN MORNING
for reception intake in 2016
Wednesday 25th November 9.30 - 11.30am
Wednesday 2nd December 9.30 - 11.30am
Please come and visit our outstanding school
www.barcombe.e-sussex.sch.uk

other services
www.andrewwells.co.uk
We can work it out
• BUSINESS ACCOUNTS AND TAX
• MEDIA AND THE ARTS
• CONTRACTORS AND CONSULTANTS
• FRIENDLY AND FLEXIBLE
T: 01273 961334
E: aw@andrewwells.co.uk
FREE
initial
consultation
Andrew M Wells Accountancy
99 Western Road Lewes BN7 1RS
Andrew Wells_Viva Lewes_AW.indd 1 25/06/2012 09:05

inside left
rocketing prices
Normally we use this slot to show an old photograph of Lewes, but having been sent this wonderful
drawing, and November being November, we decided to make an exception this time. The picture was
sent by former Lewes resident Nick Eustance, with this note: ‘One November in the 1960s – I was about
11 at the time - I decided to draw the fireworks my parents had bought for our home display.’ A close
look at the picture shows that the fireworks were made by three different manufacturers, Brocks, Wessex
and Standard; and prices ranged from 2d (for example the Twinkler and the Silver Tree) to a whopping
6d (The Spaceship and the Polar Whirlwind).
‘We were living in Lewes for the latter part of last year,’ he continues, ‘and over Bonfire I was reminded
of this modest documentation, in biro and felt pen. As I am the sort of person who discards things only
under duress, I still have it - despite having moved to Australia in the meantime.’ The eagle-eyed among
you might notice that some amendments have been made to the details underneath the drawings, as
the young Nick was a stickler for keeping his records up to date: ‘It includes the prices (old money of
course) for each specimen, subsequently updated in a later year.’ All three firework brands are still going
strong fifty years later, as you would imagine, since the three companies have been competing for well
over a century, give or take the odd merger: Brocks was founded back in 1698, Pains (later Pains-Wessex)
started up in 1850, while Standard was established in 1891.
138

Real taste in the kitchen,
locally made, locally enjoyed.
For inspiration and advice, drop in to our Lewes showroom or contact
our designers on 01273 471269. www.alistairflemingdesign.co.uk
KITCHENS I OTHER ROOMS