Ditchling took centre stage in an episode of Great British Railway Journeys on BBC 2 this week. The documentary series, which follows Michael Portillo travelling the country by train, shines a spotlight on the village which was home to a community of internationally renowned artists and craftspeople in the early 20th Century.
In episode 2 of series 15, Portillo travels from Hassocks to Beneden, stopping off at Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft to talk to museum Director and CEO Steph Fuller. During his visit he took a look at the museum’s prestigious collection, including items by sculptor and letter cutter Eric Gill and designer of the London Underground typeface, Edward Johnston. Steph Fuller, Director of Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, said: “It was fascinating working with Michael Portillo and the BBC team. Michael was fantastically knowledgeable about the artistic community in Ditchling and clearly had great enthusiasm for Eric Gill’s font design Gill Sans used widely by the British Railways Board. We were lucky to have a beautiful day for the filming.”
The museum, which has been closed for the better part of the last year, reopens this week with a new exhibition Taking a Line for a Walk: John Vernon Lord and Friends. The exhibition marks 50 years of revered illustrator John Vernon Lord’s life and work in Ditchling, and features never-before-seen drafts of his children’s classic The Giant Jam Sandwich alongside meticulous illustrations for the work of Lewis Carroll, Edward Lear and James Joyce, and works by Lord’s peers including Quentin Blake, Raymond Briggs and Helen Oxenbury.
Visitors can also enjoy a large-scale interactive installation of The Giant Jam Sandwich, created by Lewes-based artist, Emma Carlow, alongside the museum’s distinguished permanent collection. The museum opened to the public on May 20th. Advance booking is advised: https://www.ditchlingmuseumartcraft.org.uk
Great British Railway Journeys: Hassocks to Benenden aired during May on BBC 2 but it is available for catch up on BBCiPlayer.