A woman who became a Hove resident later in life was music hall star and celebrity, Vesta Tilley. She had visited Brighton and other places in Sussex many times in her career, performing in particular at Brighton’s Hippodrome and the Theatre Royal, regaling … Continued
Dubbed ‘the Fastest Girl on Earth’, Dorothy Levitt was an early motorist who competed in speed trials and long distance races, setting the Ladies World Speed record right here on Madeira Drive in the Brighton Speed Trials of 1905, by … Continued
If you’d visited the Hippodrome in 1933 you may well have caught two Brighton-born twins, who’d taken America by storm. Violet and Daisy Hilton were conjoined twins who, after many years of exploitation at the hands of their adoptive mother … Continued
Fanny Burney is considered one of Britain’s first female novelists, writing sharp satirical stories which poked fun at the foibles of fashionable society a few decades before Jane Austen. She was a frequent visitor to Brighton, often staying here as … Continued
Earlier this week our 100 Pioneering Women of Sussex blog series celebrated Battle-born Sister Mary Joy Langdon, who became the first female fire fighter in the East Sussex Fire Brigade. Today’s post is about another woman who has notched up … Continued
The town of Battle in East Sussex has already been linked with two women in this series of pioneering Sussex women, social reformer and feminist, Barbara Bodichon, and innovative cook and cookery book writer, Eliza Acton. As a town of … Continued
In a perfect world, former Eastbourne resident Eileen ‘Tirzah’ Garwood (1908 – 1951) would be a household name and acknowledged as one of the most original and distinctive figures of twentieth century British art. Instead, as a mother of three … Continued
‘Peggy Angus was a warrior. Women weren’t supposed to be like that.’ Just a few miles east of Brighton on the A27 stands a small flint faced cottage near Firle called ‘Furlongs’. This was once the home of an extraordinary twentieth century artist, who despite a unique legacy of paintings … Continued
Growing our own food is something many of us have taken a renewed interest in over the past few months. Allotments often provide a haven of green space and earth in otherwise crowded towns and cities. It is thanks to … Continued
Today’s Pioneering Woman of Sussex celebrates animal lover and advocate, Miss M Raymonde Hawkins, the creator of The Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, a much loved local charity based between Ringmer and East Hoathly. Now a 43 acre site with lakes, … Continued
Sussex is home to some incredible sports people, not least powerful former track and field athlete and Steyning resident, Sally Gunnell. Let’s console ourselves over the postponement of this year’s Tokyo Olympics by revisiting and celebrating Sally Gunnell’s inspiring sports achievements. … Continued
How many books have you read during this lockdown period? Have you found yourself devouring novels to transport yourself to another world temporarily? During this time we are more grateful than ever for the creative talents of writers and artists. … Continued
Today’s Pioneering Women of Sussex blog marks Mental Health Awareness Week 2020, with Dr Helen Boyle, Mental Health Pioneer and Hove’s first woman GP. There are a number of houses and flats tucked away on Brighton and Hove streets that, unbeknown … Continued
Today we celebrate another incredible Sussex musician. One of the first and most successful women to make the most of the potential of recorded music was Southwick born, Dame Clara Butt (1872 – 1936). Dame Clara went on to become … Continued
In celebration and recognition of what would have been the start of this year’s Great Escape music festival in Brighton, today’s pioneering woman of Sussex blog puts the spotlight on Shirley Collins, the so-called ‘first lady of folk’. When Hastings-born … Continued
Today, 8 May, marks 75 years since Europe marked the end of the war that had changed the face of the world forever. One of the most recognisable figures of the Second World War is Dame Vera Lynn. Words from … Continued
Tomorrow is the 75th anniversary of VE Day, Victory in Europe. Over the next few days we’ll be sharing stories of pioneering women who placed important roles in the Second World War, from flying planes, to setting up key wartime … Continued
Nus Ghani has served as the MP for the East Sussex constituency of Wealden since 2015, re-elected in last year’s General Election, taking over 60% of the votes for the Conservative Party. She is the first woman ever to hold this seat and has spent … Continued
‘I loved the freedom on the bike’. Crawley-born Katie-George Dunlevy (b1981) is a high scoring paralympic road and track cyclist, best known for winning gold and silver medals with pilot Eve Crystal at the Rio Paralympics in 2016. Before arriving at Rio in 2016 Dunlevy who … Continued
Today is Beltane, the ancient Celtic festival that marks the beginning of summer, and is celebrated by the Wicca movement. Today we celebrate one of Brighton’s most intriguing women, the mother of modern witchcraft, Doreen Valiente (1922 – 1999). In … Continued
Use the controls below to choose different colour contrast options and background images for the site:
