Following two years of research in local archives around Sussex, SBS created a pop up, touring exhibition which travelled to partner locations in June & September 2024, where it was seen by an estimated 38,300 visitors.
The exhibition was presented as a series of themes which emerged during research – from clothing to rides, races & events; pioneering lady bicyclists, clubs & cycling suffragists; as well as current cycling clubs, promoting learning to ride & maintenance sessions for women. You can explore the exhibition at this link
Huge thanks for all the wonderful volunteer archive researchers who delved into the archives & dug out stories, & special thanks to Heritage Consultant Nicola Benge who led the volunteers & developed the exhibition with KP Projects.
FREE – SBS Taster Workshops in Newhaven & Brighton
We’re delighted to offer a series of fun, sociable taster sessions for you to learn some basic moves with your bike, develop your own moves & short sequences & work with the whole group to create a short choreography.
Confirmed dates so far:
22 June – 10.30am -12.30pm, Preston Park, Brighton
23 June – 10.30am-12.30pm, The Sidings, Newhaven
25 June – 5.45pm-7.45pm Haven Young Creatives, Newhaven
6 July – 10am-12noon with Our City Dances, Brighton
14 August – 6pm-8pm, Preston Park Brighton
30 August – 10.30-12.30pm, Third Space Theatre Summer School, Brighton
What you need to know: All ages are welcome, we just ask that you have a level of cycling proficiency, recommended Bikeability Level 2 – essentially that you can ride safely with one hand off the handlebar. Wear comfortable clothing & bring your bike.
Borrow a bike: some bicycles are available to borrow. If you need one, please contact us on info(at)sussexblazingsaddles.co.uk giving your age & height
Participate in the Show: If you love it, as we’re sure you will, please sign up to participate in Blazing Saddles shows in September. More info HERE
Come & take part in a Sussex Blazing Saddles performance. The show is based on the moment women in the 1890s, transformed their clothing & society to be able to ride bicycles.
to join the Newhaven show on 7 & 8 Sept, sign up HERE
to join the Brighton show on 21 & 22 Sept, joinHERE
We will create the shows with local women & girls (you & your bike) over a weekend, starting with workshop/rehearsals & a ride around the performance sites on the first day; further rehearsal & performance on the second day.
You will learn the show’s choreographic structures & moves, as well as create your own moves & short sequences & work together safely as part of the cast. You will develop your cycling skills & confidence, improve control of your bicycle on the roads & as part of a group, & have the best fun doing so.
Previous Participants said…
All ages welcome. Previous participants have been 8 to 80 years old; in their own words HERE
No experience necessary, apart from a basic level of cycling proficiency. Bikeability Level 2 is recommended – the equivalent of riding safely with one hand off the handlebar.
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You can take part in either the Newhaven or Brighton shows, or both if you have the time/energy. Rehearsals & performance will take a whole weekend.
Here’s a very rough, draft schedule for both weekends:
Saturdays 7 Sept in Newhaven or 21 Sept in Brighton
9.30am-10am – Arrival
10am-1pm – Introductions, workshop to learn core skills & basic choreographic moves & introduction to the show choreography
1-2pm – Lunch break
2-4pm – Rehearse in performance site
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Sundays 8 Sept in Newhaven or 21 Sept in Brighton
9.30am-10am – Arrival
10am-12.30pm – Rehearsal running through choreography
12-1.30pm – Lunch break
1.30-2.10pm – Costume call & prep
Leave 10 mins before show starts
2.30 & 4.30pm – Performances
There’s more information at the Eventbrite links. Sign up to join in above
Loads of FREE activities & events throughout the year. The calendar below lists confirmed events only & we’re working on dates for a programme of FREE workshops to upcycle cycling outfits, dance with your bike & SBS heritage inspired rides. Follow us on Facebook & Instagram for updates
April
13 April, 11am-4pm, A FREE, all day or drop in sewing & remaking workshop at CREW 8-9 South Street, BN11 3AL. Participants made bloomers & sashes from men’s shirts for a dressing up box for the SBS exhibition. More HERE
May
2 May, Worthing Museum Costume Archive Training, an invited group visited the costume archive for a special talk, with examples from the collection, about 1890s-1928 women’s clothing constraints, contraptions & convertible horse riding outfits by Senior Curator Gerry Connolly
22 May, Newhaven, Come along & help us shape the Re-Imagining, Re-Making programme in Newhaven over the next few months. Hillcrest Centre Newhaven 6pm-8pm
June
1 June, Bexhill – Re-Imagine Re-Make session at the Eco Hub, Western Road, Bexhill time tbc
1 & 2 June, Bexhill – Women & Girls Bike Safety Checks by Bexhill Wheelers, Egerton Park back of Bexhill Museum 12-4pm
10 June – Bexhill, Re-Imagine Re-Make session at the Eco Hub, Western Road, Bexhill time tbc
14 June – Bexhill, talk by Senior Curator Julian Porter Bexhill Bicycles & Brasseys Bexhill Museum 2.30pm
15-16 June, Bexhill SBS Exhibition Bexhill Museum
16 June, Bexhill Pleasant Sunday Afternoon – heritage ride, talk & music – bring your bike & meet at Bexhill Museum at 1.30pm
16 June, Bexhill talk by Creative Director Karen Poley Sussex Blazing Saddles, 2pm
18 June – 9 July, Worthing SBS Exhibition Worthing Museum
23 June, Newhaven Blazing SaddlesTaster Workshop, The Sidings 10.30-12.30
25 June, Newhaven Blazing SaddlesTaster Workshop with Young Havens Creatives
July
6 July, Brighton Blazing Saddles Taster Workshop with Our City Dances, Richmond Square 10-12noon, FREE but ticketed
10 July, Brighton SBS Creative Director Karen Poley’s talk for Better Bike Social
13 July, Brighton, re-imagining cycle clips & re-making preloved leggings at Sew Fabulous at the Old Market
31 July, Brighton, SBS Creative Director Karen Poley’s Pecha Kucha for Brighton & Hove Museum, tickets CANCELLED
August
14 August, Brighton Blazing Saddles Taster Workshop with choreographer Virginia Farman, 6pm – 8pm
30 August, Brighton Blazing Saddles Taster Workshop with Third Space Theatre’s Summer School
31 August, Newhaven, Drop-in sewing & upcycling workshop. Come along & re-imagine cycle clips & re-make session pre-loved leggins. Drop in to Hillcrest Centre 12.30-16.30 More info here
September
1-15 Sept, Newhaven SBS Exhibition, Newhaven Library, as part of Newhaven Festival
3 Sept, 7pm for 7.30pm start – SBS Talk with Newhaven Historical Society, Hillcrest Centre, Newhaven
7 & 8 Sept, Newhaven Participants workshops & rehearsal for Blazing Saddles performance 10am-5pm both days, more info
In the late 1890s, women embraced cycling & transformed their clothing to be able to ride safely in shorter skirts or bloomers, & breathe more easily without corsets. This was a revolutionary transformation sparking a significant backlash, that also helped fuel the suffrage movement.
As part of Sussex Blazing Saddles’ exploration of the pioneering heritage of women & cycling, we were thinking about how perceptions of cycling clothing today – lycra, helmet hair etc – discourage women & girls from riding bicycles. We invited local women & girls to join the conversation.
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SBS ran a series of free sewing workshops, in each of our partner locations, to Re-Imagine, Re-Frame & Re-Make women’s clothing for cycling, or any time. Participants also found out about the heritage of women cycling & how this related to our sewing workshops. They developed new ideas for revitalising & remaking old clothes, learned new sewing techniques or tried out sewing for the first time.
This element of SBS started with a series of creative conversations in Worthing & Bexhill. Local people & organisations came to learn about the project, help us develop ideas & frame how we might work together:
Worthing – Saturday 24 February 1.30-3pm at the Stitch It Don’t Ditch It session at CREW, Climate Resilience Centre, on South Street, &
Bexhill – Monday 26 February 1.30-3pm at Bexhill Museum
We evolved an initial plan to create a dressing up box of bloomers upcycled from men’s shirts, for the Sussex Blazing Saddles exhibition & ran sessions in:
WORTHING – 13 April, an all day or drop in workshop at CREW (Climate Resilience Centre Worthing) in South St 11am-4pm
BEXHILL – 10 June, two drop in sessions iwith Community Supporters at the Eco Hub on Western Road, on: 10 May & 1 June – 10.30am-12.30pm & 1pm-3pm
In Newhaven, we also ran an initial, though unsuccessful, session on a very wet & stormy night in Hillcrest Centre on 22 May 6pm-8pm. We were advised to present specific ideas & people would come.
So, we evolved our theme to remake modern day bloomers by upcycling old leggings. We re-imagined cycle clips (unchanged since the 1800s), & made bumbags from pre-loved materials & invited local & budding seamstresses to sessions:
BRIGHTON – 13 July, Sew Fabulous, The Open Market 12.45pm-2.45pm & 3pm-5pm
NEWHAVEN – 31 August, Hillcrest Community Centre, Newhaven 12noon-6pm
NEWHAVEN – 25 September, Youth Club at Newhaven Youth Centre, 6-7.30pm
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Click on the images below to see what happened:
WorthingBexhillNewhavenBrightonSBS dressing up boxCostume Archive Training
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Huge thanks for all the wonderful seamstresses who led workshop sessions & everyone who participated, & special thanks to Re-Imagining Re-Making Project Manager, Kate Laird.
There are two versions of TLC Undersea Experience for different types of events:
The HTC Vive version is a high-quality, vr installation, enabling users to move around an area approximately 3.5-4m2 to explore a virtual, chalk reef gully, similar to those in the MCZ. Users can follow their curiosity to explore, pick up rocks to see creatures underneath & see marine life all around. Scroll down for Technical Specs
The 360-film version, is suitable for schools & busy community events or festivals where there are large numbers of people. We currently have 8 headsets, each with the capacity for 8-10 users per hour, so 70-80 users per hour, depending on size of space available.
Alongside TLC Undersea Experience, we developed an education programme for schools, working with a Steering Group of teachers & education specialists, & 828 Year 1-7 students in 9 schools across Sussex.
Students learn about Beachy Head Marine Conservation Zone’s chalk reef, marine life & personal responsibilty in the natural environment across a carousel of quest based, individual & group activities. Activities link into & across the National Curriculum KS1/2 Literacy, Science, Maths, Geography, ICT (Information & Communication Technology), History, PSHE (Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education) & Art.
Watch the film to see what happened
Next Steps
We are now working towards a teacher-led, digital programme, to extend reach, accessibility & sustainability. More soon….
A surprise for one of our new volunteers when she discovered her grandmother’s role in the cycling rational dress movement.
“I have no sympathy, whatever with the skirt, in any shape or form, and if a woman is not prepared to ride in knickers(knickerbockers), I think she should not ride until she is.”
Home Chat magazine, June 27, 1896.
This fantastic quote is from London based 1890s cycling champion Monica Harwood. It was found by her Worthing based, grand-daughter also named Monica, who has become one of our first volunteers, and who has been digging into her family history. It appears before Monica Harwood married, she became a cycling champion, then joined Bert Howard’s troupe of lady cyclists and was Captain of the Chelsea Rational Cycling Club. She never mentioned her cycling career to her family.
