Museum

Charleston

Firle

With a National Art Pass you get

25% off entry and 50% off exhibitions

In 1916, artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant moved to Sussex, establishing Charleston as the hub of the Bloomsbury Group's activities outside London.

Clive Bell and John Maynard Keynes both lived at Charleston for a time, while the Woolfs, EM Forster and Lytton Strachey were all frequent visitors. 'It's most lovely, very solid and simple, with … perfectly flat windows and wonderful tiled roofs', wrote Vanessa Bell of her home, the outward simplicity of which belies the imaginatively decorated interior, with its frescoed walls and painted furniture. It was Quentin Bell, Vanessa's son, who summed-up the Charleston experience, proclaiming it 'not so much a house as a phenomenon.'

In 2015, Charleston ran a highly successful Art Happens crowdfunding campaign to restore Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant's iconic painted surfaces and protect them for future generations.

Why you should go

  • Beautiful Arts and Crafts house

  • Was home to the Bloomsbury Group

  • Located in the South Downs National Park

Visitor information

Address

Charleston

Charleston, Firle, East Sussex, BN8 6LL
01323 811626

Opening times

Wed to Sun and Bank Holiday Mondays. Please see website for further details.

Visitor information

IndividualTiana Clarke Please note this is an example card and not a reflection of the final product

The more you see, the more we do.

The National Art Pass lets you enjoy free entry to hundreds of museums, galleries and historic places across the UK, while raising money to support them.