Unseen Sketchbooks have teamed up with Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft to release a new series of books dedicated to the museum, local artists and exhibitions.
Our first book, by local resident and internationally acclaimed illustrator, John Vernon Lord is a record of the illustrators extensive observational drawings of the village. The first part of the book is a series of fables set to illustrations, and the second part is a collection of illustrations from – from published works to drawings for local events and organisations.
The first set of books, only available at the museum and on their website comes in a screen printed box with two additional prints from the fables series – The Hare and Tortoise and a print of The Vain Jackdaw.
‘This book is essentially to show illustrations of Ditchling through the fables of Aesop together with other drawings that depict locations within the Sussex village. The fables are told by several writers from the past, from William Caxton’s in 1484 (the first illustrated publication of the fables in England); Odo of Cheriton in the 13th century; Aphra Behn and Roger L’Estrange writing in the 17th century; Samuel Croxall in the 18th century; Thomas James, George Fyler Townsend, Henry Thomas Riley and Joseph Jacobs in the 19th century; and Vernon Jones in the 20th century.’
John Vernon Lord
About Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft
Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft celebrates the village’s rich legacy as a thriving centre of art and craft in the 20th century. Rooted in a tradition of making, the museum highlights the lives and work of the artists and craftspeople who made Ditchling their home, including members of the Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic, a unique Roman Catholic artistic community founded in 1920.
The Guild was an experiment in communal life, that united work, faith, and domestic life in a shared community of workshops and a chapel on Ditchling Common. Founded by Eric Gill, Joseph Cribb, Edward Johnston and Hilary Pepler, it attracted a remarkable circle of artists and craftspeople. Though the Guild closed in 1989, its legacy continues to shape Ditchling’s creative identity today.
Alongside its permanent displays, the museum presents two temporary exhibitions each year, telling untold stories from Ditchling’s past and exploring how the village’s craft legacy continues to inspire artists and makers today.
Our History
The museum was founded in 1985 by sisters Joanna and Hilary Bourne, who had grown up in Ditchling and were personally connected to many of the artists whose work would come to form the collection. In 2013, a major £2.3 million redevelopment – designed by Adam Richards Architects and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund – transformed the museum, resulting in purpose-built galleries, a collection store and a Clore Learning Space.
Our Building
The award-winning architecture carefully links the Victorian schoolhouse with striking newer structures, creating a meaningful dialogue between old and new. The museum’s Cart Lodge, a former 18th-century farm building, houses our shop and café and adds to the site’s layered history. Glimpses of the village from inside the museum allow visitors to see the artworks in the setting where they were made.
