6 April 2009
Hundreds of visitors cheered the grand opening of Towner – Eastbourne’s new art gallery - on Saturday, as broadcaster David Dimbleby and Eastbourne’s Mayor Greg Szanto declared the state-of-the-art gallery open.
The 100 limited edition T-shirts for the first visitors were gone in minutes.
Around 1,800 attended on its first day and around 1,500 on Sunday. The crowds kept coming, filling Towner and the Devonshire Park area with a new buzz.
Eastbourne Borough Council leader Councillor David Tutt said: "It was fantastic to see so many people visiting Towner over the weekend. There is clearly considerable interest in the gallery and an amazing amount of enthusiasm for the future from both local residents and visitors to Eastbourne."
The gallery is now preparing for a busy Easter period. It will be open all four days of the holiday, including Easter Monday (Towner will not normally open on Mondays, but Bank Holidays are the exception), when many residents and Eastbourne holidaymakers are expected to visit the building for the first time.
Entry is free.
