6 September 2010 A Napoleonic fortress in the UK’s sunniest place is inviting visitors to come in and explore this week and view its range of exhibitions for free as it joins thousands of historic sites around the country for Heritage Open Days 2010.
The Redoubt Fortress is one of over 4,000 UK sites opening its doors to the public for free from Thursday 9 – Sunday 12 September for the four day festival celebrating the country’s eclectic heritage.
Visitors will be able to explore the landmark on Eastbourne seafront, browsing its current displays, which encompass over 300 years of military history and new for this year is ‘Front Line Eastbourne’, a slide show depicting the terrible bomb damage and subsequent bulldog spirit of the people of Eastbourne during the war.
Eastbourne Borough Council Cabinet Member for Tourism, Cllr Neil Stanley said “We are very excited to be taking part in Heritage Open Days 2010 and encouraging visitors and residents to take a look at the Redoubt Fortress, this wonderful historic attraction that we have here on our seafront. The displays are fascinating and offer a real insight into life during the war – the perfect opportunity for children to see artefacts that they will be learning about during the new school year. Plus with the ‘Artist at War’ exhibition still on, art fans who missed Familiar Visions at Towner have the chance to view war paintings by the popular Eric Ravilious at the Redoubt.”
Artist at War is on at the Redoubt until 7 November and this weekend offers the perfect opportunity to view prints of war paintings by Eastbourne’s own Eric Ravilious.
This exhibition joins the Redoubt’s permanent collections, with include The Royal Sussex Regimental collection reflecting the distinguished history of the county’s local regiment, which was raised in 1701.
The Queen's Royal Irish Hussars' Regimental collection celebrates the history of two of the most famous cavalry regiments, The 4th Queen's Own Hussars and The 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars. Amongst the displays are artefacts from some of the world’s most famous battles such as the Charge of the Light Brigade.
And the Sussex Combined Services Collection charts the longstanding connections between the armed forces and Sussex including The Royal Navy, The Royal Marines and The Royal Artillery. With the Battle of Britain commemorating its 70th anniversary this year, visitors will be able to see how the RAF controlled fighter squadrons during the famous battle, which was fought out over south east England.
With the new Redoubt gift shop now open, visitors can also stop by and browse books and souvenirs, with the proceeds going directly to help conserve this unique monument of Eastbourne’s past.
For more information on the Heritage Open Days visit the Heritage Open Days website or to find out more about the Redoubt Fortress go to the Eastbourne Museums website or call 01323 410300.
