On 16 June, Sussex marks ‘Sussex Day’, a celebration of the culture, landscape and heritage of the historic county. In the run up to the big day, I’ll be sharing some of the heritage, arts and culture of Sussex.
Sussex Day was officially recognised in 2007, and is held on 16 June each year. This is St Richard’s Day, the feast day of St Richard of Chichester (1197-1253). St Richard of Chichester is known as a Bishop and confessor, and he is the patron saint of Sussex (and, intriguingly, coachmen). Miracles were recorded at his shrine, which was destroyed in 1538 on the orders of Thomas Cromwell.
Today’s blog title comes from the short verse by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892), titled ‘Green Sussex’. Tennyson moved to Aldworth in West Sussex in 1869, eventually accepting a baronetcy in 1884 from Queen Victoria, who made him ‘Baron Tennyson of Aldworth in the County of Sussex and of Freshwater in the Isle of Wight’ (what a mouthful!). Here’s the verse:
You came, and looked and loved the view
Long-known and loved by me,
Green Sussex fading into blue
With one gray glimpse of sea.
And the image on today’s blog? That’s Eric Ravilious’ (1903-1942) Cuckmere Haven (1939). It’s currently held in the Ravilious Collection at Towner Art Gallery. You can find out more about their collection here or take a look at some more examples of his work on the ArtUK website.
