Next talk
Our next talk will be on Friday, 20th February 2026, when Andrew Armitage will talk to us about Birding in the Steyning Area. Andrew will tell us about the appeal of birds, what makes people go out at 6 a.m. on a cold winter’s morning to see them, some of the birds to be found in the Steyning area and other interesting birds which can be seen in Sussex.
As usual, the talk will take place at the Steyning Centre and will start at 7.30 pm. Liquid refreshments will be served from 7 pm. Guests at our talks are always very welcome at our talks, subject to an admission charge of £5 each.
AGM and Steyning Bowl Awards 2026
We are holding the AGM and presentation of the Steyning Bowl Awards at The Steyning Centre at 7.30 pm on Friday, 17th April 2026. This will be followed by a short talk by Drs Maddie Blackburn and Paul Dennison entitled “Moving to Steyning”, when they will tell us about their experiences of moving to the Town. This year, the awards will focus on those who have made significant contributions to music in Steyning and the surrounding area. We invite nominations from members and from the public at large. Nomination forms are available in the AGM section of the website and can be found by following the link nomination-form . They should be completed and returned to us by 16th February 2026.
Trip to Chichester Festival Theatre
We are planning a backstage tour of the Chichester Festival Theatre for Thursday, 2 April 2026. This will cover some of the theatre’s history and architectural design, but the focus is on how shows are put together, and the technical aspects. We will visit the dressing rooms, wardrobe department, scene dock, auditorium and also go on stage (set permitting). There are options of having lunch at the theatre restaurant and staying on for a matinee performance of Roald Dahl’s BFG.
The tour of the theatre starts at 10.30 a.m. and costs £14 per person. We plan to travel by train, catching the 9.27 from Shoreham. We can help arrange lifts to and from Shoreham station. A day return ticket to Chichester costs £15.50 or £10.30 with a Senior’s rail card. Members who prefer to drive to Chichester are of course free to do so. You can find a fuller description of the trip by following the link Chichester trip.
Apply to Nicola Mason on nickymason82@gmail.com for more information and bookings.
Guide to the Conservation Area
A new edition of Harry Ford’s illustrated Guide to the Conservation is now available and can be bought at our meetings for £7.50 a copy. It can also be bought from the the Bookshop and the Museum. The text has been updated to reflect changes which have occurred since the last edition was produced, as well as recent research which has been done on some of the Town’s ancient buildings.
Glebe Farm
An application has been made to Horsham District Council (“HDC”) for approval of the matters which were reserved when outline planning permission was granted last autumn for 265 new homes to be built on part of Glebe Farm. The application and the supporting documents are now available on HDC’s planning website. The time for making representations about the application expired on 27th August 2025, when the consultation period closed.
Christmas Supper
We held our annual Christmas supper on 19th December 2025. Eighty two members and guests sat down to a delicious supper which was prepared by Normandy Dining. This was followed by music from the Sea Jam Jazz Quintet. The evening included a raffle with a number of prizes very generously provided by Steyning traders. We hope that everyone enjoyed the evening.
Trip to Tangmere Military Aviation Museum
A group of our members visited the Tangmere Military Aviation Museum on 3rd November. The visit started with a talk about the Special Operations Executive (S.O.E.), which operated out of Tangmere during the Second World War, and was followed by a tour of the Museum. The group then moved on to the Anglesey Arms for a pub lunch before visiting Boxgrove Church and Priory. Jill Wellings and Val Stringer have both written lovely accounts of the trip which can be found in the Events Section of the website, along with Brian Lavery’s informative briefing note for the trip, or by using the links: Tangmere Trip – Jill Wellings’ account, Tangmere Trip – Val Stringer’s account and Tangmere Trip.
Cruising on the Waverley
Earlier in the autumn, another group joined a cruise in September on the Waverley, the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer, from Southampton to Yarmouth, the Needles and finally Portsmouth. The cruise was originally due to start and end in Shoreham but this had to be changed because of the weather the day before, which meant that the Waverely was moored for the night at Southampton. Wendy Francis has written a wonderful account of the voyage, which can be found by following the link Cruising on the Waverley. Wendy explains how they experienced the nostalgia of bygone days with wooden benches on the viewing decks, wooden rails everywhere and the wooden interiors of the tea room and the observation lounge and how, despite the weather, they enjoyed the trip, including a delicious lunch. Brian Lavery’s information sheet about the Waverley and the cruise, which is well worth a read, can be found by following the link Paddle steamer Waverley.
Al Fresco Jazz Party
We held a garden party at the beautiful gardens of Tim Melton and Bernardean Carey in Holland Road on 16th July 2025 to raise funds for the grants we make to local organisations, with background music provided by The Riverboat Shuffle. The event raised over £1,700. Many thanks to everyone who attended for your support and company. A full account of the evening can be found in the Events Section and pictures of the evening can be found by following the link Al Fresco Jazz | Steyning Society
Winchester Trip
In conjunction with the Friends of Steyning Parish Church, we arranged a coach trip to Winchester on 20th May 2025 to see the Hospital of St Cross and the Cathedral. The Hospital of St Cross is a medieval alms house which has a fine Norman church. The masons who carved in the church are thought to have carved in our church as well. A financial scandal at the Hospital provided the idea for the plot of The Warden in Trollope’s Barchester novels. We also had a tour of the Cathedral, which included the 12th Century Winchester Bible and the Kings and Scribes Exhibition about the Wessex Royal Family. A full account of the trip can be found in the Events Section or by following this link Winchester trip.
Annual General Meeting for 2025
The Society’s Annual General Meeting for 2025 was held at the Steyning Centre on 16th April 2025. The formal AGM was followed by this year’s Steyning Bowl Awards, which were presented by Nigel Hartley. The Bowl was won by Vintage Years, which also received a certificate. There were six runners up, who all received certificates. Catherine Mant and Nick Bennett ended the evening by sharing their memories of Steyning in the 50s and 60s. A full account of the evening, including photographs, can be found at this link.
The Local Heritage List
The Local Heritage List has been adopted by Steyning Parish Council and by Horsham District Council. A limited number of copies of the list has been printed and are available at £10 each. They can be bought at the Society’s meetings or copies can be ordered by contacting the Society on cmantsteyningsoc@gmail.com.
For the latest newsletter, please click:December 2025
