Charleston to open everyday during the school summer holidays

Charleston launches ‘7 Days of Summer’ with extended opening hours For the first time, Charleston will open to the public seven days a week during the summer holidays, allowing visitors to make the most of the season. Running from Monday 28 July to Sunday 7 September, this expanded opening offers the perfect opportunity to explore […]

Charleston launches ‘7 Days of Summer’ with extended opening hours

For the first time, Charleston will open to the public seven days a week during the summer holidays, allowing visitors to make the most of the season.

Running from Monday 28 July to Sunday 7 September, this expanded opening offers the perfect opportunity to explore Charleston’s historic house, garden and exhibitions at the height of summer, during one of the busiest visitor periods of the year.

The new daily opening invites local residents and tourists alike to experience Charleston when it’s at its most vibrant. Timed to coincide with the school holidays, it gives families more chances to visit and enjoy new family-friendly trails and activities – with free admission for under‑18s at both Charleston in Firle and Charleston in Lewes making it even easier for young visitors to explore.

This significant shift increases access to both Charleston’s main site in Firle – once home to Bloomsbury artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant – and its town-centre gallery space in Lewes, during one of the busiest visitor periods of the year.

At Charleston in Firle, visitors can now discover the house and garden every day of the week, alongside a major exhibition: Inventing Post-Impressionism: Works from The Barber Institute of Fine Arts, which brings together iconic paintings by Van Gogh, Cézanne, Pissarro, Vuillard and others – many of which are rarely seen outside the Barber’s permanent collection. Guided tours of the house, which focus on the lives, politics and creative practices of its 20th-century residents, will continue daily, starting at 9.45am.

At Charleston in Lewes, the organisation’s town-centre gallery space, the acclaimed exhibition will continue throughout the summer: Vanessa Bell: A World of Form and Colour – the most comprehensive show ever dedicated to Bell’s work, spanning painting, textiles, ceramics, furniture and design. The extended summer opening is set to benefit a wide range of audiences, from local families making the most of the holidays, to visitors exploring the South Downs and Sussex coast during the sunniest months of the year.

Charleston Director and CEO, Nathaniel Hepburn, said:

“We know many visitors want more flexibility around when they come, and summer is one of the best times to experience the house and garden. Opening seven days a week allows us to welcome more people through our doors – whether they’re coming for the art, the exhibitions, or simply to enjoy time in a unique cultural setting.”

Charleston will return to its usual five-day opening (Wednesday–Sunday) from Monday 8 September.