May 25 2015.


Over 40 adults and children attended Seaford Museum's special evening opening session on Friday the 15th of May to celebrate the national "Museums at Night" programme. Despite the rather chilly, grey weather on the seafront, several people made a special effort to visit having seen the event mentioned on the Museum's Facebook page.

"It's surprising how many local residents say they've never visited the Museum, or haven't been for many years, despite the fact that it's housed in the iconic Martello Tower which dominates the eastern end of the seafront" commented Museum Vice-Chairman, David Swaysland.

Seaford Museum is managed, maintained and staffed entirely by volunteers. The Martello Tower is owned by Seaford Town Council, and leased to the Museum Trustees on a peppercorn rent. During the summer season the Museum is open to the public on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 2.00 until 4.00pm and on Sunday mornings from 11.00am. "Everyone you see working in the Museum is a volunteer, whether they're a Steward during opening hours or busy building new exhibits or undertaking housekeeping tasks when we're closed. We also have volunteers beavering away on the archives and processing the new artefacts we are given. It may be a cliché, but we are a bit like a swan, with most of the work taking place out of sight, although hopefully in our case, not under water!" said David Swaysland.

The one thing that surprises many visitors is the exhibition space inside the Museum: "As people walk along the prom, on the sea side of the Tower, they are actually walking on the roof of our main display area underneath. That's where we show the majority of our amazing collection of historic items and memorabilia, which at the moment includes our new special exhibition for 2015 "Forlorn and Widowed: Seaford 1815" which reminds us that the Martello Tower in Seaford was built in response to the Napoleonic threats which culminated in the Battle of Waterloo, 200 years ago in 1815."

As a Registered Charity and a voluntary organisation the Museum depends on the income from visitors admission charges, membership subscriptions, and donations from generous individuals and organisations. "Our admission charges are modest, just £2 each for adults, £1.50 for concessions and £1 for children, whilst our members can get in free. Just like some of our visitors on Friday evening, we hope more people from Seaford will pay us a visit and discover for themselves what the Museum has to offer" added Mr Swaysland.