“Capturing Old Shoreham: A Landscape of time and connection” is a community-led exhibition that reveals the long and layered story of one of Sussex’s historically rich – but often overlooked – places.
Drawing together archaeology, mapping, social history and environmental insight, our exhibition traces how land, water and people have shaped Old Shoreham over millennia.
At its core is the idea of connection. The River Adur, shifting across centuries, created not only a physical landscape of marsh, meadow and crossing points, but also a crossroads of movement, trade and settlement.
From Saxon tidal landscapes to modern transport networks, the exhibition shows how geography continues to influence human activity.
Through maps, images and narrative panels, visitors encounter a landscape constantly in flux. Ancient routes crossing the Downs, the arrival of the railway and the development of road networks reveal how each era leaves its imprint. Wartime transformation, estate power and agricultural life add further layers, demonstrating how political and social forces reshaped the terrain.
Equally prominent are the people who lived within this landscape. From landowners and labourers to writers, reformers and villagers, the exhibition foregrounds individuals whose lives collectively formed the community.
Their stories transform the exhibition from a history of place into a history of experience.
Environmental themes are also central. The exhibition highlights the fragility of local habitats and the ongoing work of volunteers to map, understand and protect green spaces. In doing so, it connects past and present, positioning Old Shoreham as both a historic site and a living ecosystem.
Ultimately, Capturing Old Shoreham offers more than a record of local history. It presents a compelling narrative of continuity and change—of a place shaped and reshaped by movement, adaptation and human presence over thousands of years.
The exhibition includes interpretation panels, trail guides, a ‘cabinet of curiosities’ and a pop-up art show. It features three new community artworks – a Village Map, Community Banner (with two siblings) and a Soundscape. Evening talks and Saturday drop-in sessions are part of the programme, and there are family activities including a children’s trail and dress-up clothes. Albums and reports add more.
We see this as just a beginning. We know that there are many questions unanswered and discoveries to make, and FOldS members will usually be in attendance to capture what you know or help you make a start on your own journey of discovery.
We’ll be open throughout the Adur Festival and Adur Arts Trail, so please add us to your itinerary if you are planning a special visit to Shoreham town centre for these events.
Capturing Old Shoreham is upstairs in the Marlipins Gallery until 25 July, open from Thursday to Saturday between 11am and 3pm.
