Travelling Exhibition: Stopping Down Memory Lane
- Published:
- 08 July 2025
An exhibition discovering the rich history of Gypsies and Travellers on the South Downs. Featuring a film of the making of a totemic life-sized Gypsy Cob Horse made by Romany blacksmith Jake Bowers, an iconic canvas artwork designed by Romany illustrator Elijah Vardo and a selection of historical photos and materials that were discovered at The Keep Archives in Brighton & Hove.
The Changing Chalk travelling exhibition, Stopping Down Memory Lane, celebrates the rich cultural heritage of Gypsies and Travellers in the South Downs.
Theme: Family, Home, Professions, The Arts.
The exhibition features a film based on the making of a totemic Gypsy cob horse sculpture, an iconic canvas tapestry created by the communities, stopping places maps, traditional songs and historic records, bringing to life the stories and traditions of Travelling people and how they have contributed to this landscape.
Led by the National Trust and supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the exhibition was developed through the Changing Chalk partnership in collaboration with Gypsies and Travellers. It aims to honour the creativity, voice and deep connection to the land that these communities have brought to the Eastern South Downs for generations.
Stopping Down Memory Lane opens on
- 15 August -10th September at Skyway Gallery, Shoreham,
- 23 September- 5th October, Jubilee Library, Brighton
- 4 December -20th December BN9 Studio, Newhaven
Josie Jeffery, Volunteering & Community Manager for Changing Chalk, said:
“This exhibition invites us all to reflect and celebrate a part of South Downs history that has often been ignored, misunderstood or forgotten. For generations, Gypsy and Traveller communities have lived, worked and shaped this landscape, yet their stories have rarely been told in their own words.
Traveller voices have guided every step of this project. It’s been shaped with care, creativity and collaboration, and we’re incredibly proud to now share it with the wider public as a celebration of identity, resilience and belonging.”
The exhibition was developed in close collaboration with local Gypsies and Travellers, Gypsy historian Janet Keet-Black, members of the Romany community, Romany artists Jake Bowers and Elijah Vardo, as well as Brighton based charity Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT) https://www.gypsy-traveller.org/
