Portslade History Trail. 1000 years of history in a one mile walk

Portslade History Day 2026

Saturday, September 5th. Free entry and free activities

Venues: St Nicolas Church, Portslade manor ruins, the Parish Centre and Emmaus

Now in its fourth year, Portslade History Day is a fun - and free -day out for the whole family. For kids there is medieval art, battle reenactments, a medieval camp, costume dressing up and hands-on history stalls. For local history fans there are a number of short talks and guided heritage walks from leading historians and writers. See the full line-up below

Free activities suitable for kids and families

Sussex Medieval society. 11am to 3pm.

Based in their medieval camp, come see knight battles, medieval cookery, dressing of a knight and lots more in this interactive event

Portslade history cinema – 10am to 3pm

Film schedule to include: Portslade pubs; Portslade rich list; Portslade playground games; Portslade villains and many more. Playground games from our childhood.

Medieval and Tudor dress up for kids and adults – 11am to 2pm

Our friends at Gladrags will be on hand to create kings, Queens, knights and much more with their array of stage costumes. Perfect for photos in the manor grounds. Gladrags Costume Hire

Kids medieval art – 10am to 3pm

11am to 2pm. Medieval art for kids. Design and colour in your own sword, shield or work of medieval art. Free for all the young nobles and peasants of Portslade. Children must be supervised by an adult.

Portslade pop-up museum – 11am to 4pm

A selection of artifacts from 19th and 20th century Portslade, including childhood memorabilia from the 1960s to 1980s

Portslade Artists & Makers (PAM) -10am to 4pm

PAM is a group of local artists and makers living and/or working in BN41, promoting creativity in the area through engagement with the local community. Several of their members will be displaying their work.

Archeological artefacts - hands-on experience – 10 am to 2pm

Archaeologists from the Brighton and Hove Archaeological Society will be displaying some of their finds and answering any questions you may have. Bones, pottery and much more in this hands-on experience.

World war artefacts – hands-on experience 11 am to 3pm

1pm to 3pm. Portslade historian Zac Down will be displaying his unique collection of World War medals, equipment & weapons for people to look at and handle

Medieval games 11am to 3pm tbc

Win free chocolates in our medieval games section, including ‘kick the peasants head into the bucket.’ Also, play chess, quoits and 'gamble' in our Tudor dice game.

Easthill Park tours – 9.30 am onwards

Head to the Easthill Park Community Cafe to get your free map in this self-guided tour. Stories of Rich Victorian, great storms and heroic pilots are all included in this free 21-minute downloadable tour. Download the tour here: Portslade History Trail. 1000 years of history in a one mile walk

WALKS AND GUIDED TOURS

Easthill Park tours – 9.30 am onwards

Portslade’s medieval manor house ruins 10am to 3.30pm

A self-guided tour of this historic site. Once home to Lords of the Manor of Portslade, including a Prime Minister of England and a Lord sentenced to death for treason. Also, it has the oldest toilet in the city. Travel back to 1066 and the era of the Normans.

Emmaus grounds tour 11am to midday - must be booked in advance TBC

A stroll around the Emmaus site (including the secret garden) and a history of the Georgian manor house, former convent site, and an insight to the Emmaus community. Book your free space at: freshstartsussex@hotmail.co.uk

Old Village Conservation area tour – midday to 1pm - must be booked in advance TBC

Historian Trevor Povey will transport you back to medieval, Tudor and Victorian Portslade with stories of the how life once was in our little, but desirable village. Book your free spaces at: freshstartsussex@hotmail.co.uk

Emmaus tour 2pm to 3pm - TBC

TALK SCHEDULE FOR ST. NICOLAS CHURCH - You do not need to book for these

9.30am to 1010 am . The British Empire and Portslade. Zach Down, war historian

Portslade soldiers and their contribution to building the largest empire ever seen, covering a quarter of the globe and ruling over 450 million people. From the North-West frontier of India to South Africa, discover 400 years of Empire and the men from Portslade sent to fight for it.

10.15am to 10.55am. Notable women of Brighton and Hove. Brighton and Hove Women History Group

11am to 11.40am. Aspects of Portslade Industrial History. Dr Geoffrey Mead

“For a small community Portslade has a long and rich industrial heritage; from the coastal activities of fisheries and flint gathering, to downland arable and livestock farming; to the extractive industries around gravel and sand workings and the manufacture of all manner of goods from bricks, gas and flour, to beer, polish and handbags; not forgetting its transport links with the Roman road, the first Sussex steam rail line, the canal and all manner of shipping activity.”

11.45am to 12.20pm. The houses have a well but neither a bucket nor rope…’. Brighton’s Victorian public health problems. Dr Geoffrey Mead

Doctor Brighton’ was a well-used phrase in the 19th century, but the reality for many in the seaside resort was very different, with dire, overcrowded housing conditions and dreadful health brought about by the lack of efficient drains or a safe water supply. One medical report noted a street as ‘…having a well but neither a bucket nor rope…’ and many of the streets in the report were not in the appalling slums but in more salubrious areas.”

12.30pm to 1.10pm. Mucking out – a brief history of toilets and stables. Nick Tyson of The Regency Town House.

1.15pm to 2pm. Portslade lost cinemas. Trevor Povey, Sussex historian

Memories of Portslade’s Cinemas featuring the back row, newsreels, local ads, ice cream, Saturday morning pictures, and of course queueing. Cinemas provided a social meeting place, especially when it rained.

2pm to 3pm. Portslade reminiscence hour. Vicky Lynch, David Smith and Alan Robins

3pm to 3.45pm. Portslade history discussion in North Aisle led by Vicky, David, Alan and Les Hamiliton

3.45pm to 4.45pm. Music concert with The Pastores Ensemble.

The Early Music Ensemble with Portslade residents Robert Carrington and Paul Neville explore A MUSICAL TIME SHIFT from the Troubadours of the medieval period to the 21st Century.

Played on Viola da Gambas ,Lute, Recorder and Mandolin.

To find out more about our guest speakers and their expertise, click here

REFRESHMENTS

Cream teas and Ploughman's lunches in the Parish Centre

A range of hot food and drinks in the Emmaus Cafe .

Easthill Park Cafe for hot drinks and ice creams (3 min walk)

HOW TO GET HERE

Postcode. BN41 2PA

What 3 words - ///enjoy.occupy.caves

Bus – The number 1 and N1 stop at St Nicolas Church/Old Village. The venue is a one minute walk from here.

The number 6 stops in Foredown Drive. The venue is a five minute walk from here . Brighton & Hove Buses

Train – Portslade station is a 1.2 mile walk. There are regular trains from Brighton and Worthing. The number 6 bus can be caught in Station Road or Carlton Terrace. Train Tickets | Book Train Tickets Online | Buy Train Tickets | Southern Railway

Fishersgate station is 0.9 mile walk.

Car – There is limited street parking around the venue .

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