Another Busy Week Bites the Dust

As another busy week draws to a close I reflect on what has turned out to be a very busy and productive week for me in pursuit of shipwrecks. Tuesday I went along to Seaford Museum, which is not open to the public on a Tuesday, but is one of the days when voluntary workers for the museum have a chance to update the archives or repair artifacts that have been donated, and for those like me, by prior arrangement, who have the opportunity to study their archives. These include an array of referenced documents, pictures and articles, as well as a register of houses in the town, which must be unique and a great asset for family tree researchers. The museum is housed in one of the Martello Towers built when Napoleon threatened to cross the English Channel in 1803. It is nicknamed the Tardis by visitors due to its deceptive 5,000 sq ft of display area spanning three floors. 103 Martello towers were built from Aldeburgh in Suffolk around the coast to Eastbourne in Sussex, although many have now disappeared. This one is number 74, and well worth a visit, but do check out the website as it is not open every day. Seaford Museum is open on Heritage Open Days, Saturday 11 September 2.30 to 4.30 and Sunday 12 September from 11am. to 4.30pm, so why not pop along? Many thanks to the working team on Tuesday who not only made me a cup of coffee, but helped with the photocopying.

Wednesday saw me a little nearer to home at Malipins Museum in Shoreham, housed in one of the oldest domestic buildings in Sussex, and sitting proud on the High Street. It has a fascinating collection of maritime history as well as local history for this part of Sussex and Shoreham Film Industry.

Thursday turned into another productive day when a visit to Littlehampton Museum proved most interesting. Not only did I learn about another wreck I have not discovered before, but I had the wonderful opportunity of handling some of the artifacts from this wreck. Many thanks to the museum staff who were so helpful.

With a mass of notes and photocopied material you can guess what I will be doing this weekend!