HEWITT'S HISTORY FILES

THE sad fact is that Sussex really hasn't been terribly kind to its theatres down the decades.

By The Newsroom

Published 27th Sep 2007, 11:54 BST

Updated 8th Jun 2018, 03:23 BST

Great venues and-just as importantly- beautiful buildings have been lost, a subject dear to the heart of Littlehampton based historian D Robert Elleray.

Mr Elleray has brought out Sussex Theatres: An Illustrated Survey and Gazetteer c1750-2000, happily coinciding with this year's 200th anniversary of Brighton's Theatre Royal.

It's a book that underlines just what we have let slip to time and redevelopment.

Theatre history is an important part of social history, as Mr Elleray explains.

The growth of Sussex theatres was a reflection of Sussex's growth as a holiday destination, itself a reflection of its coastal location.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette October 3