Alive with Music, History, Science and Theatre

We’re pleased to announce our summer/autumn schedule of events. After such a successful and full spring/summer we needed a little break, but now we’re back with a completely different flavour. During the Brighton Festival Fringe we hosted a number of different shows, including comedy, magic and authors. The staff played a huge role in making this a successful Fringe, with many of the shows selling out. Buoyed up and excited with that under our belts, now on with the new.

Brighton Toy and Model Museum is now working closely with Folk Room, a part of Folk Room Records, hosting many of their signings’ live events in our upper arch. The space is perfect for unplugged folk as it is so intimate, and the acoustics so rich that many previous performers have commented on what a great place to play it is.

All the information on the performances from August through to November can be found on our Facebook Events Page, but for quick reference they are:

*August 24, Jess Morgan
*September 7, Jimmy Aldridge & Sid Goldsmith
*September 22, Ewan McLennan
*October 6, Emily Mae Winters
*November 9, Mairearad & Anna

Folk Room have done so much it’s been incredible. It’s a privilege to work with people who have such commitment and dedication to folk music.

Heritage Open Day

As well as these fantastic gigs, we’re also putting on several other events which should be of interest to all, not just those who are folk fans. Firstly we’re putting on anther Heritage Open Day on September 15 where you will be able to take a guided tour around the museum by people who know much more about the building and its history than just its toys. You can find out about the building’s history as a stables and depot for Bass Breweries, how it was bought two and a half decades ago by our founder Chris Littledale and converted into the museum as it is now. And of course you’ll find out about our favourite pieces in the collections. Tours will take place at 5.45pm 6.15pm and 6.45pm

Brighton Science Festival

If heritage were to have an opposite, it would surely be looking into the future, and that’s exactly what he try to do when we host Brighton Science Festival’s 'Kids In Science' events. This spring we had an absolutely fantastic time with our balloon car races and making moving images. With that in mind, we’re especially keen to open our door yet again to the kids, and their parents, who make this such a great event. Brighton Science Festival exists to show that the sciences can be fun, and make up every part of our lives, rather than being the preserve of the chemistry or physics laboratory. This autumn's Kids in Science events will take place on October 22, with a 'Kinetic Carousel's' theme.

Two Halves of Guinness

And Last, but far from least, we have the intimate portrayal of Sir Alec Guinness in Two Halves of Guinness, a one man show by Trevor Littledale. The play looks, from his own point of view, at the career of Alec Guinness shortly after the release of Star Wars. He worried that this blockbuster might define his career, leaving his performances in films such as The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Man in the White Suit, and Kind Hearts and Coronets forgotten.

For all booking details visit our Facebook events page or call us on 01273 749494 for further details.

More news on the entertainments lined up for the Brighton Toy and Model Museum Steampunk Soiree.

As you’re no doubt aware, we’ve had Adriano Fettuccini booked for our steam punk event for a few weeks and we’re looking forward to that very much, but we’re also able to announce more attractions for your edification and delight.

Music and Poetry

First of all, we can now confirm that we have Rohan K on the bill, adding to the musical component. Rohan is a writer, composer, poet and violinist.

Further to the entertainments, we also have a stall which will be supplied and manned by Belle Epic. Belle Epic are a vintage costumer, collector and restorer of vintage and antique apparel. Their finest wares will be on display and for sale, fitting with the Steampunk theme.

Costume and Competition

And did we mention hats? Love hats. I was thinking of becoming a milliner when I was at college. So it’s with a great deal of anticipation that we’re also able to introduce the good people of The Yellow Book who will be bringing a range of hats and headgear for you to try on. Because you’re not properly dressed without a hat. It’s probably a moot point, but being a steampunk soiree, most attendees will want to come in full, appropriate dress. However, this isn’t absolutely necessary. It’s not just for those who live a steampunk life, it’s also for those who love the ethic, the aesthetic and those who love people who live steampunk.

And I know how shy and retiring Steampunk devotees are, so it’s necessary to warn you that a photographer will be in attendance making images of the finest dressed.

Now, onto the most important aspects of the evening; the much vaunted and highly charged excitement that is surrounding the tea duelling. Tiffin Masters and Mistresses from all over the country have been approached. However, as the saying goes, many are called, yet few are chosen. So we plumped for whoever was available. The tea duel will be open to all, unless you a) don’t like tea, b) you don’t like Malted Milk, or c) you think such things are silly. We anticipate the calibre of the combatants will be very high, with duellists having gone away to dojos to refine and hone their duelling skills. I for one went and had a cuppa and a biccy with my nan, because she knows many of the most ancient arts. She’s 89 after all.

Book your tickets to the Steampunk Soiree online through our Facebook Events page, on Eventbrite or call in at the museum. We’re on Trafalgar Street, directly under Brighton Train Station.

Doors open at 7pm, 28th October 2017. Admission is £5.00 Call 01273 749494 for more details.

Ooh La La Board For Brighton!

Vintage car collectors, owners and enthusiasts are often compared to big kids tinkering with their toys. This being so, the Committee at Brighton Toy and Model Museum thought that the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run was the perfect cue to get their trainsets running again.

Brighton Toy and Model Museum will be holding another of their ever popular Train Running Days on November the 1^st to entertain all vintage enthusiasts and the nostalgic who will be on the South Coast for the London to Brighton rally the following day. Running days at the museum are unfortunately infrequent because the time and effort put into making sure the trains are properly maintained means that they can’t be run on a regular basis. This running day will be different from the running days that the museum are occasionally able to host thanks to a French inspired theme. The museum will be unpacking its rare French made models from the first half of the last century and will be running them alongside more familiar British makes.

For those dedicated Francophiles among us, the French theme continues after the museum’s normal opening hours: In the evening the Museum will be laying on a French soirée with authentic French music and chanteuse entertaining guests. A buffet of French foods including cheeses and wines will also be available.

 The Running Day on the first of November will be much like any other day at the museum except that many of the old, rare, and delicate trains which are normally only displayed behind glass in the central layout will be running. The glass will also be removed so visitors can get a really great unimpeded view of the trains as they go. There will also be staff and museum members on hand throughout the day to talk about the collections, their history as well as offering guidance and advice to any budding model rail enthusiasts.

Admission to the Running Day will be £10 per person, admission for those who wish to attend both the running day and the evening’s entertainments (which includes access throughout the museum) is £16.00. Tickets for the evening’s event will be £8.50 and will include a complimentary glass of wine.

For more information about booking tickets please see our Eventbrite pages. One allows you to book tickets for the running day while the other allows you to book for the evening of song or buy tickets for the entire day's schedule of events.

Recent Events: Toys In The Community Drop In Evening

On Wednesday we held an event to encourage people currently living in Brighton and Hove to come along and get involved in our project which will collect and share their memories of toys and models from their childhoods.

It was good to meet so many people who wanted to get involved in this project, and we're sure that with their help and the help of the contributors we gain in the future, then the Toys In The Community, Valuing Memories of dolls, teddy bears and construction toys initiative will be a valuable resource for people interested in childhood, play, development and memory for many years to come.
As well as the participants who came in and offered to share their memories we also had some of the consultants who are going to help make this project a reality in the museum to meet the volunteers and show them, and the participants what the process of gathering, collecting and storing the memories will involve.

When the project comes to fruition it will be more than just a relic in a museum, we are planning on keeping digital records of the memories which can then be shared in perpetuity on the internet, through a printed book and exhibit which will travel to various locations in order to bring memories of childhood and toys to where they are wanted.
In order to achieve this goal we have recruited the services of Steven Cragg, a local photographer who specialises in portraits, photographic services and events.
The designer who is taking care of the website which will be dedicated to the Toys In The Community project is Peter Pavement @surfimpress, managing director and founder of Surface Impression.
Paul Dutnall from JunkTV was also here,as  he is taking care of the videography for the project. JunkTV are a local youth and community TV production and screening company and Paul will be helping us tape and edit the interviews that we create.
Also present on the evening was Sarah Hitchings @spokenmemoirs of Spoken Memoirs another local organisation who specialise in recording oral histories, interviewing, oral history training, preservation and research.

Still Lost in The Toy Museum - A Museums at Night event for Culture24

Something very strange occurred at the Toy Museum on the 17th of May,  something very strange indeed. Something that involved lost toys and people dressed in funny costumes.  This event was "Still Lost in the Toy Museum". An event that gave children (and grown-ups too) an evening of fun, games and creative projects. The event was presided over by the museum’s volunteers who had just as much fun as the children and parents who came.

(Waiting for the children to arrive)

Cakes were eaten, treasure hunts completed and tales told, in general, a wonderful time was had by all.

(Here, have a close up of some cake)

 The highlight of the evening was a story reading, by our resident actor/storyteller, Marc Sinclair.

(Here he is looking awesome in a rainbow waistcoat)

Marc did several readings throughout the evening, which had us all in stitches as he did different funny voices for each character.

(The parents are trying to squeeze themselves into our puppet theatre)

There were also plenty of arts and crafts activities for the children to have fun with, these ranged from puppets to glove rabbits and proved very popular with children and grown-ups alike.

(We’re all having lots of fun.)

Some of our volunteers got jealous and decided that they wanted to play with all of the toys as well.

(I’m a kid honest!)

Toys were hidden throughout the museum for the children to find.

(Shush, be very, very quiet, I’m hiding from the children.)
 Even Buddy the Museum Bear wanted to get in on the action.

(This looks like fun)

At the end of the evening everyone one was very tired and happy, we all agreed the event had been a big success.

Lost In The Toy Museum - Museums At Night - 17th May 2014

This nationwide event ties in with the European campaign "La Nuit Des Musée", which is in correspondence with International Museums Day, which falls on the 18th of May.

This year we will be holding our Museums At Night event on Saturday 17th of May, and it's official title is "Lost in The Toy Museum".  On this day, instead of bringing the family down at 10am, we have a special opening and closing time for this event, which will begin at 4:30pm, and finish at approximately 7:30pm. 

We will be joined by Marc Sinclair who will be doing a reading from the book Lost in the Toy Museum, and afterwards we need to help each other find the toys that have left their usual posts, and are hiding around the museum. 

As well as a fun teddy hunt, we will also have wooden train sets and child friendly Meccano for everyone to play with, as well as art play, which includes making a puppet, and many other activities to keep young minds active. 

Our mascot, Buddy Bear, will also be here all evening to meet everyone.

Buddy Bear

The age group most suited to this event is 3 - 10 years old, but we are not restricting admission to this age group. Admission prices are as normal, adults entry is £4.50, children aged 4 - 14 entry is £3.50, under 3's entry is £1.50, and babes in arms have free admission. 

Entry to this event will not restrict your access to any part of the museum, and you are welcome to look around while your children are listening to stories, and you're also very welcome to join them. 

So tell your friends and family about the fun evening we have planned, and we hope to see you soon. 

Magnus Volk and His Amazing Railways

On Saturday the 2nd of February we were lucky to host Ian Gledhill, who came to talk about the inventor and entrepreneur, Magnus Volk. Ian, being a wonderful story teller and a knowledge-bank on the life of Magnus Volk, dedicated almost 2 hours telling glorious stories of the engineer, keeping the audience mesmerised. Magnus Volk is most famous for the Volk’s Electric Railway, which runs to this day along Brighton seafront. The gifted engineer brought many innovations to Brighton and showed great determination to stand up against the opposition in his time to bring his vision to the people.

Brighton and Rottigdean Railway
 (Daddy Long Legs) Model

Volk was the first person in Brighton to have a telephone, the first to have electricity in his house and was even titled as an "electrician" on his marriage certificate, long before electricity even came to Brighton.

A few people were lucky to enjoy this experience. The Museum is keen for more people to hear the story about a man of such merit, whose contributions to science and history extend beyond just Brighton.

Ironically, most of Volk's struggle in his quest to innovate and expand came not from technical challenges, but barriers placed by the Brighton Council of the day! Eventually, his achievements were recognised and the Council took upon themselves to keep his work alive.

With the help of projector and his oratory, Ian not only told us the story of this prominent inventor but also entertained us with his sense of humor. At the end of the story, he unraveled a big surprise to the audience, a scale model of Daddy Long Legs made by Volk himself before he built the real railway, about 130 years ago. Everyone took out their cameras to capture this relic from the past.

Ian Gledhill giving the talk

Jazz Night at the Museum

On Sat 24th November, the Museum had a great night of Jazz. A popular Brighton band, Harry's Tricks, played some amazing music to a captivated audience. Mike (lead guitar and vocals), Dmitri (trombone), Dave (base) and Dan (trumpet) filled the arches of the Museum with their music, putting life into the displays. Their music was lively and engaging, soulful and touching, something for everyone.

Some of the guests broke into a dance and one could feel the Museum come alive with all the gaiety. To add to the audience's pleasure, our very own "Tigger" joined in and sang some breath-taking French melodies. Tigger has many years of experience in singing with bands across France. She and the band gelled together so well, taking the audience into a sort of a trance.

A bar was open till midnight and kept the "spirits alive". There was a barrel of bitter from Harveys, which seemed to go down very well with the guests. And hey! No wonder of wonders, we managed to track down each and every glass.

To top it all, Chris gave us all a rare treat by running some of the special trains, including the Coronation Scot. That was unexpected and the crowd gathered around the tracks, watching the rare locomotives and  carriages rocking along on the rails.

All in all, a fantastic evening!

Brighton Street Party, 7-9pm

Thursday September 23, 2010

Join us in Trafalgar Street under the bridge at Brighton Station to witness the celebrity unveiling of the stunning Pullman Wall Mural and the Glamour of Brighton exhibition within the entrance area of the Brighton Toy and Model Museum.

This event is hosted by the Brighton Toy and Model Museum and the 5BEL Trust.

Chris Littledale's design for the mural (above)

There will be LIVE special sound effects< for all forms of transport and more besides...

Museum Director Chris Littledale performing his Sound Effects Show

The Brighton Toy and Model Museum and the 5BEL Trust are celebrating the eagerly anticipated return of a much loved Brighton icon – the world’s only all electric Pullman train – the elegant Art Deco style Brighton Belle. The 5BEL Trust’s £1 million restoration by professional railway engineers is to ensure the train’s return, in Olympic year 2012, to the mainline on the 80th anniversary of its construction.

The dramatic near life size Mural depicts the train drawn up at a platform in Brighton Station. The windows of the Pullman come alive with contemporary figures from the train’s heyday.

Closeups of the mural panels (above and below)

 

Within the Museum, the new Glamour of Brighton exhibition depicts Brighton’s history through to the present, featuring a series of spectacular exhibits from the Museum collections.

The base of the exhibition display has a 3D relief of the Victorian cast iron Brighton Seafront Railings and those organisations, whose generosity with money and “in kind” help has facilitated these “public benefit projects”, are being acknowledged with placards hanging from the handrail (click to visit our Sponsors Page).

"Train running" evening

As part of the 'Museums at Night' initiative, the Museum held a special May Train Running event.
Everyone enjoyed a magical evening of trains, toys and fun in the newly renovated Museum!

Visitors were able to see the many improvements and changes that we've been working so hard on over the last several months and special trains were running on our large layouts.

"A Victorian Christmas Magic Lantern Extravaganza"

On Friday Dec. 14th, Peppers Ghost presented:

'A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS MAGIC LANTERN EXTRAVAGANZA'

This was truly an evening of entertainment that took us back!

Live music and narration accompanied the slides, bringing the images to life and making the evening intimate and enchanting for all ages.

The show featured historic slides of Brighton, railways and lifeboats as well as numerous narrated vignettes, projected optical patterns (which were activated by turning a crank!) and 2-frame animated slides. Many of the historic slides were hand-tinted and others (like the Punch and Judy sequence) were illustrated in bright colours. Fantastic fun for the whole family, hopefully to be repeated soon!

"Transports of Delight"

ON SAT DEC 7, 2007, GUESTS ENJOYED AN ENCHANTING
EVENING OF MUSIC AND ENTERTAINMENT...

Print out the poster to help us advertise the event

'Transports of Delight' was yet another magical evening at the Museum. Music and entertainment were accompanied by a fully licensed bar and the fun continued till late...

Music Hall Extravaganza

On the evening of Sat April 7th the Museum filled with guests for our Music Hall Extravaganza; an evening of music and costume, featuring Trevor Littledale as our MC and numerous musicians. Guests were invited to attend in fancy dress and there was a fully licensed bar.

Music Night - An Evening of Talent and Fun

 

As part of its 'Victorian Christmas' celebrations, the Museum hosted an evening of music and singing on Sat December 9th. Several of the guests turned up in full Victorian costume, adding to the festive spirit of the occasion.

Superbly led by Roy Nash and Noel Dumbrell, it was a wonderful evening of singing and instrumental talent, complemented by a full licensed bar and lavish Victorian Christmas decorations. All present enjoyed themselves and we only hope that we can manage to organise another musical event early next Spring!

Music Night a great success

Many claim that it was the best Music Night we've organised yet!!! Enthusiastic guests packed the Museum on Saturday April 22 to enjoy a high-energy evening of first-class folk music. The event raised much-needed funds for the Museum.

The great line-up included:

Paul Downes - Recognised as one of the finest guitarists on the folk scene. Eight albums with bands, three highly acclaimed solo albums and over one hundred and fifty session credits have still left time for Paul to play every concert venue, theatre and festival in Britain, plus many tours in the USA and Europe with, among others, Pete Seeger. "Wonderful...Magnificent throughout," said Melody Maker.

Terry Masterson has been a giant of the local folk scene for over three decades. His wonderful ballad singing will leave you in no doubt why.

Alan White - While he was resident of the famous Boggery Folk Club in Birmingham it was Alan who gave Jasper Carrott his first break and they remain close friends. Alan toured the folk circuit extensively with his riotous comedy act and recorded two albums. A rare chance to see him performing locally.

Among the other artists appearing were the multi-instrumental duo Ray Chandler & Barry Ruffell, Pete Cartlidge & Stuart Reed of The Taverners.

Special thanks to the musicians and to our generous sponsors:

• Harveys Breweries
• Courage Breweries
• Kitchen Cafe, 93 Trafalgar Street.

Everyone's been asking when we hope to have the next one!