Charleston
South East
Firle

Charleston is a house, garden and art gallery situated in the South Downs National Park.

From 1916 Charleston was the home of artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, who were key members of the Bloomsbury group. Today Charleston runs a programme of exhibitions, workshops, talks and events as well as a portfolio of literary festivals.

Charleston, in East Sussex, is a property associated with the Bloomsbury group, that is open to the public. It was the country home of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant and is an example of their decorative style within a domestic context, representing the fruition of more than sixty years of artistic creativity.

In addition to the house and artists' garden, Charleston hosts a year-round programme of Bloomsbury and contemporary exhibitions in a suite of galleries designed by Jamie Fobert Architects which opened in September 2018. Two restored barns are home to The Threshing Barn café and The Hay Barn where events and workshops are held throughout the year. The outer studio at Charleston hosts a permanent display of Bell and Grant's Famous Women Dinner Service, and there is also a shop selling Bloomsbury-inspired art, homeware fabrics, fashion, books and stationery.

Accessibility Information

Due to the domestic scale of the house we are only able to accommodate wheelchairs with dimensions less than 115cm (L) X 65cm (W) / 45″ (L) X 25″ (W). Charleston has two visitor wheelchairs which can be reserved in advance or booked on the day.
For visitors with restricted mobility, we offer Garden and ground floor only tickets for the House.
Mobility scooters can be used in the gardens, shop, galleries and café, but they usually exceed the dimensions we can accommodate for use in the house.

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