Brighton Annual Gathering

We booked Dean's Place Hotel in the delightful village of Alfriston as a base for our packed weekend of activities. On the Friday afternoon there was a walk around the Seven Sisters Country Park as this is where most of the action took place in the story, The Thin Grey Man.

On Saturday we had a coach to take us to Brighton to explore some of the locations described in The Long Passage. This included a guided tour around the Pavilion including some of the areas not usually open to the public. We were even allowed a glimpse of the famous long passage which is the setting for the dramatic climax to the story. We spent the rest of the day exploring the Lanes and the other delights of this seaside town. The glorious weather probably helped sales of ice creams.

In the evening we had our annual dinner followed by the results of our short story competition. The quality of the entries was excellent and extracts were read from the top four stories. The winner was Hélène Wilkinson from Paris. After this our mental agility was tested in a light-hearted quiz.

Sunday morning arrived for our Annual General Meeting. The Chairman was pleasantly surprised by the large attendance despite the glorious weather outside. After the meeting there was another opportunity to add to members' book collections or to continue conversation over tea and biscuits.

The Thin Grey Man

Brighton Pavilion

Sign in the Pavilion