DOWNLAND ART TRAIL
@Butts Brow
What do the South Downs mean to you?
Look up, look down, look all around: what do you see, what do you hear?
Explore a trail of Eastbourne Downland-inspired artwork and activities at Butts Brow inspired by this stunning landscape that people have been drawn to for thousands of years. The trail invites you to slow down, notice the details and see the South Downs differently — through a series of creative installations and activities set with the beautiful surroundings of Butts Brow.
Some of the pieces are visual or tactile, to be admired against the downland backdrop that has inspired them; some incorporate sounds and others encourage us to look more closely at the natural world through digital and non-digital activities. Each installation will be accompanied by a wooden QR code and short explanation: you can also access the whole collection here: https://www.creativepedagogies.com/category/downland-art-trail/
When and where to visit:
The trail is free and self-led and will be in place from Sunday 3rd to Sunday 17th August 2025
Start your journey from Butts Lane Meadow, a short walk up the footpath alongside Butts Lane from Willingdon village.(what3words: ///frogs.punk.drives). From the bottom of the meadow you can cross over the lane to some steps leading to a permissive path that takes you up the hill marked by a yellow waymarker post (Please be aware this route is used with the permission of Farmer Henry Brown and dogs should be on leads as grazing livestock are present)
If driving you can park in Butts Brow car park (///dragon.grin.lungs) and explore installations at the top before heading down to the meadow.
​It’s a big ol’ hill whether you’re going up or down it but both meadow and brow have their own unique charms to offer, including some of the best views in Sussex …..and now some beautiful artwork to complement them!
Locations and short descriptions of each art installation can be accessed via this Google map: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1kI1eqIsvQAsUH8VSozTgA579dW-rO7M&usp=sharing
Or this downloadable leaflet here:
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Local buses: ​Several buses stop at Church St, Willingdon or Wish Hill: 1, 1A, 11X, 24, 25, 28, 41, 51, 52, 53A, 54, 125 For more details of bus routes to Willingdon click here: https://bustimes.org/localities/willingdon
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Our creative team:
Just like a prime piece of chalk grassland, our downland art trail creative community has evolved in a pleasingly organic way from individuals who have connected with the Changing Chalk project via walks, talks and practical volunteering. They are all passionate about inspiring others to connect with the unique beauty of the South Downs on our doorstep. They have collaborated with Lewes and Eastbourne residents in the development of their installations, doing workshops with junior school children, 16-25 year olds and older care home residents.
Ruthie Martin
Ruthie Martin is a community artist working across two-dimensional mixed media, sound, sculpture and participatory installation, to explore the relationships between people, place and the more-than-human world. Rooted in the landscapes of Sussex, her work invites deep listening, sensory engagement and creative advocacy for environments often overlooked. Through workshops, collaborative artworks and outdoor interventions, she explores the co-creation of imaginative, tactile responses to rivers, wetland and downland environments and ancient landforms..
https://ruthiemartin.com/about https://www.instagram.com/ruthiemartin.artist/
Loupe Cooper
Eastbourne resident Loupe developed a newfound love of the Eastbourne Downland via volunteering with the Changing Chalk ranger-led monthly conservation group who look after Butts Lane meadow (a.k.a. Little Sheepdown) on behalf of Eastbourne Borough Council. Her most recent artwork has been inspired by the huge variety of chalk grassland flowers and associated animal life in the meadow, ancient maps of Willingdon and….moths! She will be inviting you to explore the meadow, looking closely at the ground and listening to the sounds!
Eve Tomkins
Eve is a young & talented land-craft artist and metalworker who graduated from Brighton University Design and Craft degree in Summer of 2024. Her beautiful, delicate but strong steel and copper sculptures are inspired by and perfectly reflect the downland landscape within which they will be installed, following the forms of the landscape and framing historical landmarks made by our ancestors.
Rachel Kiley
Rachel is a photographer who lives locally within the Eastbourne Downland and loves exploring it with an immersive style of photography. She is also very experienced at supporting individuals and groups of all ages and backgrounds to discover new ways of exploring and understanding natural world around them. You will find Rachel’s QR-coded prompts for engaging with the landscape at several points around the trail, from Butts Lane to Butts Brow and beyond!
Mark Wells
Mark is a Senior Lecturer in the Brighton University School of Art and Media, Centre for Arts and Wellbeing and independent researcher into the role digital technology has on our experience of the natural world around us: specifically how digital technology can act as a transitory tool to create belonging in new spaces. Mark met some of the Changing Chalk project team up at Butts Brow during a Big Dig event and, after finding out we would be working on a Downland Art Trail with input from younger participants, a beautiful collaboration was born! Mark has been an invaluable creative project partner providing project planning and digital content support, as well as invaluable links to Brighton University resources (including one of our artists, Eve!). His recent Changing Chalk Community Grant Scheme funded workshops with Shinewater Primary School and East Sussex College students were instrumental in informing and shaping our Downland Art Trail.
https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/projects/connected-downs
https://www.creativepedagogies.com/
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With extra thanks to....
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Eastbourne Borough Council (and Eastbourne Downland Ranger, Alex Jarvis) who own and manage this beautiful part of the South Downs;
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Brighton University for a wonderful and fruitful collaboration (including provision of digital tech services such as laser cutting of QR boards);
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Katherine Buckland of History Stories for being an open day co-host and most excellent interpreter of downland heritage….and last but not least:
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our amazing Butts Meadow and Downland volunteers, whose regular help is crucial for the survival of our rare chalk grassland meadows and Downs.
To find out more about the downland art trail or our work on the Changing Chalk project, email Jennie Smith, Chalk Life Ranger, here
