Hon. Secretary: Peter Wisdom, 76 Woodbourne Avenue, BRIGHTON, BN1 8EJ, England
Membership application form: regular version (HTML) or Acrobat version (PDF: 3.7 kB / 1 page)
Last updated 10 November 2005
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The Brighton Circle was formed in 1974 for the furtherance and
publication of original research into every aspect of the social, technical
and economic history of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and its
constituents.
The secretary would be pleased, upon receipt of an
S.A.E.,
to forward copies of the Circle's Aims and Objectives, and Constitution to
anyone wanting further information.
Hon. Secretary: Peter Wisdom, 76 Woodbourne Avenue, BRIGHTON, BN1 8EJ, England Membership application form: regular version (HTML) or Acrobat version (PDF: 3.7 kB / 1 page) |
The Brighton Circle was formed in 1974 with the aim of collecting and publishing information on the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Company and its constituents. It is the Circle's intention to cover all aspects of the Company's history and all members are encouraged to contribute as much information as possible so that a complete picture may be built up.
As a means of furthering this aim, Stewards have been appointed to cover particular subjects, such as Locomotives, Carriages, Wagons, Architecture, and Liveries. An increasingly detailed coverage is thus being achieved
A high quality illustrated journal, called The Brighton Circular, is published four times a year and this contains historical articles, members' requests for information and the responses, book reviews and news of the Circle's activities. Naturally the Circular is dependent on material contributed by members and the Editor welcomes contributions from anyone who would like to take a more active rôle in the Circle. In addition, a supplement gives news of interest to the modeller of the Brighton scene.
Many members are modellers who are thus able to improve the standard of their models by the active discussion of such aspects as livery and operational practice in the pages of the journal.
During the year informal meetings are held in various locations in the South East. The Annual General Meeting is held in London in October and provides an excellent opportunity to meet other members of the Circle. The formal meeting is followed by an illustrated talk on some aspect of the history of the Company.
The annual subscription is £17.00, reduced by a third for those of State retirement age (rounded up to the nearest pound), and covers the calendar year. Those joining after June may pay £8.50 to cover membership up to the end of the year. Members joining at any time during the year who pay the full subscription receive all journal issues for that year but those electing to pay for the half year from the end of June receive the journals for that half year only. New members pay a joining fee of £1.00 in addition to their subscription. All cheques, postal orders, etc., should be made payable to The Brighton Circle, and sent to the Hon. Secretary.
At the Circle's AGM in the year 2000, member Nicholas Holliday, presented the first trophy for the Jeoffry Spence Award. Named after the railway historian Jeoffry Spence, the award is intended to be presented to anyone, whether individual, informal group or organisation, that the members considered had made the greatest contribution to furthering the aims and goals of the Circle.
The principle behind the Award is to reward anyone who has gone beyond mere commercialism or personal interest and achieved something of benefit to Brighton enthusiasts, whether in the field of preservation, modelling, the arts or publishing. It is hoped that this acknowledgement will not only be reward in itself, but also be an incentive to further achievements, knowing that their work is appreciated by others.
| Date of Award | Name | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The late John Smith, proprietor of "Lens of Sutton" | His photographic collection has provided a continual source and inspiration for writers, readers and modellers for many years and his help and immense knowledge was always available to those who asked. |
| 2001 | Klaus Marx | Klaus has written the definitive history of the Lewes and East Grinstead Railway, now better known as the Bluebell Railway. This magnum opus represents the culmination of over forty years of research and writing, and fully deserves this recognition. |
| 2004 | Sheina Foulkes | Sheina is leading the team restoring several Stroudley carriages to be used on the Bluebell Railway. The award was in recognition of her work on first class carriage No.661, the restoration of which was unveiled on 24th July 2004, 80 years after its original withdrawal. |
Jeoffry Spence was the god-father of the donor, Nicholas Holliday, and the award was given in his memory. He was an active railway historian with a particular interest in the London Brighton and South Coast Railway, as well as his dearly beloved Caterham Railway, having lived virtually his whole life in that town. He wrote many articles and books covering a wide range of subjects, and was involved in the National Railway Museum when it was at Clapham. (Incidentally, this unusual spelling of Jeoffry had been in use for many generations since his great- great- great- great- great- grandfather John Snelson had married Katharine, daughter of Jeoffry Grime of Eccleshall, Staffordshire in 1664.)
A brief extract of his life story can be found at an extract from A Childhood in Caterham.
Brighton Circle members are eligible to join the Brighton Circle Email group. This is a mailing list for discussion of anything related to the LB&SCR, including modelling. It provides a more immediate forum than the Circular and is suited to more informal discussion than would appear in the magazine.
| To join simply email asking to join, making sure you include your name and your email address. |
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