One of the most significant painters of the post-war period, R.B. Kitaj (1932–2007), is now being exhibited concurrently at the Jewish Museum London and Pallant House Gallery, Chichester.

The exhibition at Pallant House Gallery, subtitled ‘Analyst for Our Time’, features over 70 paintings, sketches and prints presenting an overview of all periods of Kitaj’s extensive work from the 1960s to his death in 2007. The exhibition at the Jewish Museum London, subtitled ‘The Art of Identity’ features around 20 works and will focus on how Kitaj explored and expressed his ‘Jewishness’.

The presentation of the exhibition over the two venues will enable different facets of Kitaj’s identity to be explored in depth for the first time in the UK. Both venues share links to the artist – Kitaj’s London studio was designed by the American architect M.J. Long, whose practice, Long & Kentish, also designed the extensions to Pallant House Gallery and refurbishment of the Jewish Museum London.

For Kitaj, art was a medium of emotional and intellectual exploration. An avid collector of books, his work frequently referenced themes and motifs in intellectual history and literature.

The exhibition at Pallant House Gallery, subtitled ‘Analyst for Our Time’, features over 70 major paintings, sketches and prints presenting an overview of all periods of Kitaj’s extensive oeuvre from the 1960s to his death in 2007.  It runs through 16th June 2013.

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…500 years after she sank in the brand new, £27 million Museum set to open on Friday 31st May 2013!

The ship that captured the imagination of millions when she was raised from the seabed in 1982 is the only sixteenth century warship on display anywhere in the world. The brand new Mary Rose Museum built around her will reunite her with many of her 19,000 artefacts and crew in a unique journey through Tudor life.

Before she sank in 1545, the Mary Rose saw 34 years of service as the flagship of Henry VIII’s fleet. After she sank, she became deeply embedded in the soft upper sediments of the seabed, resting on the hard clay below. For centuries she lay on her starboard side at an angle of around 60 degrees, and acted as a silt trap for the Solent currents.

The surviving portion of the ship filled up rapidly, leaving her port side exposed to the currents and marine organisms. Sometime during the 17th and 18th centuries the entire site became covered with a layer of hard grey clay, which sealed it off from further erosion. When she was excavated and raised from the seabed in 1982, it was a milestone in the field of maritime archaeology.

The new Mary Rose museum will display the most comprehensive collection of Tudor artefacts in the world, from personal belongings such as wooden bowls, leather shoes, musical instruments and nit combs complete with 500 year old lice, to ship’s objects such as longbows and two tonne guns. For the first time, using forensic science, crew members will be brought to life giving visitors the chance to come face to face with the carpenter, cook, archer and even the ship’s dog, ‘Hatch’!

Be among the very first visitors to this splendid new Sussex coast attraction. Tickets are available online from the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

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Employees of the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory are looking for a seven and 1/2 cent an hour pay increase and they’re not going to take no for an answer! In the midst of the struggle, love awakens in the hearts of Babe, the head of the grievance committee, and Sid, the new factory superintendent. Can love survive the divide?

Based on a comic novel about labour relations, this is a buoyantly blissful confection of romance and comedy, The Pajama Game’s hit-drenched, golden age score includes Hey There (You With The Stars In Your Eyes), Hernando’s Hideaway and Steam Heat.

Director Richard Eyre had always longed to direct the show, and says current musicals trends make it just the right time to show people “what a wonderful musical it is.” He likes the intimacy of the smaller Minerva theatre, too, preferring to keep set decoration to a minimum and rely instead on the cast to make the show really sing. He says, “I love flamboyance but I am interested in putting less clutter on the stage.”

The production runs until 8th June.  Book online at Chichester Festival Theatre.

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We are very excited to have teamed up with Elite Helicopters, who fly helicopter sight-seeing tours from nearby Goodwood Aerodrome. A variety of pleasure flights are available, from a short flight around the Goodwood Estate, to longer excursions around Bosham, Chichester Harbour and beyond.

The Beaches & Bay tour will offer you an unrivalled view of the gorgeous coastline around Chichester Harbour. Once clear of the aerodrome circuit you will embark on an aerial tour which will take in Selsey Bill, the Witterings beaches and Bosham itself. You’ll see Chichester and its Cathedral with a bird’s eye view and on a clear day Portsmouth, the Isle of Wight and the South Downs will also be clearly visible. Don’t forget your camera!

Flight prices start at £45/person; the Beaches & Bays Tour costs £89/person. Longer flights and charters are also an option. To book your room – and flights – let us know when you’re thinking of coming down and we’ll check availability for you. If you’d like to know more, just give us a ring, or book online and let us know you’re interested in a flight in the comments field on the booking request.

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Mid-March saw the opening of Uppark House and Petworth House. Both of these National Trust properties have so much to offer,and both are in easy reach of Bosham and White Barn!

Uppark, once home to the young H.G. Wells and to the flamboyant Emma Hamilton (though not at the same time), is a Georgian stately home set in gardens which have been restored to the 19th century Picturesque style. The contrast of the “upstairs, downstairs” style of living is brought beautifully to life by the elegant main interior and the complete servants’ quarters in the basement. The restoration following a major fire in 1989 – a Herculean task – is well explained in the exhibition and gives testament to the fine work of the National Trust.

Petworth House, set in the midst of a deer park originally landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown, houses a world-class art exhibition in its magnificent rooms, with many famous paintings by Turner, Van Dyke and Reynolds. Don’t miss the wood carvings by Grinling Gibbons. For more information, visit the Uppark or Petworth pages on the National Trust site.

If you book a mid-week stay during the first half of April, you can visit these wonderful properties and enjoy a very special rate when you stay for four nights. See details on our booking page.

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Whether she’s your mum, your partner, your grandmother or your wife, she’s the love of your life and you’re no doubt thinking of getting her something really special for Mother’s Day.

What will it be? A box of chocolate? Some flowers? Again?

This year, how about giving her the gift of an experience, some relaxation…a little bit of luxury she wouldn’t give herself?

White Barn is now offering gift vouchers, which can be used in a variety of ways. You can purchase them to any value you like, and then mum can pick her dates and be on her way to a wonderful stay with us at our luxurious B&B at the time which works best for her. Alternatively, you could book and pay for her stay on specific nights, in which case we’ll fill out your certificate without showing the amount you’ve spent. Want to add a bottle of bubbly, or a bunch of flowers? We can do that, too.

Either way, this is a great way to give a Mother’s Day gift that’s really different. Get in touch and together we’ll create something wonderful for the wonderful woman in your life. (And by the way, she doesn’t really even have to be a mum!)

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There are so many wonderful walks around Bosham and the whole of the Chichester Harbour area, and February is a great time to see the birds that spend the colder months here and enjoy the abundant food which is revealed in the mud banks as the tide goes out. In fact, the majority of the 55,000 birds that visit annually come in winter, so there are still plenty around…from Brent Geese and Shelducks, to Oystercatchers and Dunlins, to Sanderlings and Snipes. An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the harbour is a paradise for bird-watchers, walkers and photographers alike.

Brent Geese in Bosham, Chichester Harbour

The are plenty of walks right from our door at White Barn B&B, or you could choose to jump in the car and make a start from one of the local pubs in the area. We have the maps you’ll need to plan your day, and can help you pick the perfect outing. A walk from Bosham to Emsworth, for example, offers gorgeous scenery, and pubs at both ends!

For more information about our local bird life, and to find out what’s happening in the harbour area, visit the Chichester Harbour Conservancy website. Or, click on the video below to see a rather lovely film about what makes our part of the world so special!

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We all know February can be a tough month to get through, but at least Valentine’s Day gives us a little chance for romance. We’re offering our guests a very special weekend package…take three nights from the 14th at the mid-week rate, and enjoy the delights that Chichester has to offer while you’re at it!

To get your heart racing, why not check out the Valentine’s Day fixtures at Fontwell Race Course, home of the only figure-of-eight chase course in the country. The first of the day’s seven races starts at 1:50pm. For more details, visit the Fontwell website.

The Chichester Farmer’s Market will be held around the city centre streets on Friday, 15th February, offering the perfect excuse for a tasty treat and a wander round the streets of this beautiful city. Chichester newest museum, The Novium, presents a contemporary look at Chichester’s Roman past, and also houses the Tourist Information Office.

In the evening, check out the Chichester Jazz Club for a chance to hear the John Law Trio. Featuring the classically trained Law on piano, with Russian-born Yuri Goloubev on bass and Israeli Asaf Sirkis on drums, they are said to be one of the most innovative and sympathetic trios working in jazz today. A technically superb musician, Law is also a diverse composer and, together, these musicians will offer up an enchanting musical experience. To hear some of their music, listen to the three of them playing John Law’s composition, Three Part Invention. Tickets, available from the Tourist Information Office in Chichester, are £12.00.

There is no shortage of opportunities to enjoy music, as on the evening of the 16th, the Chichester Cathedral Choir will be giving a concert! Details at the Cathedral website.

Of course, if you prefer a quiet weekend, the warm welcome and hearty breakfasts at White Barn, along with a bracing stroll round the harbour at Bosham may be all you need to re-charge your batteries. Either way, you’ll be glad you came!

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Photo courtesy of Tate Britain

From 12th January. Don’t miss the splendid Turner’s Sussex exhibition at Petworth House. Turner was a frequent visitor to the house in the 1820′s and 30′s, as a guest of his friend and patron the 3rd Earl of Egremont. The 20 paintings bought and commissioned by the 3rd Earl continue to be enjoyed by thousands of visitors today, and are central to the story of Petworth. In addition to the paintings which are normally displayed in the house, there is the unprecedented opportunity to see 40 more or Turner’s works, drawn from major national and regional collections, as well as from private owners.

Included in the Petworth section is a group of the famous small watercolour sketches on blue paper. Now largely held at Tate Britain, they were made of the house and park in 1827, and some haven’t been exhibited for many years. The exhibition runs to the 13th of March.

Courtesy of Pallant House

Free lunchtime concerts on Tuesday 15th, 22nd & 29th January. Chichester Cathedral hosts a variety of lunchtime concerts beginning in January and running through to March. Find out more by visiting the Cathedral’s website.

The month of January offers the last chance to see the first solo review in a UK public gallery for nearly 50 years of the work of the influential artist Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985), regarded as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. The exhibition has been organised with the assistance of the Fondation Dubuffet, Paris and features key paintings, drawings and sculpture from collections across France and the UK. The exhibition, at Pallant House, closes 3rd February.

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The Anchor Bleu, known to locals as simply – “The Anchor” – is a traditional, family run pub in the historic and picturesque village of Bosham, serving real ales, good wines and lovely food. Bosham’s only waterside pub (when the tide is up!), it is a popular spot for visitors and locals alike.

Get even better value when you come mid-week to take advantage of our special winter rates. The Anchor Bleu is offering White Barn guests a free glass of wine or a free dessert with any main course meal when they dine at the pub on a Tuesday or Wednesday night.

When you arrive at White Barn for your stay, ask your hosts to book you a table at the Anchor.  All you’ll need to do is to mention you’re a guest at White Barn when you place you order, and the treat of your choice will be yours!

This offer is available through the end of February, excluding the period between 18th December, 2012 and 2nd January, 2013.

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