Welcome to the only School Air Raid Shelter open in the South

Heritage Weekend Tours

If you are looking for a particular time for a tour over the Heritage Weekend and its not available please do consider coming along and trying on the day – as a free event, we often have people who don’t attend on the day and we may be able to offer you spaces on the tours.

Our museum is free and open to anyone – you don’t need a ticket or be booked on a tour, and we also have the tea room where you can enjoy tea and cake while you see if tour spaces are available.

We hope to see you at the weekend

Heritage Open Days

Book one of our Heritage Open Days Tours:

We are open for tours and much more on the 12th and 13th September as part of the Heritage Open Days. Over this weekend you can:

Explore our unique underground air raid shelter with our friendly volunteer tour guides (booking recommended)
Browse the new Take Shelter museum displays and chat to our veterans about their wartime experiences
Have a tasty snack and hot drink at Mrs Button’s Tea Room
Take home a souvenir from our Take Shelter gift shop

Book your Heritage Open Day Tour:

Miss Tully's Triathlon for Take Shelter and Downs Junior

We are excited to share that Miss Tully has signed herself up for her very first triathlon to raise money for two fantastic causes.

The challenge involves swimming, cycling and running—all in one event! While she has managed each activity separately before, putting them together is a whole new adventure. There will no doubt be some aching muscles, plenty of determination and, hopefully, a smile at the finish line!

The money raised will support two projects that are close to her heart:

A new SEN sensory room at Downs Junior School, creating a calm, welcoming space where children can regulate, recharge and thrive.
Take Shelter’s WWII History Project, helping to purchase resources that will enrich learning for schools across Brighton & Hove and the wider community.

If you are able to sponsor Miss Tully (no matter how big or small the donation) it would mean so much. Every pound raised will help make a real difference to children’s learning and wellbeing.

We’re sure she will also appreciate every message of encouragement as she takes on this exciting challenge (especially when the cycling gets tough!).

Thank you, as always, for your incredible support and generosity. Together, we can help create something truly special for our children while cheering Miss Tully across the finish line.

If you would like to sponsor her, please use the link below:

https://gofund.me/bc48d9cde

New Take Shelter Podcast

We are excited to launch a new podcast series exploring different aspects of everyday life in Brighton and the surrounding area during the Second World War. The podcasts shine a light on the experiences of ordinary people living through extraordinary times.

We have already finished eight episodes and we’ll be publishing one every two weeks from early August 2026 on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TakeShelter_WW2

Our next recording session is already booked in and our plan is to keep sharing fascinating personal stories from wartime Brighton. Rather than focusing on battles and military strategy, these podcasts explore the human side of the war—how families coped with rationing, air raids, community spirit and the many challenges of daily life. Whether you have a personal connection to Brighton, an interest in local history, or simply enjoy discovering the stories behind familiar places, this series offers a fresh and engaging perspective on the city during one of the most significant periods in its history.

We hope these conversations inspire new audiences to discover Brighton’s remarkable wartime heritage and encourage listeners to explore the wider collection of stories, photographs and research available through the Take Shelter project.

Don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss any of our episodes.

National Lottery Heritage Fund Award Announcement

Today, Take Shelter is announcing being awarded an £85,575 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to capture and share the experiences of the city’s last wartime veterans. Working with volunteers, we will present these first-hand experiences alongside artefacts, wartime documents, photographs and films drawn from the partner organisations to create a rich story of wartime Brighton, saving it for future generations for whom the Second World War is not within their lifetime.

Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Take Shelter’s capturing Brighton’s last WW2 Veteran’s project is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to capture, preserve and share these important stories.

Statement from The National Lottery Heritage Fund:

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past. heritagefund.org.uk

The full press release can be found here