Firle Place has been home to the Gage family since the late 15th century and is the quintessential English stately home, with magnificent architecture, paintings, furniture and fittings; but the family have been involved in high political life since the reign of Henry VIII, so their family history resonates with national politics and the great and good of the land...and some less so! This talk looks at the house, the park and the family that is still in residence. Geoffrey has been a guide at Firle Place for over twelve years.

I worked with the Geography degree team and with the Landscape Studies degree team at the University of Sussex. I specialise in the landscapes of SE England, in both urban and rural areas. My MA was on 1930s Brighton and I did my doctorate in the suburban growth of the interwar period. I give talks across SE England to a wide range of groups, from universities to local history societies, WI groups , U3A, Probus and Round Tables and I run weekly classes at local community centres. The most requested from my range of talks are those that combine social history, geography, geology and a 'sense of place'.