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.

An Associate Tutor with the Geography team at the University of Sussex from where I thought I had retired...10 years ago! I specialise in the landscapes of SE England, in both urban and rural areas and I did my doctorate in the suburban growth of the interwar period. I taught adult education for nearly 30 years at Sussex where I worked in the Landscape Studies degree team and was Convenor for Local History. 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. I teach also for the Workers Educational Association and 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'.