So, back to Ned and his solo house. Well, obviously it didn’t stay that way for long. Brighton has, historically speaking, always been a city that attracts artists. It’s a beautiful place, vibrant and busy with lovely – if pebbly - beaches and excellent light. A good idea doesn’t long go unnoticed with all these creative people about and so over the years more and more artists followed suit and began to open their homes, too - but this is where Brighton Open Houses become different from other Arts Festival venues and this is what makes them unique:

Ned’s house soon evolved into the Fiveways trail, and it was this trail concept that set the template for all of those that followed it. The sensible people at Fiveways decided that it would be best to restrict the spread of houses that joined them to a limited geographical area. That way, it would encourage visitors to ‘walk the trail’, making it a perfect way to spend a weekend - look at your map, choose your route, stay a bit longer at a house serving refreshments, pop into a nearby pub/restaurant/café and have lunch, all while attending the biggest, free art exhibition you’re ever likely to see. And the serious art buyer can purchase the work of some of Brighton’s finest artists at an excellent price while getting to talk to the work’s creator, too.

Now, that sounds like a fine way to spend a weekend to me. Little wonder that the numbers of visitors to open houses increases every year.

So, there you have it – a potted history of Open House evolution!

Over the years the number of trails has evolved from one to over a dozen but the idea remains the same: an Open House is a place where the public can view and buy work directly from the artist who created it.

Over time, the concept of walking distance ‘trails’ evolved, each of which has its own rules and ways of doing things. These trails are composed of the individual houses that fall within the geographical area.

Artists in houses, houses in trails, trails that extend beyond Brighton into Ditchling, Newhaven, Rottingdean and Saltdean, too.

Next week I’ll write about what you should do if you decide you want to open your own home to the public, the costs involved and some of the ups and downs you can expect along the way.