Walking in the air: Snowman craftsman Raymond Briggs's beloved Sussex trails

There aren't many individuals who can assert to have witnessed a snowman soar over their residence. It might seem fantastical, but each Christmas I settle in to view The Snowman, Raymond Briggs's most cherished creation, observing as the crimson-haired lad and the plump, tangerine-nosed snowman glide over the downs encircling the hamlet where I reside before drifting above the Royal Pavilion and Brighton Pier, continuing out to the ocean.

The Snowman, akin to numerous of Briggs's creations, unfurls against a setting of the East Sussex landscapes he adored, and where he resided for over five decades. Hence, it's appropriate that the premier exhibition of his existence and oeuvre since his passing in 2022 is being hosted not in a London art gallery but at Ditchling Museum of Art + Craft, merely a couple of miles from his abode in the village of Westmeston. Genuine sketches and depictions, relics, snapshots, and framed admirer correspondence (including one from an American clergyman incensed to discover that Father Christmas featured depictions of Santa on the lavatory) furnish an unparalleled glimpse into one of Britain's preeminent illustrators.

One of the most captivating displays is Briggs's writing desk, still cluttered with all the miscellany he toiled amidst while conceiving When the Wind Blows, Fungus the Bogeyman, and Ethel and Ernest. Snapshots of him at the desk reveal the panorama he referred to as "a tremendous privilege," stretching northward across the Sussex Weald to the faint haze of Ashdown Forest in the distance. Each dawn, he traversed the tranquil footpaths and shaded bridleways that interconnect the farmers' fields to the gentle verdant hills, and mirrored this rural expanse within the pages of his tomes.

I comprehend his fondness for this serene nook of Sussex, for his pathways and meadows align with mine as well. There's a touch of wonderment about this expansive stretch of countryside wedged between the densely populated coastal stretch and the band of commuter settlements – Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath, and Crawley that reside north of Briggs' section of the national park. While the towns may be expanding, the South Downs stands between the urban sprawl like an immense emerald lung. Embark upon one of the age-old bridleways, and only the recently cultivated vineyards encroaching across the fields like soundless legions serve as testimony to the world's continual motion.