Ellie is back to tell us about another Amazing Futures day trip! This time she’s sharing about our trip to the Take Shelter air raid museum beneath Downs Junior School in Brighton.
We went to go see one of the last remaining school air raid shelters from World War II, which was in Brighton, underneath Ditchling Road School, what is now known as Downs Junior School.
The trench was first constructed in 1939, when news of war broke out. The shelter consisted of multiple interconnecting tunnels, with benches lined up at the sides so children could sit there, as well as a small toilet area. The shelter had the capacity for at least 300 children and staff. It was dark, noisy, and damp. Some tunnels had escape hatches with metal ladders. After the war, it was sealed up and left for 30 years until it was rediscovered.
In 2012, restorations on the shelter were started by a group of volunteers. They restored the tunnels, and made it safe to be in. They have recreated different 1940s scenes like bedrooms and a kitchen, and there are areas displaying artifacts and items from WWII, from gas masks and radios to ration books and kitchen appliances. They have also made the entrance steps wider and easier to go down.
Visiting the shelter
We went by train and walked to the school. The entrance to the shelter is right at the back of the playground and we had to go down some steep steps to get into it. It was damp and had a musky smell to it, also a little bit cold.
We got to have a full tour of the shelter. In the background was the air raid siren, and we got to see the benches where the children sat. At one point, we got to sit down and they played the sound of children singing, and showed a projection, so it looked like we were sitting with them. There were also TVs showing interviews of past school children talking about what it was like.
We got to experience what it would have been like during the air raids. We sat on the benches while they played a projection of the head teacher talking. The room was dark and the lights flickered, and there were noises of bombs going off and the siren and planes going overhead. It was really interesting and cool to feel how it would have been like, but it was also a bit loud as well.
They also have a museum area in the main school building, with more artifacts and objects. There was a range of different gas masks such as children’s gas masks and masks used on bedbound patients. They also had uniforms, and a visual of a plate of food that showed how small the rations were per week.
It was really fun and interesting!
It showed what it would have been like during the war and what the children and staff had to go through, but also showed us the different daily objects used in that time, and what the average person had to deal with every day. It had a lot of history and was informative, as well as being really engaging and fun!
















Ellie attends our Amazing Futures youth groups, and has previously written about our London museum trip to see the Design and Disability exhibition at the V&A.
A huge thank you from all of us at Amazing Futures to East Sussex County Council for helping fund this day trip as part of their National Lottery Heritage Fund project!
We went to the Victoria and Albert museum in London to see their Design and Disability exhibition, which shows different artworks and objects about disability.
Design and Disability exhibition
Paintings and sculptures
Costumes and props
My favourite area…














What is occupational therapy?
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Louise’s favourite bits:
Thank you so much to the Amazing Futures team and all the young people for being so kind and welcoming during our time with you!
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Our Comms and Editorial Assistant, Rose, ran sessions showing what you can find and do on the website, and how to use it. She also ran activities supporting young people to make art and blog posts to share on the website.



























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“I enjoyed making things with clay today”