JANUARY
Hidden Project by Red Saunders
From 3 January
From January 2026, Bull House will host a collection of images from Red Saunders’ The Hidden Project — a powerful series of radical photographic tableaux that bring history’s overlooked heroes into the light.
Red Saunders, an acclaimed artist and photographer, is known for blending his creative practice with a lifelong commitment to cultural, musical, and political activism. A founding member of Rock Against Racism, Red’s work has consistently challenged injustice and celebrated the power of collective action.
The Hidden Project reimagines pivotal moments in the long struggle for democracy and social justice — from the Peasants’ Revolt (1381) and the Women Levellers’ Movement (1647) to the Swing Riots (1830) and London Chartists (1842). Each striking scene is meticulously staged and lit, brought to life with the help of local community participants. You’ll also spot a certain Thomas Paine, out on his horse, working as an Excise Officer.
Join us as Bull House shines a light on the radicals, dissenters, and visionaries too often written out of history.
Entry is free. Posters and postcards will be available to purchase in the shop.
Coat of Hopes
4 – 31 January
Local artist Barbara Keal created the inspiring Coat of Hopes, a travelling artwork and walking pilgrimage uniting communities across the UK in response to the climate and ecological emergency. Made from hand-stitched blanket patches, it carries people’s hopes for the places they live.
After travelling over 1,900 miles, the coat will be displayed at Bull House in January for the public to visit.
Common Sense at 250: Legacies of Democracy from Paine to Today
9-10 January
In the winter of 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense, one of the defining texts of the North American movement for independence. This incendiary, revolutionary pamphlet, couples Paine’s famous denunciation of monarchy with a critique of empire, and a radical programme for self-rule. In its bold reimagining of democracy and representation, rights and republicanism, freedom and independence, Common Sense occupies a central position in modern political thinking.
The conference coincides with the exact 250th anniversary of the publication of Paine’s pamphlet. Taking place at the University of Sussex and Bull House on January 9-10 2026, the conference is co-organised by the Sussex Centres for Intellectual History, Social and Political Thought and American Studies, the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies, and Thomas Paine: Legacy. Keynotes from Professor Gregory Claeys (Royal Holloway) and Professor Danielle Allen (Harvard).
The conference will be live streamed. To register for the livestream please click here (scroll down the page to register for the individual sessions).