Two hundred and fifty years after the birth of Jane Austen, we're celebrating the Georgian seaside from a female point of view. Dorset Museum & Art Gallery marked the anniversary with an exhibition entitled Jane Austen: Down to the Sea, and we'll be joined by Pippa Burr, one of the curators, to explore how the new seaside culture influenced Austen's work. Our own Dr Allan Brodie will share insights from the diaries of other women visitors to the Georgian coast. We'll also hear about working women at the seaside, in particular the 'dippers' who spent their days standing in the sea dipping wealthy bathers under the waves. The most famous dipper of all time was Martha Gunn of Brighton, and we're delighted to be welcoming John Wingham, who is both a descendant of Martha's and a member of The Martha Gunn Trust.

The seminar is free to attend, and all are welcome.