The Edward Thomas Study Centre is free to visit and open to visitors every Wednesday and Thursday 10:00am-3:30pm and at other times by appointment.
It is home to the Tim Wilton-Steer Collection of works by and about the poet Edward Thomas (1878-1917). Attracted by the landscape and the South Downs, Thomas and his family lived in Steep, near Petersfield for ten years, from 1906. Known during his lifetime as a critic, essayist and writer of books about the countryside, Thomas moved towards writing his own poetry in late 1914, initially publishing under the name Edward Eastaway. Before he saw his poetry in print under his own name, he was killed at the Battle of Arras on Easter Monday 1917. Since then, Thomas’s reputation as a poet has increased greatly and his posthumous influence on the development of English verse has been widely recognised.
In addition to the extensive library of poetry and prose, there is an eclectic display of work from artists inspired by Thomas's work - including wood and lino-cuts, calligraphy, sketch work and paintings, particularly of the Memorial Stone on the Shoulder of Mutton Hill between Steep and Froxfield.