Tide Mills Choir

The Tide Mills choir was a community of local singers who met regularly over 4 years in Newhaven, from September 2021 - 2025.

Open access and non-audition, singing songs inspired by the people, history and landscape of the East Sussex coastline in acapella harmony.

A poster for a musical event featuring Tide Mills Choir and Milton Hyde, scheduled for Saturday, November 30 at 7:30 PM at Hillcrest Community Centre in Newhaven. The poster includes images of performers and a group of people singing in a field, with logos of in aid of MIND, your stories in song, and community fund.
Illustration of three people with their arms raised, musical notes and symbols above them, and the words 'Tide Myths Chair' at the bottom. The background features a large wave with blue and white foam at the top. Logos of Newhaven Town Council and SCDA are in the bottom corners.
A poster advertising the Tide Mills Choir with details of the event, including dates, times, location, and pricing. The background shows a group of people standing in a semi-circle on a pebble beach, with a cloudy sky and ocean behind them. There are lamps and lanterns placed on the ground in front of the group.

Origin Story

The name comes from an area of the coast just west of Newhaven, East Sussex. Tide Mills was once a thriving coastal village, powered by the water mill and the jobs it provided for a tight knit community of local residents. Evicted in 1940, crumbling remains of houses still mark the coastline today, battered by the wind and the waves, reclaimed by the wilderness of flora and fauna.

In September 2021 the Tide Mills Project brought the history of the village back to life, over a four day site-specific event, featuring actors, installations, musicians, and a brand new choir - singing on the beach at dusk under a rising moon.

Born out of this unique heritage project, the Tide Mills choir continued to meet regularly and performed at a wide variety of venues and events, centring songs inspired by its origins - folk songs, circle songs, sea shanties, protest chants and new compositions which captured the past and present of the local coastline.

Sessions were held on the 4th Saturday of the month at The Hillcrest, Newhaven Day Centre and Marine Workshops

Group of people gathered outdoors during sunset, some sitting and some standing, with a woman speaking in front, holding papers, a few musicians playing instruments nearby, on a gravel area with hills and a cloudy sky in the background.
A group of people stands in a circle outdoors on a grassy area with straw, participating in a activity, with a black dog in the center. There are trees and modern houses in the background.
A group of people standing in a circle on a pebble beach, facing inward, with a person in the center. The sky is cloudy, and the ocean is visible in the background. Items such as lanterns, candles, and small decorative objects are placed on the groun
A woman with short hair and colorful clothing is clapping and smiling, standing outdoors in front of a group of women with gray hair, in a natural setting with bushes and grass.
Group of people outdoors in a grassy area with hay bales, listening to a woman speaking with her hands raised. Trees and a multi-story brick building are in the background, under a partly cloudy sky.
A large group of people gathered outdoors at a community event, listening to a woman speaking with a food truck and a sign that says 'PIZZA' in the background.
A tour guide speaking to a group of people outdoors, with a photographer taking pictures and a brick wall with poles and a cloudy sky in the background.
A large group of elderly people gathered outdoors in a courtyard, listening to a woman in a teal jacket speaking. There are picnic benches, a pizza truck, and a stone building in the background, with the sky clear and sunny.
A group of women dressed as nuns and period clothing poses together outdoors on a gravel surface, with some standing and one kneeling, in front of a brick building with arched windows and a wooden playground structure.
Group of people dressed in vintage clothing standing outdoors near a train tunnel.
A line of people dressed in historical clothing standing on a grassy hill under a blue sky with neural cloud formations.
People gathered around a lit Christmas tree on a city street at night, some holding candles or lanterns, with stores and buildings in the background.
A women's choir practicing in a historic church or hall with tall windows and wooden floors. The choir members are standing in a semi-circle, facing their conductor, as they rehearse. There are professional lights and microphones set up for recording
A person standing in front of a group of seated people in a spacious, modern room with large windows and an industrial ceiling.

Performance Credits

September 21 - Tide Mills Project Heritage Celebration Week

December 21 - Late Night Shopping, Lewes

March 22 - UN Anti-Racism Day March, Newhaven

May 22 - ‘Two Pairs of Eyes’, Inroads Productions’ site-specific performance at Newhaven Fort

September 22 - Lewes River Fest & One Year Anniversary Event on Tide Mills beach

November 22 - SCDA Event, Eastbourne

December 22 - Christmas Lights, Newhaven High Street

January 23 - Save Our Rivers Protest, Newhaven

April 23 - Tide Mills Choir at the Hillcrest, Newhaven

July 23 - Piddinghoe Bells Project with VOCES 8

September 23 - Walk the Chalk with LYT Productions, Seaford Head

November 23 - Harbour Lights Lantern Parade, Newhaven

March 22 - UN Anti-Racism Day March, Newhaven

April 24 - Sairie & Tide Mills Choir at the Hillcrest, Newhaven

April 24 - Piddinghoe Bells recording, London

June 24 - Refugee Week, Brighton

Nov 24 - Milton Hide & Tide Mills Choir at the Hillcrest

March 25 - UN Anti-Racism Day March, Newhaven

Thanks to SCDA, Newhaven Town Council, National Lottery, LYT Productions, Inroads Productions, The Piddinghoe Bells Project, The Hillcrest, The Newhaven Day Centre and Marine Workshops.