About Newick Bonfire Society
Newick Bonfire Society is a long-established volunteer organisation based in the village of Newick, East Sussex.
The present society dates from 1936, when local residents formally re-established an organised Bonfire Society after several years of smaller village celebrations. Its roots, however, stretch much further back. Records show Bonfire taking place in Newick as early as 1828, while the first known reference to an organised Newick Bonfire Society appears in 1887.
Today, Newick Bonfire Society is known for its fire, noise and tradition, with torchlit processions, fire banners, a huge rolling tar barrel, 17 burning crosses, Bonfire Prayers, a hand-built bonfire and fireworks on the Village Green.
In 2026, Newick Bonfire Society celebrates 90 years since its 1936 rebirth.
Bonfire in Newick Since 1828
The earliest known account of Newick Bonfire dates from 5 November 1828.
A report in the Brighton Gazette described villagers gathered around a blazing bonfire when a local gentleman objected to the celebration and attempted to put a stop to it. Two boys aged between seven and nine were later summoned for throwing fireworks and fined by the Lewes Bench.
By 1854, Newick's celebrations had become much more elaborate.
A report in the Sussex Express described a torchlit procession leaving the Bull Inn with disguised guards escorting an effigy of Czar Nicholas I, Britain's enemy during the Crimean War.
Two bonfires were built on the Village Green, while spectators were surrounded by rockets, squibs, fireballs and blazing tar barrels. The effigy of the Czar was eventually placed on the fire and destroyed.
The report praised the organisers for conducting the whole event in an orderly manner – evidence that organised Bonfire in Newick was already becoming a serious village undertaking by the middle of the nineteenth century.
The Original Newick Bonfire Society
The first known reference to Newick Bonfire Society itself comes from 1887.
That year, a report described the annual Bonfire Boys' Supper at the Bull Inn, presided over by society secretary G. H. Chrismas.
Charitable giving soon became part of the tradition.
In 1891, money left over from the celebrations was donated to Newick Cottage Hospital, the earliest known charitable gift made by the society.
That connection between Bonfire and charitable fundraising has survived into the modern organisation.
Restrictions and the End of the First Society
Newick's early Bonfire tradition was not uninterrupted.
There were no celebrations in 1906, 1907 or 1908 because of strict countywide restrictions imposed by the authorities.
Bonfire returned in 1909, complete with a draughted fire similar in principle to the one built today, but enthusiasm had declined during the enforced break.
The First World War brought a much longer interruption.
Celebrations were suspended between 1914 and 1918, and the original pre-war Newick Bonfire Society never reformed afterwards. Its records and regalia were lost.
The tradition itself, however, survived.
Armistice Bonfires
Between 1921 and 1923, the Newick branch of the Royal British Legion organised Armistice Day bonfires and fireworks on the Village Green.
These were not full Bonfire Society celebrations, but they helped maintain Newick's connection with public fire and commemoration during the years after the First World War.
A fuller revival eventually began during the 1930s.
The Revival Begins
In 1934, neighbours Jim Reynolds and Harry Fuller organised a small Bonfire and fireworks display in Jim Reynolds' large garden opposite the Royal Oak.
The following year, the landlord of the Bull Inn offered the use of the Bull Field, where a larger celebration could take place.
Jim Reynolds made torches and put up a notice advertising “Everyone's Bonfire”.
A small group of costumed villagers processed by torchlight from the Royal Oak, carrying a Guy on a trolley.
Leading them was Jim Reynolds himself, playing Sussex by the Sea on a mouth organ.
Those modest celebrations provided the spark from which the modern society grew.
Reformed in 1936
On 19 August 1936, villagers met at the Bull Hotel and formally decided to create a Bonfire Society.
The surviving minutes record the decision simply: “it was decided to form the Bonfire Society.”
G. Bannister became the first President of the modern Newick Bonfire Society, and a committee was established to organise the celebration.
The first event under the revived society took place that November in Bannister's Field near the telephone exchange.
In 1937, the society commissioned a large cloth banner. Remarkably, that original banner survives today. It was restored in 1977 and remained in use until 2000, when its age and fragility finally led to its replacement.
War and the Return of Bonfire
Bonfire was again suspended during the Second World War.
In September 1945, a bonfire and fireworks display was held on the playing field to celebrate the end of the war.
The full Newick Bonfire Night returned in 1946 and began developing into the event recognisable today.
Another important step came in 1950.
That year, Cliffe Bonfire Society became the first visiting society to participate in Newick's celebration.
Newick returned the support by attending its first outmeeting with Cliffe in Lewes.
That established Newick's place within the visiting society tradition that remains an important part of the Bonfire season.
Back to the Village Green
In 1953, the bonfire returned to Newick Village Green.
It has been built there every year since, with the exception of 2020, when the pandemic prevented the normal celebration.
The Village Green has become central to Newick Bonfire's identity.
Unlike a private firesite, the Green is a public space, so the society cannot charge spectators to enter. Membership, Vice-Presidents, donations and year-round fundraising therefore remain particularly important sources of income.
The 17 Burning Crosses
One of the most striking features of modern Newick Bonfire is the procession of 17 burning crosses.
The crosses represent the 17 Protestant martyrs burned in Lewes during the Marian persecutions of the 1550s.
They form part of a wider ceremonial tradition that also includes the society's Bonfire Clergy and Bonfire Prayers.
Together with the flaming torches, fire banners and tar barrel, they give Newick's procession a particularly traditional character.
The Mighty Rolling Tar Barrel
Newick also retains one of the most visually dramatic traditions in Bonfire: its large rolling tar barrel.
The society describes the barrel as both unique and mighty, and it forms one of the central fiery elements of the procession.
Burning tar barrels were a familiar sight in nineteenth-century Newick, with the 1854 newspaper report already describing them among the fireworks and flames around the Village Green.
The modern rolling barrel therefore provides a particularly strong link with the village's earliest documented celebrations.
The World's Largest Catherine Wheel
Perhaps the most extraordinary achievement in Newick Bonfire Society's modern history came in 1999.
To mark the approaching Millennium, the society built an enormous Catherine Wheel on the Village Green.
It measured 86 feet in diameter.
When fired, it became what was then recognised as the world's largest Catherine Wheel, earning Newick Bonfire Society a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
For a village society, it was an extraordinary technical and pyrotechnic achievement and remains one of the standout stories in Newick's history.
Charity at the Heart of Bonfire
Charitable fundraising has been part of Newick Bonfire Society for more than 130 years.
The earliest recorded donation came in 1891, when surplus money from the celebrations was given to Newick Cottage Hospital.
The modern society continues that tradition.
All money collected during the Newick Bonfire Night street collection is donated to good causes.
Since the modern society was formed in 1936, Newick Bonfire Society has raised more than £104,000 for deserving causes, with almost £40,000 collected during the most recent ten-year period covered by the society's history.
That charitable purpose sits alongside the separate fundraising required to pay for the celebration itself.
Fundraising Throughout the Year
Because Newick Bonfire takes place on the public Village Green and admission cannot be charged, fundraising is essential.
The society raises money throughout the year through membership, Vice-President subscriptions, donations and community events.
One of its largest events is the Newick Bonfire Society Summer Fete.
The 2026 fete takes place on Sunday 19 July at King George V Playing Field, with live music, a dog show, children's rides, food and craft stalls, steam engines, vintage tractors, classic cars and other attractions.
Badge Night and Badge Morning are also part of the annual build-up to Bonfire.
Membership
Newick Bonfire Society encourages people to become actively involved rather than simply watching the celebration.
Full members can attend outmeetings, help with fundraising and take part in the practical work required to stage Newick Bonfire Night.
For people who want to support the society without becoming actively involved, Newick also offers Vice-President membership.
The arrangement helps provide reliable financial support while allowing people to contribute to the continuation of the village tradition.
Members also benefit from the strong social side of the society and the friendships built with other Bonfire organisations.
Newick Bonfire 2026
The 2026 Newick Bonfire Night takes place on Saturday 31 October.
It is an especially important year for the society because it marks the 90th anniversary of the 1936 revival.
Once again, the celebration will bring together the traditions that have developed across generations: torchlit processions, fire banners, the rolling tar barrel, 17 burning crosses, Bonfire Clergy, Bonfire Prayers, the hand-built fire and electronically fired fireworks.
And in 2026, it all happens on Halloween itself.
Fire, Noise and Tradition
Few village Bonfire societies have a history as well documented as Newick.
The first known village Bonfire was recorded in 1828. By 1854 there were torchlit processions, political effigies and blazing tar barrels. The original society was active by 1887, while the present Newick Bonfire Society was formally reborn in 1936.
Since then, generations of members have added their own chapters.
Cliffe became the first visiting society in 1950. The Bonfire returned permanently to the Village Green in 1953. In 1999, members constructed an 86-foot Catherine Wheel and entered the Guinness Book of Records.
Meanwhile, charitable collections that began in the nineteenth century have now raised more than £104,000 for good causes.
In 2026, Newick Bonfire Society celebrates 90 years since its revival, but its story reaches back almost two centuries.
The society's own motto captures what has kept that tradition alive through war, restrictions, revival and changing generations:
Fire, Noise and Tradition – Wun't be Druv.