The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum (Sussex)

The Weald and Downland Museum is a magical place. Set in the midst of the beautiful South Downs, it is a little bit of preserved history for all to enjoy. Dotted around the 50 acre site are historic buildings which have been "rescued" from demolition and painstakingly reconstructed. The buildings provide a fascinating insight into what it was like to live in a rural community in the past - from the idyllic chocolate box cottages with beautiful gardens on the outside, to the earth floors, draughty windows and tiny rooms on the inside. As well as the traditional country cottages, there are also working buildings, such as a watermill (you ...  Read the complete review

Just north of Chichester, in the tiny village of Singleton, you'll find the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum. The museum is almost like a small village in itself as it's made up of nearly 50 ancient buildings which have been moved from all over the south of England and rebuilt on the site of the museum. There are medieval shops, ancient cottages, a watermill, a treadmill, a toll house as well as various farm houses and barns all "collected" from Sussex, Hampshire, Kent, and Surrey. Many of these buildings are likely to have been lost forever were it not for the launch of the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum in 1967 by a group of enthusiasts. It's all set in ...  Read the complete review