Making a present of the past (The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum (Sussex))

Member Name: bollinger28

Product:	The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum (Sussex)
Date:	07/04/09 (531 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Inactive and involving insight into life, times and customs of yester-year

Disadvantages: Being mostly open air, it's not much fun in the rain and cold.

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 a truly lovely environment of rolling Sussex hills. All in all, the grounds of the museum make up around 50 acres of countryside. If you're ever in the area - or want to make a special journey - then it really does make a superb day out, with something for all the family.


~~~ THE BUILDINGS ~~~

The museum is home to nearly 50 historic homes, farmsteads and workplaces - most of which have been rescued from destruction. The buildings have all been carefully dismantled, conserved and then rebuilt as close to their original form as possible. Each building has a detailed history - where it originally stood and what it looked like before it was restored. The buildings date back to as early as 13th century in some cases, and it is truly fascinating to wander around a 700 year old home and see how they would have lived. Most of the buildings have exhibition boards and audio histories so you can understand and appreciate how the building was originally used.

What's lovely about the museum is being able to wander in and out of the different buildings at your leisure and see exactly how the inhabitants would have lived in olden days. You really can appreciate the differences between how your ancestors lived then, compared to what life is like now. For example, the Victorian schoolroom is a great place for the children to appreciate the differences of how they learn nowadays compared to the methods taught to their great-great-great grandmothers and grandfathers.

Many of the property interiors have been furnished to recreate how they would have looked at that particular time. If you close your eyes and squint you can almost imagine your ancestors going about their daily tasks. Some of the properties have gardens, which are planted with shrubs, herbs and flowers that would have been used at the time. All in all the buildings and the gardens have been decorated and designed to really bring the past into the present - and one comes away gaining a real feel for how your ancestors would have lived.

Whenever I visit the museum I'm struck by how very harsh, dark and cold life must have been for people before the advent of proper glazing and electricity living in a rickety building with no proper windows, no power, no running water and the only heat from the open fireplace in the centre of your "lounge". It must have been truly bitter in the winter. It certainly does make one appreciate all that we take for granted in modern housing!

Obviously I'm not going to describe every single building in detail, as we'd be here all day. However I will attempt to describe my favourite buildings and what makes them so special. Everyone tends to remember Bayleaf more than any other building when they visit - mainly because it is so majestic and large. It's a 15th century timber framed farmhouse with a stunning open truss roof. I first visited the museum as a school child, and what was fascinating about Bayleaf was the fact that it had an upstairs loo! Called a garderobe or privy in those days, it was literally a wooden shelf with a hole in it. The farmer and his wife would sit on the shelf, and the contents of their ebullitions would drop down into a hole in the ground underneath......no doubt to be later cleaned up by some ancient toothless retainer. On my 1970's school trip, you were actually allowed to sit on the wooden shelf (or maybe you weren't and we just got away with it!), and pretend you were using the loo. As you can imagine this was a source of fascination and great mirth for a class of 30 or so 8 year olds - all taking it in turns to sit on the board or stand underneath and look up at their classmates backsides! Nowadays, of course, one is more sedate and able to appreciate the finer details of the building and garden...and doesn't feel the need to sit in the garderobe...

The 17th century Treadwheel from Catherington in Hampshire has been at the museum since my first visit there in the 1970's, and I can remember being fascinated by the fact that a it probably had some small, poor unfortunate boy strapped to it for hours on end, just to raise water from the well. I could never decide which was worse, being sent up a chimney or being strapped to a treadwheel and made to walk for miles and miles?

Further down the hill and well worth a visit is the Market Place, which is now somewhat of a focal point to the museum. The market square is surrounded by various medieval shops and work places. It's all very atmospheric and authentic looking with some beautiful white and red ochre timber clad buildings. Its shape and area are based on the old market square at Alfriston in East Sussex. Nearby and across the lake is a fully operational 17th century watermill, where they still grind and sell their own flour (and, yes, you can buy the flour in the gift shop afterwards!). Inside much of the working mechanism of the mill is visible and guides are on hand to explain the processes in detail.


~~~ ANCIENT RURAL CRAFTS ~~~

The museum also champions the traditional rural skills and crafts of yesteryear, with many demonstrations throughout the site. Within some of the buildings, there are demonstrations of rural skills such as cooking and weaving or how to recreate the beauty products used by our ancestors from what they managed to grown in their gardens. The working Tudor kitchen at Winkhurst is particularly worth a visit as it houses an authentically costumed cook, explaining what she is cooking (things like bread, pottage and sweetmeats all using herbs and plants harvested from the cottage garden) and how she is doing it. Expert staff are on hand in many buildings to give demonstrations or answer questions about how the original inhabitants of the building lived.

If you're interested, you can learn about construction methods and the tools used for building these ancient properties. You can learn how to make wattle and daub walls, or how to construct ancient timber frames. Similarly, there are demonstrations of traditional methods of ccarpentry, plumbing, thatching and other rudimentary techniques to be observed. There's also an exhibition on stone masonry as well as stained glass work.

The museum also undertakes downland farming using the old traditional methods; there are some lovely old Shire horses ready to pull the ploughs. They also raise rare and traditional breeds of livestock such as pigs, cows, sheep, geese and chickens. The lambs were just being born on our last visit and they were delightful to watch.


~~~SPECIAL EVENTS ~~~

The museum holds many special events throughout the year - all of which tend to be themed towards the skills of the rural past. The Rare Breeds Show in July is the highlight of the calendar at the museum, with over 500 animals to see. There is also a Steam Festival in August and a Heavy Horse display in May. Added to which they are food fayres and traditional crafts on offer throughout the year, culminating in a delightful Christmas market in December, as well as Tree Dressing ceremonies. Children can take part in their Wonderful Wednesday activity days which are held during the summer holidays, and allow them to take part in unusual rural skills, activities, games and crafts.


~~~ RECOMMENDATION ~~~

What fascinates me most about this museum is that there is always something new to see, or an old favourite building can be revisited. The museum is a real work in progress and it's constantly growing and evolving as new buildings are sourced and added. As I said earlier, my first visit to the museum was as a child on a school trip back in the 70's. The museum was a lot smaller in those days, and there were fewer buildings to see, but it was still a fantastic day out. Today, the museum still remains one of the most popular school trips in the south, as it manages to bring stuffy old history to life and make it so much more interactive for any generation. It's a wonderful day out for parents and children of all ages. I've visited the museum many a time during the last 30 years and there is always something different or new to appreciate.

All the buildings are well spaced out and set in truly lovely grounds - gently undulating down the hill towards a picturesque lake. All in all the museum is a superb family attraction, which really brings the past into the present in a fun and interesting way. You can take as little or as much information you want from the site. You can rush around all the buildings in two and a bit hours, or you can take you time to read about them and spend the whole day there. I'd say that the museum really does lend itself to a full day out though. Spend the morning visiting the buildings to the top of the hill and exploring the woods where they still produce charcoal in the traditional way. Then meander down the hill towards the lake and enjoy lunch in the grounds (catering wise there is a café on site, which sells excellent traditional foods). However, whenever I've been there, I've taken a picnic. It's lovely to sit on the grassy slopes overlooking the lake and enjoy the historical ambiance and atmosphere. In the afternoon you can enjoy the buildings on the lower slopes and inspect the farmyard animals and birds.

The museum is set in a truly superb open air location with plenty of space to appreciate and drink in the essence of the past. Highly recommended.


~~~ OPENING TIMES AND ADMISSION CHARGES ~~~

The museum is open daily from 14th February to 23rd December 2009 (January and early February, opening times are limited to weekends and Wednesdays only).

Opening times are 10.30am to 6.00pm during British Summer Time and then 10.30am to 4.00pm for the rest of the year.

Adult entry = £8.95 (£7.95 for over 60's)
Child entry = £4.70 (up to age of 15....under fives go free)
Family ticket = £24.25 (Two adults and up to three children)

Added to which you have free (and ample) car parking, and if you want to take your four legged friend, dogs go free too (provided they are on a lead). Do bear in mind that due to the open air nature of the museum, it can be pretty grim in the wet so dress appropriately and take a brolly if you visit during the rainy season (Jan - Dec in UK....).

The museum is suitable for all ages and abilities. However, the site is quite hilly, so the infirm or elderly may find the terrain a little hard going. Similarly, there is no wheelchair access to the vast majority of the buildings...as that really wouldn't really be in keeping with the authenticity of the structures.


~~~ CONTACT DETAILS ~~~

The museum is situated 7 miles north of Chichester, West Sussex in the tiny village of Singleton. Goodwood Racecourse is just over the hill. The best route to the museum is take the A286, and then follow the signage.

Weald and Downland Open Air Museum
Town Lane
Singleton
Chichester
PO18 0EU

Website: http://www.wealddown.co.uk
Email: office@wealddown.co.uk
Telephone: 01243 811363
Fax: 01243 811475

Summary: Lovely open air museum in the south of England