Weald and Downland Living Museum facts for kids

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Weald and Downland Living Museum
A group of buildings at the museum's Market Square
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Established	1970
Location	Singleton, West Sussex

The Weald and Downland Living Museum is an exciting open-air museum located in Singleton, West Sussex. It's a special place where you can explore history in a fun, hands-on way. The museum is also a registered charity, which means it's run to help people and isn't just for profit.

This huge museum covers about 40 acres (16 hectares). It's home to over 50 historic buildings. These buildings date from as far back as 950 AD all the way to the 19th century. You can also find beautiful gardens, farm animals, walking paths, and a peaceful mill pond.

The main goal of the museum is to save old buildings from South East England. These buildings are examples of vernacular architecture, which means they were built using local materials and traditional methods. By saving them, the museum helps people learn about and appreciate old buildings.

The museum tries to keep buildings where they originally stood. But if a building is in danger of being destroyed, they carefully take it apart. Then, they move it to the museum and rebuild it exactly as it was. This way, these important pieces of history are saved for everyone to see.

These amazing buildings, plus two reconstructed ancient homes, bring history to life. You can see how people lived, worked on farms, and ran businesses over the last 950 years. The museum also offers "hands-on" activities like cooking and weaving. They also host special events throughout the year, like seasonal shows and a historic gardens weekend.

Discover the Museum's History
Explore Historic Buildings
Meet the Museum Animals
Awards and Recognition
Filming Location: See It on TV!
See Also

Discover the Museum's History

A traction engine powering the museum's threshing machine

The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum started in 1967. It was created by a group of enthusiastic people led by Dr. J.R. Armstrong. A local landowner, Edward James, generously gave the land for the museum. The main idea was to save old, traditional buildings that were going to be torn down. The museum first opened its doors to visitors on September 5, 1970.

The idea of an "open-air museum" was already popular in Scandinavia. It's a way to create a three-dimensional setting to show how people lived and worked in the past. Open-air museums help you understand the tools, furniture, clothes, and art of different time periods by seeing them in real buildings.

Explore Historic Buildings

The museum has many different types of buildings. Each one tells a story about how people lived and worked long ago.

Aisled Barn: A Big Farm Building

This large barn was built around 1771. It came from Prior's Leaze Farm in Hambrook, Sussex. It has a strong timber frame made of oak and elm wood. The outside is covered with weatherboards, and the roof is thatched with reed. What makes this barn special is its "aisle," which goes all the way around the building. This design allowed wagons to easily enter through the tall barn doors. Inside, you can see an exhibition about old building materials and methods, like bricklaying and thatching. Builders found the year 1771 scratched on a rafter when they were repairing the barn, showing when it was built.

Barn from Cowfold: A Medieval Farm Building

The medieval barn from Cowfold

This barn is made of timber and dates back to the 16th century. It originally stood in Cowfold, Sussex. It's a great example of a late-medieval barn from the Weald area. Scientists used dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) to study the wood. They found that the trees were cut down in 1536, so the barn was likely built soon after that. At the museum, it's placed next to the Bayleaf farmhouse, creating a complete farm scene.

Bayleaf Farmhouse: A Home from the 1400s

The house being carefully taken apart

Bayleaf farmhouse is a timber-framed Wealden hall house with a tiled roof. It was built in the early 15th century (the 1400s). This house has four rooms downstairs and two upstairs. In the main upstairs room, called the solar, the windows have sliding wooden shutters. There's even an old-fashioned toilet called a garderobe! This house was originally in Ide Hill, Kent. It was given to the museum in 1968 because a new reservoir was going to flood its original spot. The house was carefully taken apart in the winter of 1968–69 and rebuilt here.

Brick-Drying Shed: Making Bricks in the Past

This shed was used for drying bricks. It came from the Causeway Brickworks near Petersfield, Hampshire. Built in 1733, it's 80 feet (24 meters) long. Today, it shows how traditional brickmaking was done. The brickworks closed during World War II because the bright glow from its kiln could be seen by enemy planes.

Carpenter's Shop: Where Woodwork Happened

This carpenter's shop was built in the late 19th or early 20th century. It came from Windlesham, Surrey. The building has a simple timber frame, with its main posts dug directly into the ground. The walls are made of vertical wooden boards, and the whole structure was covered in tar to protect it. When the museum received the workshop, it still had many of the tools and materials the carpenter used. The workbenches were in place, and some tools were still on their racks!

Charcoal Burner's Camp: Making Fuel

The charcoal burner's camp was one of the first exhibits when the museum opened in 1970. Making charcoal was the first rural trade shown here. The camp demonstrates how charcoal was made. The person making charcoal had to watch the kiln all the time, so they lived in a small hut right there at the camp. The camp was recently updated with advice from retired charcoal burners who used these traditional methods until 1948.

Court Barn: A Place for Exhibitions

Court barn was built in the late 17th or early 18th century. It originally stood in Lee-on-Solent, Hampshire. It had a central area for threshing grain and a special loft for owls above the entrance. This building now hosts an exhibition about how lead was used in buildings and plumbing. It also shows stonemasonry and stained glass work. The barn was taken apart in 1976 and rebuilt at the museum in 1980. The popular BBC TV show The Repair Shop has been filmed in this barn since 2017.

Granary: Storing Grain Safely

The Littlehampton granary and Charlwood shed

This granary was built in 1731 in West Ashling, Sussex. It has a timber frame filled with bricks and a thatched roof. It's quite large for a granary, measuring about 20 feet (6 meters) square. It stands on sixteen special staddle stones. These stones lift the building off the ground to protect the grain from pests like mice and rats.

Gridshell: A Modern Marvel

The unique Gridshell building

The Weald and Downland Gridshell was built between 2000 and 2002. It's a very modern and clever design! Its main purpose is to store the museum's collection of rural items in an easy-to-access way. It also has the museum's workshops where they restore old items. The building has won eight awards, and it was even a runner-up for the famous RIBA 2003 Stirling Prize.

Hall: A Medieval Home

The old house in 1971. The part saved is on the right.

This medieval hall house was built in the 15th century in Boarhunt, Hampshire. It has a special cruck frame construction, with brick walls and a thatched roof. The building was saved in 1971. Only the medieval part of the house was moved to the museum. The hall is about 17 feet (5 meters) square. Even though only about 30% of the original wood remains, it was rebuilt because its cruck frame is very unique.

Hangleton Cottage: A Peasant's Home

Hangleton Cottage is a small, flint-built, thatched medieval cottage. It's based on two homes found during archaeological digs at the deserted medieval village of Hangleton, Hove. These digs in the 1950s uncovered eight buildings from the 13th and 14th centuries. Hangleton cottage shows what a typical peasant's home looked like back then, with a main room for cooking and a smaller inner room with an oven. Hangleton became a deserted village after tough times like the Great Famine and the Black Death plague.

Horse Whim: Lifting Water

The West Kingsdown horse whim

The horse whim is inside an open-fronted, thatched shed that came from Charlwood, Surrey. A horse would walk in a circle to power this machine, which was used to pull water up from a well. The horse whim itself was originally from West Kingsdown, Kent. It was saved by the museum in 1980 and set up here in 2000.

House, Lavant: An Education Space

This house dates from the 17th century and came from Lavant, West Sussex. On the outside, it looks just like it did in the 1600s. But inside, it has a modern design. This building is now used as an education room for school groups and young visitors to the museum.

Longport Farmhouse: A Kentish Home

Longport Farmhouse is a typical Kent farmhouse. It used to be in Folkestone, Kent, but was in danger because of the Channel Tunnel construction. The oldest part of the house dates back to 1554. Over the centuries, many parts were added and changed. The farmhouse was taken apart in 1992 and rebuilt in 1995. The museum tried to rebuild it exactly as it was in the early 20th century, showing all its different stages of change. This farmhouse also serves as offices for the museum staff.

Market Hall: A Town Meeting Place

The Market Hall

The Market Hall was built in the 17th century and came from Titchfield, Hampshire. It has a small jail cell (lock-up) on the ground floor. The room upstairs was used as the town council's meeting place. When the Market Hall was moved to the museum, it was actually the second time it had been moved! It was first moved from the center of Titchfield to another spot in the town in the mid-19th century.

Medieval House, North Cray: A Red House

The medieval house from North Cray

This medieval hall house was probably built in the 15th century in North Cray, Kent. It has a timber frame and a tiled roof. The outside timbers are made of elm wood, which is unusual (oak was more common). They are painted red because there's evidence that they were originally painted this color.

Medieval House, Sole Street: Hands-On History

The medieval hall house from Sole Street

This medieval hall house came from Sole Street, Kent. It has a timber frame and a tiled roof. This building is now used for craft demonstrations. Visitors can often get a hands-on experience and try out old crafts here.

Pendean Farmhouse: A Furnished Home

Pendean farmhouse

This hall house was built in 1609 in West Lavington, West Sussex. Instead of an open hall, it has a central chimney with fireplaces on both the ground and first floors. It still has some old features from the 16th century, like windows without glass. The building has a timber frame with brick filling on the ground floor and wattle and daub (a mix of sticks and mud) on the first floor. It was rebuilt at the museum in 1975. The house is furnished to show what it would have looked like in its time.

Poplar Cottage: A Small, Old Home

Poplar Cottage

Poplar Cottage is a small, timber-framed, thatched building from the 17th century. It was originally in Washington, Sussex. It was built between 1550 and 1630. The cottage was given to the museum in 1982 and carefully taken apart that year. It was rebuilt in 1999 with help from a grant. The outside walls of the smoke bay were filled with sandstone, and the rest of the building was filled with wattle and daub. The roof was thatched.

School: Learning in the Past

This building dates from the 19th century. It was used as a school for poor children in the early 1800s. It originally came from West Wittering. It's built with brick and flint and has a tiled roof.

Stable: Home for Horses

This stable was built in the mid-18th century and came from Watersfield, Sussex. It has a timber frame, is covered in weatherboarding, and has a tiled roof. This building can house up to five horses or oxen.

Smithy: The Blacksmith's Workshop

The smithy was built in the mid-19th century. It originally stood in Southwater, Sussex. This is where a blacksmith would have worked, shaping metal with fire and tools.

Treadwheel: A Human-Powered Machine

The treadwheel dates from the early 17th century. It was probably powered by people walking inside it, not a horse, because of its size. The treadwheel is inside a small timber-framed building with a thatched roof. It originally came from Catherington, Hampshire.

Tindalls Cottage: A Home from the 1700s

Tindalls Cottage was built around 1700–1725. It's an oak-framed building with a tiled roof and a chimney at the end. It came from Ticehurst, East Sussex. It was taken apart in 1974 before a reservoir was built. The cottage is named after the Tindall family, who lived there from 1748 to 1806.

Toll Cottage: Paying to Use the Road

The toll cottage is a typical example from the 18th and 19th centuries. It originally stood on a road built in 1807 in Upper Beeding, Sussex. At the museum, it has been set up with a recreated tollgate and a milestone, showing how people used to pay to use certain roads.

Upper Hall: A Community Space

The Upper Hall from Crawley, with the Market Hall in front.

This building dates from the 15th century. It has a long, open room on the first floor. This room was probably used as a meeting place for the community. It originally came from Crawley, Sussex. The building was going to be torn down for an office extension. Only the middle part of the building you see today is original. The ends are modern reconstructions that look like the old style. This building is used as the museum's library and meeting place.

Watermill: Grinding Flour

The watermill was built in the early 17th century and was still working until 1935. It's now fully working again! You can even buy flour from the mill in the museum shop. The mill originally came from Lurgashall, Sussex. It was used to serve Petworth House and Park. At one time, it might have been used to grind bark for making leather. In 1968, the old mill was damaged by floods, and its heavy millstones fell through the rotten floors.

The mill was originally powered by a small river. It once had two waterwheels, each powering two sets of millstones. The large 12-foot (3.7-meter) diameter waterwheel you see today drives two pairs of millstones, a sack hoist, and a flour dresser. The machinery inside was installed in 1911. The mill was given to the museum in 1973 and carefully taken apart. Rebuilding and restoring the machinery took seven years.

Whittaker's Cottages: Two Homes, One Building

Whittaker's cottages are a pair of timber-built cottages with a slate roof. They originally came from Ashtead, Surrey. One cottage is furnished to show what it looked like in the 19th century. The other is unfurnished so you can see how it was built.

Windpump: Pumping Water with Wind

Westham windpump

Origin
Grid reference	SU 8744 1285
Coordinates	ACoordinates: Unknown argument format
Operator(s)	Weald and Downland Open Air Museum
Year built	Mid-19th century
Information
Purpose	Pumping water
Type	Hollow post mill
No. of sails	Four
Type of sails	Boarded sails
Winding	Windvane
Type of pump	Plunger pump

The windpump is a hollow post mill built in the mid-19th century. It was originally in Westham, Sussex. It was even shown on an 1860 map! The windpump was rebuilt at the museum in 1975.

Winkhurst Kitchen: A Tudor Kitchen

This 16th-century building was once part of a larger building in Sundridge, Kent. It has a timber frame and a special "crown-post" roof. It was built between 1492 and 1537. This was the very first building the museum acquired! It was taken apart in 1968 and rebuilt at the museum. Later, it was decided to move it again to a better spot. So, it was taken apart a second time in 2001 and rebuilt in 2002. The inside of the building has been recreated as a working Tudor kitchen.

Meet the Museum Animals

The museum is home to a variety of farm animals that would have been common in the past. You can see Southdown sheep, Sussex chickens, and Embden geese. They also have some rare saddleback pigs on loan. Plus, there are Percheron horses that help pull the museum's old horse-drawn vehicles and farm tools.

Awards and Recognition

The museum has won many awards for its amazing work and special collection.

2018 – Public and Community Award, Sussex Heritage Trust. This was for the museum's new visitor center.
2017 – Sandford Award for Education, Heritage Education Trust. This award recognizes excellent educational programs.
2016 – Queen's Award for Voluntary Service. This is the highest award a volunteer group can get in the UK. It was given to the museum's volunteers for their work in sharing history and crafts.
2015 – Balfour of Burleigh Tercentenary Prize. Awarded to Roger Champion, the Museum Master Carpenter, for his amazing craft skills.
2015 – Sussex Visitor Attraction of the Year.
2015 – Sussex Heritage Person of the Year. Awarded to Richard Pailthorpe, the Museum Director.
2012 – Sussex Heritage Person of the Year. Awarded to Roger Champion, the Museum Master Carpenter.
2011 – Europa Nostra Award. The museum received a European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage for its training program in historic building conservation.
2001 – Sandford Award for Education, Heritage Education Trust.
1998 – Designated Outstanding Collection. The museum's entire collection was recognized as being very important nationally (and sometimes internationally).
1997 – Sandford Award for Education, Heritage Education Trust.
1989 – Times/Shell Community Museum Award. The public voted for this award, showing how much support the museum gets from its local community.
1975 – National Heritage Museum of the Year Award. The museum was one of the first independent museums to receive this award.

Filming Location: See It on TV!

The barn at the Weald and Downland Living Museum used for filming The Repair Shop in 2019

The museum is often used as a filming location because of its authentic old buildings and beautiful countryside. You might have seen it in some of your favorite shows!

Some productions filmed here include:

Amazon Prime Video Good Omens (2017)
BBC1/BBC2 The Repair Shop (since May 2017)
CBeebies My Story Specials: Great Fire of London (2016)
Wall to Wall (for BBC2) Victorian Bakers (2016)
BBC Films & Koch Media Bill (2015)
BBC Countryfile (2015, 2008)
BBC The Hollow Crown Henry VI part II (2015)
Lion TV Tudor Monastery Farm (2013)
BBC Flog It! (2013)
360 Productions Ltd The Time Travellers Guide to the Elizabethans (2012)
BBC Hairy Bikers (2012)
STV Productions Celebrity Antiques Road Trip (2012)
Silver River Restoration Women (2012)
Shakespeare Productions Ltd Henry VI parts (2012)
Lion TV The Link (2011)
BBC The One Show with Ruth Goodman (2011)
Endemol Restoration Village – The Final (2010, 2009)
Hallmark Entertainment The 10th Kingdom (2000)
BBC If Walls Could Talk with Lucy Worsley (2009, 2010)
Talkback Thames Escape to the Country (2009)
Antix Productions Most Haunted (2009)
BBC Tweenies (1999, Old House episode)