Cover Illustration.
Drawing of the South
Elevation of the Crawley Hall.
Drawn by John Warren and Alan Robson.
|
|
MUSEUM NEWS |
|
The bulk of this newsletter will be devoted to news and information about
the Museum. At this time of year, many of you will be looking forward to
returning to Singleton and I hope that the Newsletter will not only inform
you, but also encourage you at the start of yet another season. We shall be
starting on three major projects this year and details of these are
included.
This
major step forward has been possible due to the success of last season and
also due to the receipt of major grants. The fine weather and our good
fortune during 1975 cannot, of course, be relied upon for the future. Fund
raising and recruitment are just as important as before. A calculation of
man-hours put in by volunteers and valued at a normal rate of pay show that
without the help of our stewards and other volunteers, the Museum would be
very far from viable. The continued development is still absolutely
dependent on your help.
After five years of operation, as one would expect, it has been necessary to
undertake quite a lot of repair work in many areas of the site. The entrance
road has been resurfaced at considerable expense and attention has been paid
to plumbing. In some areas of the site, erosion is becoming a problem and in
one place we have had to fence off a piece of woodland to allow the
undergrowth to recover. As well as this work we have started on a planned
replanting programme which will help to alleviate the effect of losing so
many trees over the next few years. We have already had to fell the elms
near the entrance and will very soon have to fell the elms behind Titchfield.
I
must also report the sad loss of the Selsey Waggon Shed which, in its
unfinished state was blown down during that memorable gale. The Scouts had
worked very hard on the project and indeed, won an award for their efforts.
The damage to the timbers was considerable and it is unlikely that much can
be salvaged.
CURRENT PROJECTS NEARING COMPLETION
Pendean
By
the time we are open at Easter, Pendean will be ready and open to the
public. Its enormous chimney stack is a new feature on the site. Geoff Kent
and John Friar have succeeded in reconstructing a complicated structure very
accurately. The time involved has been considerable and a number of delays
were caused by the bad weather.
Watersfield
Stable
Anthony Simmons has nearly completed the re-building of Watersfield Stable
and during the summer, Mr. Plewis, who some years ago donated the whole of
his wheelwright's equipment to the Museum, will be coming down to establish
a wheelwright's shop in the Stable. We should have an extremely interesting
exhibit which will compliment the Forge very well.
New Workshop Site
The
workshop site has been a problem for a long time now, but at last, the
workshop has been moved to its new site at Singleton Station. In its new
position, not only does it tidy the site behind Bayleaf, but also it enables
us to establish much more organised stores and facilities. A good
laying-out area is available and stocks of timber are readily to hand.
During this summer a small shed will be built in the top bay of the car park
for certain tools, etc. that are needed regularly on site, as well as
providing a dry storage area for lime and cement.
Facilities for Coach
Drivers
For
a long time now, coach drivers have been complaining that there is nowhere
for them to rest and obtain a cup of tea. Mr. & Mrs Powicke have kindly
restored a small road waggon which will be placed in the car park where the
drivers will be able to make themselves a cup of tea or coffee.
Educational Work
Heather Jackson has produced a new series of teachers' leaflets. They are
trails which aim to introduce teachers to the more detailed aspects of the
buildings. They should prove useful to the more serious teacher. The loan
service has developed further with the addition of new materials. At present
it is only possible to provide this service in a limited way, but
eventually, we hope it will come to be a useful resource for local schools.
Lining of the Lake
An
order has been placed for the lining of the upper pond with polythene. As
soon as conditions permit, the work will begin. By mid-summer, therefore, we
should have a lake full of water at last.
Newspaper
Collection of newspaper continues. We have sold the first load, and made £25
for the Museum Site Fund. We hope that you will continue to bring your waste
paper to the Museum, but please, always tie the bundles securely, and keep
magazines separate. This is most important as the rate for magazines is very
low, and one magazine in a bundle of newspapers means the whole bundle is
paid for at the low rate. Many thanks for your efforts so far.
Plastic Envelopes
You
may have been surprised by the plastic envelope that your copy of the
newsletter arrived in. These envelopes are only half the price of the paper
ones, and much lighter. With over one thousand newsletters to despatch, the
saving is considerable.
Lecture Programme -
1976
We
have made new arrangements for this year's lecture programme. The Sunday
evening talks were not at all well attended and we have transferred them to
Wednesday evenings at West Dean College. A programme and booking form is
attached to this newsletter. If you wish to come, please complete the form
and return it to the Museum Office as soon as possible. You are welcome to
bring a guest, especially if you can persuade them to join the Friends or to
become a steward! Information on the Autumn Lectures will be sent with the
September Newsletter.
|
|
SAFETY ON
SITE |
The recent introduction of the Health and Safety at Work Act has placed
increased responsibility on the Museum, not only towards our full time
staff but also towards the visiting public. For the purpose of the Act,
volunteers on stewarding duty are considered as Staff. Most of the
provisions affect the building works, but there are a number of points
that volunteers are asked to bear in mind.
 |
Care must be taken to see that no object is left lying around in such a
way that it can cause injury. This, of course, applies to practical
volunteers most of all, but stewards are also asked to take care.
|
|
Please report to the Director any broken item or obstruction that might
cause injury.
First Aid Kits are available in the Office and in the Shop. Volunteers
must not administer first aid in any but the most minor cases. Miss
Maxwell has been trained in basic First Aid and should always be
referred to. Any serious accidents will be dealt with by qualified
people i.e. local doctor or hospital.
|
|
All accidents must be reported to the Director who will enter them in
the Accident Book.
|
|
Out of kindness, some volunteers have supplied aspirin, etc., to
visitors asking for help. This should never be done. It is not possible
for a volunteer to disassociate himself from the Museum whilst on duty,
and the responsibility remains with the Museum. Please, be hard-hearted.
|
Sadly, it has become necessary to fence each building site while work is
in progress in such a way that the public cannot enter the compounds. We
will try to do this so as much as possible can be seen of the work going
on from outside the fence. This will apply particularly to the two major
projects to be started this the Crawley Building and the Mill.
All volunteers and Stewards are asked to respect this rule very carefully
and we have a definite legal responsibility to do this, and your help in
this matter will be appreciated. Of course, we do not wish to take away
from your own enjoyment and interest, but if you wish to see a building
from "the inside" please announce yourself to the craftsmen before you
enter the compound.
I
apologise for all these rules and regulations, but the provisions of the
Act are very far-reaching and I have had to examine our operations very
carefully and there are many areas where inconvenience has been incurred
in the laudable interests of safety.
|
|
THE JETTIED UPPER HALL FROM CRAWLEY |
|
The building known as the Crawley Barn represents an important development
for the Museum. It will be converted for use as a library and meeting room,
with a small exhibition area. At some time in its history, the Building was
shortened at both ends and therefore, the frame is no longer complete. We
intend to add a bay at each end, thereby providing access to the first floor
and some extra space. These new bays will be of modern materials and by
choosing sympathetic colours the marriage of the old and the new should be
successful. John Warren, assisted by Alan Robson will be acting as
architects to the project and it is hoped that the result will be an example
of conversion to modern use of an historic structure without compromising
the original building. Roger Champion will undertake the repair work. There
follows a summary by Roy Armstrong giving further details of the building,
which is also illustrated on the front cover of this newsletter.
This
building; long known as "The Old Barn” was situated close to the centre of
Crawley and adjacent to the medieval manor house known as The Tree, in the
High Street. As built it was a very different building. When carefully
examined, at the time when demolition was imminent to make way for an office
extension, it was revealed as originally a building with a continuous jetty
at first floor level, the first floor designed as a long open hall of at
least four bays - that is, some thirty six feet in length. There was no
indication of any partition and all the tie beams, including the one at the
end of the building were chamfered on both sides. Two bays were complete,
with two-thirds of a bay at the West end, one bay at the East end having
been demolished, but leaving the chamfered tie-beam. Excavation of the site
confirmed the view that the building had originally consisted of four bays.
The jetty had been concealed by moving the supporting posts to the end of
the floor joists which supported the jetty, and then the whole of the
exterior had been covered with weather-board which concealed both the timber
framing and the window openings (two of which still preserved their
mullions). Behind the weather-board some wattle and daub infill also still
survived. The roof had been stripped of its original tiles and a covering of
felt substituted.
The
relatively low pitch of the roof makes it fairly certain that the original
roof covering was of Horsham Slab which would have been most probable for a
building of that status in that area. The Museum is fortunate in having a
stock of Horsham slab tiles from a medieval building in Horsham (Bournes)
which was demolished at about the same time.
The
timber-frame of the first floor, or upper hall, was found to be in very good
condition, and it was possible to lift most of the rafter trusses from the
roof and place in store without removing the pegs. The evidence provided by
the two and a half bays which survive will make it possible to reconstruct
the missing sections without undue guesswork. Its original purpose, like
that of other long upper halls such as survive most notably in Long Crendon
in Essex, Elstow in Bedfordshire and Finchingfield in Hertfordshire, would
almost certainly have been to serve some public use, such as a Guild Hall,
or Moot Hall, etc., the stairs being situated within one of the end bays.
The ground floor might have been used for various purposes, such as lock-up
workshops, storage, etc.. (At Finchingfield, the ground floors are now
residential).
J.
R. Armstrong.
|
|
BASE CRUCK COTTAGE FROM BOARHUNT, EAST HAMPSHIRE |
Like the Horsham medieval shop and the early brick house from Lavant, this
cottage had remained derelict and unrecognised up to the time when
demolition had virtually commenced. A casual interior inspection by a
member of our Sites and Buildings Committee revealed its unusual structure
- unusual that is in the area which the Museum serves. The status of the
building falls into the small farm or cottage category rather than into
that of the more substantial yeoman class emerging in the later Middle
Ages.
The part of the building which was rescued consisted of a medieval
timber-framed structure containing two rooms: a two bay cruck hall and a
room, possibly a service room - under the hipped end. As found the
building had brick walls (of several different dates) and a thatched roof.
An upper hall had been inserted over the hall lighted by dormer windows
and a large brick chimney serving two ground floor hearths and a bake oven
had been built in the lower bay of the hall. The service room was still
open to the roof as it had always been and the rafters and thatch battens
were heavily sooted from the original open fire. It is clear from the
structure that the timber framed building originally extended on from the
upper end of the hall, but this end (which may have been a 'solar’ or
possibly another open hall) had been completely replaced by a later brick
building.
The timber framed building is fragmentary in that only about 30% of the
timbers still exist. Normally, this would be considered too little on
which to base a reconstruction, but luckily, this does not apply to
Boarhunt, mainly because the building is extremely small scale and simple,
and because the remains were well distributed throughout the frames. The
main difficulties arise because the wall plate had almost completely
disintegrated, but probable original door and window positions can be
guessed from other features. The form, dimensions and construction
details of the building can be reconstructed with almost complete
certainty.
The main interest of the reconstruction will lie in the hall: it is small
(approximately 17 feet square) but has architectural pretension. The cruck
arch which divides upper from lower bay is illustrated opposite. In
addition, there is evidence that the frame at the upper end of the hall,
had a moulded 'dais rail' at doorhead height, and was designed with arch
braces under the tie beam forming a visual accent above the high table.
The construction method is also of great interest. It is a unique example
of cruck construction with 'clasped purlins' - side purlins clasped
between principal rafter and collar. The crucks are unusual in that they
terminate just above collar level: they may, therefore, be called 'base-crucks',
although they are very distant relatives of the true base-crucks of
quasi-aisled houses such as Tickeridge and Chennels Brook Farm.
Anthony Simmons will commence the repair of the timbers when he has
completed the Watersfield Stable. A site has been set aside to the north
of Hangleton Cottage.
|
|
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY |
|
16th April |
Summer Season
Starts |
|
16th- 30th April |
Exhibition of
Schools work at the Museum in Titchfield Market Hall. |
|
5th May |
Seminar – “The
Interior Workings of Mills” by Frank Gregory |
|
6th May - 25th July |
Exhibition in
Titchfield Market Hall of "The Reconstruction of Titchfield Market
Hall" . |
|
2nd June
|
Seminar – “Problems
of Conservation Philosophy in Buildings in Use” by John Warren |
|
30th June |
Seminar - "The
Wheelwright’s Shop" by Arthur Plewis |
|
30th June - 3rd
July |
Exhibition of Guild
of Sussex
Craftsmen |
|
10th July |
Buffet Supper -
Friends And Volunteers
Exhibition in Titchfield Market Hall |
|
1st - 22nd August |
"English Cottages
and Small Farmhouses" (Loaned exhibition from Arts Council) |
|
4th August |
Seminar – “Avoncroft
Museum
of Buildings Recent Projects” by Richard Harris |
|
1st September |
Seminar -
"Chichester Cathedral Stonework Restoration" by E. Brooke |
|
13th October |
Seminar -"The Tudor
House" by John Lowe |
FURTHER DETAILS OF ANY OF THE ABOVE ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE OFFICE
MEMBERS ARE REMINDED THAT THEY MUST BOOK FOR ALL SEMINARS AND OTHER
EVENTS.
|
|
MUSEUM SCHOOLS SERVICE |
Schools and colleges have been taking advantage of the Tuesday and
Thursday winter openings, particularly in the months of February and
March, for educational use.
The majority of schools came to the Museum to study in detail selected
exhibits and link these with topic work being carried out at school. Most
of the schools which used the museum for a more 'general'
visit had been prepared beforehand and had been issued with
questionnaire work to be carried out at the Museum. Some of these visits
were going to be followed up with more work on their return
to school in the form of interest books and model making.
The majority of students visiting the Museum were first year and studying
architecture or types of building techniques and materials. They viewed
the exhibits in a general way as an introduction to their course.
One school has been in the position to help with maintenance of Winkhurst
and Bayleaf in particular. The wattle and daub walling of these two
buildings has to be lime washed, ideally annually. The children concerned
have involved themselves in collecting the materials required, mixing it
and applying the wash to the walls. This has been carried out with
enthusiasm and has Droved to be a valuable educational experience.
The more local schools especially, have been taking advantage of the Loan
Service now functioning from the Museum. Loan material includes a
selection of types of building materials and tools,
visual material includes hard-backed large photographs of the
various stages of building exhibits and applicable slides and film strips
of building and craft techniques. Another Teacher Centre Course, held at
the Museum was arranged for three afternoons in March. The course, an
introduction for teachers in the use of the Museum, aimed at helping them
to make the most of the museum with their classes. The three meetings were
well attended by junior school teachers who during the first meeting
studied in detail the exhibits built between 1400 and 1600. At the second
meeting, after looking at the exhibits based upon archaeological evidence,
Mr. Armstrong showed slides illustrating the excavations and explained the
difficulties in interpreting the evidence to both children and adults.
The last meeting took the form of a general discussion on the most
practical methods of school children using the museum and gaining
the most from their visit. The publications issued and services
available to educational establishments were explained to the teachers!
An
exhibition of educational material available from the Museum, together
with samples of children's work resulting from their visits will be held
at the beginning of the season for three weeks in the upper room of the
Titchfield Market Hall.
|
[Magazine Index] [Home]
|
