Cover Illustration.

The drawing on the cover of the magazine is by John Warren and shows Roger Champion at work on the repair of framing timbers in the Museum's storage and work area!

The first I knew of the concept of an Open Air Museum in Sussex was a report in the Brighton Evening Argus that a group of enthusiasts was trying to find a site for it near Brighton. It was not long before Roy Armstrong and I were in touch with one another and a site in West Dean Park was being talked about.

There were still difficulties to overcome. West Dean villagers were against having the Museum at their end of the Park. The County Council were none too happy about the road access. And although Edward James, the owner of the estate, liked the idea, which fitted in with this ideas of devoting the property to educational uses, his London solicitors were putting obstacles in the way for fear that the whole thing would prove unpractical and unsuccessful.

 
I was lucky in being well placed to oil the wheels a little and it was something close to my heart. A formula was worked out under which a lease of the site would be granted at a peppercorn rent provided the organisers could prove they could raise the funds they needed. The County Council put up some cash as a loan, free of interest, to give them the chance to get off the ground. Singleton agreed (how could anyone resist Roy Armstrong's persuasiveness!) to welcome the Museum at their end of the park and the energies of volunteer workers were unleashed on the site.

In no time at all, it seemed, there was talk about opening to the public. There was so little to show in the early days. I think it was the all-pervading atmosphere of enthusiasm which spread around, brought people in and brought them back again and again to see how things were going.

And it was all rather infectious. Soon it was possible for the lease to be confirmed. The County Council said they would not ask for their money back - indeed, they have given a grant of £1,000 each year since towards new projects. John Lowe appeared like manna from heaven, just when he was most needed, and gave his services as honorary director for several years, bringing professional knowledge and skill to the task.

All sorts of people gave all sorts of help. There was the newly formed Countryside Commission, for instance. John Cripps, the Chairman, had a look and agreed to treat us as a Country Park and to give grants for such things as the car park. Groups of people, large and small, helped with particular things. The Friends of the Museum was born and soon were giving wonderful help. And somehow, there was always a generous benefactor at hand just when one wondered how the next hurdle could be overcome.

I think two things above all have made for our success. One is the policy of absolute authenticity and integrity which our founders laid down from the start. And the other, and most important, is the wonderful work which our volunteer stewards do for us. Without their efforts we could not possibly function and without it we would never have been able to create that friendly atmosphere which our visitors take away with them as an abiding impression. 

This season, as last, we have had record attendances, due to the exceptional weather and to excellent publicity. This brings us welcome funds but our very success brings increasing need for expenditure, while inflation increases our costs. The long hot summer has left us rather burnt-up, very dusty and with a lot of wear and tear. It is going to be difficult to decide how much we can afford to spend on necessary maintenance as well as providing for the developments we have in hand, though here we have again been lucky in some splendid donations which have made it possible to enter commitments for projects which would otherwise have had longer to wait. And there are plenty of interesting schemes in the pipeline when we can tackle them with our small but highly skilled band of craftsmen. 

I thought myself a very lucky man when the Council of Management elected me Chairman a year ago, in succession to Mr. Farmer. To have inherited so well-founded and worth-while an undertaking, with the responsibility of helping to formulate policy for the future is both a rewarding and challenging task. We are embarking on a review of policy to guide us over the next few years and with our founder's clear vision and the collective wisdom of all our members, from many different backgrounds, I am sure that we shall be able to lay down sound principles for the future. How far can we keep on growing? What must be our priorities?  These and many other questions must be answered.    

I feel we can approach the future with a lot of confidence. Two urgent needs are a better shop and more office space and I hope both these will soon be under way. Chris Zeuner, human dynamo; though he is, will have to have more help. He and his wife Diana; never seem to rest and even in the winter they between them carry a lot of the burden of the Sunday openings that have been so popular. 

Living close to the Museum I usually manage to get there about twice a week and one of the greatest pleasures is to talk to the volunteer stewards and learn from them of their contacts with the visitors. 

There is no ideal specification for the job - they come in all shapes and sizes and all ages from 18 - 80 or even more!  The only common factor is a belief in what we are all working for and a determination to help everyone to get the most out of their visit.

Only once now and then do we get really discouraged by the inconsiderate or even destructive visitor. We have to live these down and our faith is never destroyed for long. But we do need to know what our helpers feel about all these things and the feed-back that we get from them is important. Don't hesitate to blow your top any time you feel the urge. 

Chatting to one of our volunteers in Pendean recently, she told me how lucky I was to have lived always in old houses myself. I don't think my wife and I could ever have settled happily in anything else. All of us who are helping to build our Museum and to keep it lively, friendly and thriving are combining to give that same sort of satisfaction to thousands of others and, in doing so, we gain a great deal ourselves.

Part 3 – Tithe Maps

Nineteenth century tithe maps are one of the most valuable sources of information for the local historian. They are an essential source of reference for any study into the growth of towns and villages, and because of their large scale, are of great help in tracing the descent of a particular house or parcel of land. They are now being increasingly used for research into the history of land utilisation, at present a growth area in local history. As an example of this type of source, part of the Singleton tithe map, surveyed in 1846 and 1847, is reproduced here by kind permission of the County Archivist for West Sussex, Mrs. Patricia Gill. The original is available for inspection at the West Sussex Record Office.

 

Tithe maps resulted from the 1836 Tithe Commutation Act that converted the traditional tithe payments made to the church (which in Singleton involved the payment of "Corn, Grain, Wool and Lamb  …  and …Hay") into a rent charge payable in cash. In other words this was the end of the medieval system of maintaining the church and clergy based on the tenth or tithe of the farmer's produce. Under the new law, each property had to be assessed for an annual cash payment. Large scale maps were prepared so that the necessary calculations could be made. (The Singleton map is at a scale of 13.3" to one mile.). The maps produced show a wealth of detail such as farm and field names and the state of cultivation, houses, schools, inns and workhouses, wind and water mills, boundary marks, marl pits and turnpike gates. As a record of the landscape, these maps provide the most complete and detailed picture of the country undertaken since the Domesday Book. For topographical detail they are by far the most important single series of maps available until the production of the large scale Ordnance Survey maps of the later 19th century.

To accompany each map, a separate document was drawn up (the award or apportionment) in the form of tabulated information giving the owner and / or occupier of each parcel of land, its name and description, acreage and state of cultivation, and the amount of rent charge apportioned. Each parcel of land is related to the map by a key number. 

From the Singleton tithe map and award it is possible to reconstruct a good deal about the parish in the early Victorian period. As an agricultural parish of just over 4,000 acres (1,384 arable; 1,260 woodland; 1,179 down and sheep walk; 218 meadow and pasture) it was dominated by two landowners, the 5th Duke of Richmond, of Goodwood, with 3,000 acres and Colonel George Wyndham, of Drove House, Singleton, with 850. The site now occupied by the Open Air Museum was in the ownership of the Reverend Leveson Vernon Harcourt, husband of Caroline Mary Peachey, the sister of the last Lord Selsey on whom the West Dean Estate was settled in 1838.

BUILDING UP THE LIBRARY, RECORD AND RESEARCH COLLECTION - Roy Armstrong

From the outset, a principal objective for the Museum is that it should become a recognised centre for research into, and the recording of traditional building within the region which it serves. The essential step towards the realisation of this will be the re-erection of the jettied hall from Crawley. This will provide a general purpose conference and lecture room on the first floor and on the ground floor, which was originally divided up into a number of separate rooms, will be other records and research facilities for students. As far as practicable, the original partitions, door openings and windows will be preserved. This will give four rooms: - that at the eastern end will be used as a vestibule, exhibition space and to house the stairs to the first floor; that at the western end will be used for the storage of more perishable material, such as photographs, manuscripts, original documents, etc., since it can be sealed off and provided with the necessary safeguards such as temperature and humidity control, etc.. The two central rooms will accommodate the library and research facilities for students and research workers.

The following notes are an attempt to define the scope and limit of the library, and of the research materials which these rooms will house. They also suggest how Friends of the Museum who have relevant books and other material may be able to help in building up a comprehensive range of reference material. It is as important to define the limits as it is to indicate the scope, since the space available will be restricted and the selection of what is, and is not, relevant needs to be made clear. 

There is another principle which needs underlining that of avoiding too much over-lapping with other bodies such as public libraries, record offices, other museums and independent organisations, such as local archaeological or historical societies.

In the matter of the library of printed books, articles, off prints, etc.. It is here that many of our Friends will have items which they may like to present, bequeath or lend on a fairly long term basis to the Museum. The first and most important category must be specifically concerned with traditional building. The most comprehensive guides to this are the bibliographies which have been regularly issued by the Vernacular Architecture Group. These were arranged and systematised in "A Bibliography on Vernacular Architecture" published in 1972 by Messrs. David and Charles, consisting of closely printed pages, and since then, several supplementary sheets of bibliography have been issued. Important material is growing rapidly: for example, within the last few months the Museum has been approached by, and has offered advice to, post-graduate research students engaged in theses as varied as "The Use of Flint in South-East England" or "The Oast Houses of the Weald". Copies of such theses, (few achieve publication) should be included in the library. At present much wasted effort goes into theses which end with their presentation for a degree, etc.. Such material, as well as everything listed in the bibliographies of the V.A.G. should be considered as relevant and desirable, even though a percentage may consist of articles not translated into English.

From the Museum's point of view, however, lists such as that of the V.A.G. are inadequate. In the first place, the Museum is regional, concerned particularly with the south-east of England, - the equivalent of not more than three counties. Traditional building within this area is necessarily closely linked with a number of other aspects of regional history and culture, as also with the geology of the area, which conditions its supplies of stone, clay, timber, etc., or with the landscape, which conditions settlements and the siting and lay-out of farmsteads villages and towns. 

There are also links with techniques and forms of building used in non-vernacular architecture such as churches) monasteries and the greater houses and civic buildings in the area, and there is a particular link in the case of farm buildings with the local rural economy. Within such a wide field of reference, material which may be relevant may range from a local church guide to general books on local topography and history. It is here that discrimination may have to be exercised.  The problem can be illustrated by considering the five hundred or so volumes issued during the last century and a quarter by the four county archaeological societies situated within the Museum's catchment area. Practically all these contain valuable information, including accounts of buildings many of which now no longer exist.  Complete sets of all these volumes, if offered to the Museum, would be regarded as a most valuable acquisition. They would, however, occupy a great deal of space, and a time might come when a more tightly organised approach became necessary. One possible solution would be the taking of photostat copies of all those portions relevant to the basic interests of the Museum. This would not only save space, but would simplify cataloguing and easy retrieval. In such a case, and in the case of any book which becomes obsolete, and if storage space at the Museum is acute, arrangements should be made - perhaps in the first place when the book is received , for the return of the book to its donor, or permission given to dispose of it by sale or other­wise. 

Shortage of shelf space is not likely to be an immediate problem. The process of compression can be carried still further if necessary by transference to microfiche, a more condensed system than the slide system already described. There are also a number of national journals - such as “Medieval Archaeology”, which could pose just this kind of problem, as well as the hundreds of volumes of guides, histories, topographies and so on, published during the last fifty years covering Kent, Surrey and Sussex which have some interest, and also the weekly press and monthly magazines. 

In addition to our concern with vernacular building and related local studies, the Museum is also concerned with subjects which are closely interwoven with its principal commitment - such as furnishing or traditional crafts linked with building, or with other museums in different parts of the world with similar or parallel objectives. For example, there are already in Europe, over a hundred Open Air Museums all concerned to a very large extent with illustrating the traditional building of a region or a country; and there are almost as many again in America, Australia and other parts of the world. Some documentation of these ventures should be available - published guides, annual reports, monographs or other descriptive material. Several Friends of the Museum have already brought back from foreign visits, extremely useful books and so forth which they have presented to the Museum. These all help to lay the foundation for a comprehensive library. 

Perhaps the simplest way to illustrate the scope of the library is by the following diagram, in which the centre represents the main concern of the Museum where nothing basic is excluded; from the centre are radiating lines diminishing in intensity in their prolongation, (or one could think of it as increasing concentric circles becoming more diffuse), indicating linked subjects, but where directions need to be included as to where - i.e. in which libraries or museums - such information is more completely covered and accessible.

This season has once again shown an increase in the number of visitors. The constant sunshine has been ideal for us, if not welcome for other reasons. However, the weather has caused a lot of damage to the site, Grass has eroded badly and a number of trees have been lost. There will be a substantial amount of repair work to be done during the winter. The saddest loss will be the clump of trees to the north of the Market Hall, all of which are Elms and will have to be felled this winter. The area will, of course be replanted. 

Stewards have, once again, held the operation together during open days. With extra buildings to staff, the need for new recruits continued. I should like to thank you all for your efforts, and trust that you find the duties rewarding.

PROJECTS

Since the last newsletter, Pendean has been completed and opened to the public and the Watersfield Stable is also now complete. Mr. Plewis came down for a few days and advised on the setting out of his wheelwright's equipment in its new home. The stable is a little too small for a wheelwright's shop and therefore, the layout is cramped. However, it does make an interesting exhibit and gives some idea of the craftsman's tools and of his workshop. It has been necessary to bar entry into this building as so much of the equipment is attractive to a few dishonest visitors. The only alternative would be to keep the building closed on days when no steward was available, but this, of course, was felt to be unsatisfactory. The barriers that have been erected are a compromise that seems to be acceptable. We are most grateful to Mr. Plewis, not only for the gift of the equipment, but also for all the help, advice and enthusiasm he has put into the project. 

The Mill

Work is now underway on the re-erection of the stone­ work. The wheel pit is complete and much of the reinforcement is also complete. The project will, of course, be a long one, but next season will see a great change. We have had the good fortune to meet Mr, Lee of Midhurst, who installed the machinery into Lurgashall Mill in 1911. He is prepared to advise on its restoration and will be able to answer some of the unknowns we have been facing. His father worked for the firm in Cocking who cast the iron water wheel. Mr. Lee’s help will be invaluable to us.  

Lake

The lake is full of water - or rather nearly so, as evaporation has been heavy this year. Reeds have been planted and other water plants introduced. It will be some time before the raw look of the banks disappear but already a good start has been made. The water is a good insurance should a fire break out at the Museum. 

Ian Odin, who lives in West Dean has taken on responsibility for the wild fowl in the lake. Already, sixteen Mallard have been released and have taken well to the site. We are most grateful for Mr. Odin's support. 

Crawley Hall 

This project is underway, and Roger Champion has made good progress with the repair, He expects to be ready to re-erect the frame in the spring, after which the conversion work will commence.

Buildings Awaiting Attention by the Museum.

There are two important buildings that may be in danger of demolition. Both are large houses and we may have to take urgent action.

In the meantime, a small but good quality waggon shed is being, dismantled and will be put into store.  It comes from the Wiston Estate, near Storrington.

Tree Planting - Jubilee Year.

As mentioned above, we have suffered considerable losses in the woodlands. The planned replanting will go ahead, but it is also intended to replant the clump to the North of Titchfield Market Hall. As 1977 is also the Queen's Jubilee, it was felt appropriate to do this scheme in celebration of this event. Members may well wish to contribute to this scheme and if so, they should contact the Museum Office for further details.

An Electric Milk Float

has been presented to the Museum by Home Counties Dairies Limited, for use as a site maintenance vehicle. It has been specially painted by the Dairy in Green and has already proved extremely useful. Litter bins can be emptied in far less time and cleaning equipment can be transported with ease. We are very grateful to Home Counties Dairies for their help.

A new water main

has been installed across the site to the car-park lavatories. The improved water flow means that a more adequate supply is available, and some of the problems experienced at peak times are overcome.

Maintenance Staff

The Council of Management has agreed to go ahead with the appointment of a new member of staff to be responsible for maintenance. This will be a great step forward and enable a much higher standard to be maintained on the site. It will also enable staff, whose main responsibility is the re-erection of buildings to concentrate on their projects.

Museum of the Year Award.

Members may not know that we have now passed on our trophy to this year's winner - The Gladstone Pottery Museum - in Stoke on Trent. This Museum, a private venture like Singleton, has restored the site of a Pottery typical of the industry in that area. It has established a number of exhibition rooms and has restored the pot banks. Members who visit the area are recommended to call in; it is a very impressive venture.

Calendar.  

A calendar for 1977 has been produced in association with Fishbourne Roman Palace and Portsmouth Museums. It illustrates Pendean, Bayleaf, The Windpump and Titchfield Market Hall as well as illustrations from the other museums.  The format is line drawings or photographs on coloured paper. The price is 60p, post free to members, and it might well make a suitable Christmas present. Orders should be sent to the Museum Office.

Newspaper.  

We continue to collect newspaper for salvage. The pile is growing daily to immense dimensions. Please continue to collect. It does help us if paper can be well tied into bundles and please, remember that magazines must not be mixed with newspaper. Mixed bundles are only paid for at the very much cheaper rate applying to magazines, and the sorting cannot be undertaken by staff.

Horsham Slab.

We are in great need of Horsham Slab for the roof of the Crawley Hall. If any members come across any that might be available, please let us know. Even very small quantities are well worth collecting.

Opening Arrangements.

In order to simplify our opening arrangements, we will in future open for the main season on the 1st of April every year, unless. Easter falls in March. We will be open on Sundays in the winter and this year will be open on Boxing Day. The latter special opening is an experiment. Many people are pleased to get out after Christmas if the weather is fine, but very few places are open. This special opening will be advertised, and it is hoped to lay on some small special event.