Historic clothing project launched

Eventually we want to be able to offer domestic interpretation in all our exhibit buildings, so we need to build up a comprehensive stock of replica historic clothing with complete outfits that cover a range of sizes as well as all the appropriate periods.

The project is expected to run for about four years and funding for the first phase has been donated by the Friends of the Museum. Clothing will be made in durable replica fabrics coloured with authentic natural dies, and hand sewn. Shoes and accessories such as belts will be purchased ready-made. The distinctive clothing style for each period will be as specific as possible to our region in colour, cloth and design, and of a status appropriate for our exhibits. The project will be run by Hannah, with social historian Ruth Goodman and historical costumier Barbara Painter providing research and training.

A new workshop based on how children played in Tudor times has been developed by the Museum’s Schools Service.

During the Winter Schools Service Manager Jennie Peel worked with colleagues and volunteers to develop this interesting new workshop. When we study people from other times and cultures, we are most often struck by the differences between their lives and our own. However children’s play seems remarkably similar.

Using as a starting point, the Breugel print Children’s Games, pupils are encouraged to explore the differences and similarities and to make comparisons with their own lives. By providing replica toys and games from the period they have the chance to discover how children learned and played. After trials with a local school the Museum is offering this activity either as a workshop at the Museum or through Outreach and as a loan box. The Museum’s semi retired carpenter, Roger Champion, made the project possible by studying the Breugel print and creating the replica toys.

“I’m now considering extending this theme into the Victorian period, as it has been so well received,” says Jennie, “and perhaps relating it to an historical timeline in different cultures, and a cross-curricular project including Art and Design Technology.”

Learning about buildings and rural crafts through the Museum’s extensive courses programme

Historic building conservation

Two of the Museum’s craftsmen tutors came together recently to plan the Singleton Shingled Spire and Oak Shingling courses which start this month – Joe Thompson and Peter Harknett. Joe had made a small model of the spire, and Peter (the oldest working steeplejack in the country) held us spellbound whilst he showed us some shingles over a century old, and told stories of ‘the woodpecker problem.’ Visitors will be able to see the fruits of their labours, and those of the students later in the summer. A rare opportunity has arisen for anyone interested in timber buildings to get involved in dismantling and reerecting one of the Museum’s own buildings. The cattle shelter used for the Woodland Exhibition is to be moved to the developing Timber Yard near the charcoal burner’s camp. In five days from 21-25 May the building will be surveyed, numbered, dismantled and re-erected, with any timbers repaired where necessary, and moved with the assistance of the Museum’s heavy horses. Spectators will be welcome, but participants must book their place in advance. Please call for further details.

Details have now been finalised for Early Oak Furniture: an in-depth exploration, which is a two-day off-site course led by leading English furniture expert, Victor Chinnery. Day one will explore collections of furniture at the National Trust’s Chalfield Manor and Red Lodge in Bristol, and day two will be spent at The Museum of Welsh Life St Fagans, Cardiff. Overnight will be spent in Bristol with an evening lecture.  

Traditional rural trades and crafts

Bookings are flooding in for many of the courses in this season’s programme, and some are already full, including Coracle making, Make a bentwood chair, Irons in the fire, Traditional English longbow making and the Celtic silver bracelet workshop. The Improver’s watercolour workshop in September booked up so quickly that an additional week will be held on 25-29 June. November’s Meat and more meat course was a success, with men and women plucking, eviscerating, stuffing and cooking under the expert eye of Ruth Goodman of the Tudor Group. Two more courses will be run this autumn. New textile courses this spring and summer include Knitting for beginners on 19 March led by talented knitter Alison Ellen who takes the craft in new directions.  

Birds of prey experience  

Sally Buckland has been bringing her beautiful birds of prey to the Museum for some time to present displays – an extra treat for daily visitors. Sally has now offered to lead an experience day, so that a small group of people can have the opportunity for a closer look at these interesting birds and the way they can be worked. The day will involve learning about husbandry and training, making items such as anklets and jesses, handling and flying the birds and learning about the history of hunting with birds. Places are limited so book soon to reserve a place.  

Wildlife and the law

On 14 September the Museum will hold a day school entitled Wildlife and the Law for anyone who needs to understand the legislation relating to wild creatures and plants, including the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 and the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act 2000. Local wildlife enthusiast and law enforcer Malcolm Scott is well known at the Museum and in Singleton village. His knowledge about the laws protecting our native flora and fauna is immense, and he is happy to share his expertise.  

At home with the ancestors

Museum research associate, Dr Danae Tankard, has completed research on more than half of the Museum’s re-erected historic houses, and she will be sharing her knowledge in a new day school From Hangleton to Poplar: a history of the Museum’s houses”, on 27 April. The day will appeal to all those interested in social history or with a love of rural heritage. Participants will explore the history of each house, its inhabitants and their community, giving an insight into the daily lives of rural people in south east England over a 400-year period. The day will include visits to each of the houses, so suitable footwear and warm clothing is advised. The April day school will cover the medieval cottage from Hangleton, the hall from Boarhunt, Bayleaf Farmhouse, Pendean Farmhouse, the house from Walderton and Poplar Cottage. A second course on 26 September will study buildings from Victorian times, finishing with Whittaker’s Cottages. 

Courses for museum professionals

The Museum has a wealth of professional expertise, and an immense number of contacts in the museum world. This has been brought together in a new series of courses aimed at the needs of museum professionals, and covering a range of topics including making collections accessible, moving collections, setting up a new museum, and furnishing, clothing and preserving the past. The Museum’s own curator, Julian Bell, will lead some of the days and other tutors include historic house consultant Peter Brears, Victor Chinnery, Timothy Easton, Barbara Painter and Danae Tankard.

Frustrating time for Museum gardeners

Spring and Summer 2006 were among the most challenging seasons we have experienced in the Museum’s period gardens.

The year started well enough with early seeds such as parsnips, peas and beans in the ground in early to mid- March, and on 20 March we planted potatoes in Toll and Whittakers’ Cottages, around the normal time of year for us. But in early April pheasants and field mice took virtually all our broad and tic beans from Bayleaf garden despite our best efforts to protect them. Parsnips didn’t germinate, so both had to be re-sown. The beans were fine second time around, but the parsnips proved a flop.

Gates left open to the Toll Cottage garden resulted in early carrots and French beans being decimated by rabbits, and this was a regular occurrence all season. We despaired.

Kale and collards germinated well: we allow edible weeds to grow with them as a cover crop for protection from pigeons and this is very successful. Kale was transplanted at the end of May – and replanted on 14 June – the first plants having been eaten by pheasants and pigeons.

Then it began to get hot. Our team of volunteer gardeners were terrific, working in temperatures of over 33 degrees, and Pearl O’Leary put in extra visits to water the kale and leeks.

We dug the first potatoes on 19 June, a variety called fourmost, grown in the Toll Cottage garden, and the yield was good. Leeks were transplanted in Bayleaf and Pendean gardens on the same day and were watered as often as we could. Landcress, lambs lettuce and endive all went to seed early, but the old varieties of radish stood up to the heat very well, as did the leaf beet and old varieties of lettuce.

In my diary for 26 June I wrote: “Pigeons playing hell with peas and kale – oh, for some crow starvers!” Crow starvers were children who would keep birds from eating the crops. We have lots of school children attending the Museum – perhaps there’s an idea there . . . !

Children enjoy the Museum in so many ways, whether they visit with family and friends (like this boy enjoying Lurgashall Mill) or come in school groups. The Museum holds special activity weeks during the February, May and October half terms, and in the Summer holidays there is no excuse for them to feel bored – the Museum hosts a variety of activities every Wednesday to keep children busy and occupied with discovery.

(Half term activities: 28 May- 1 June, 22-26 October. Wonderful Wednesdays: each Wednesday 25 July – 29 August)  

Power!

Celebrating Romani lifestyle

Demonstrating early keyboards

The annual Early Music Afternoon is a special treat at the Museum for music lovers. Last year’s was one of the most successful ever, with performers based in many of the historic buildings and in the market square. Among musicians taking part were early keyboard restorer Andy Durand and his son Robert, who brought along two instruments which they had restored to full playing order.

The wonderful tone was demonstrated by internationally renowned concert pianist Bela Hartmann of Haslemere. Andy Durand began his career with Arnold Dolmetsch in Haslemere and became self-employed when the company closed in 1981. His son joined him at his Prestwick Farm, Chiddingfold, workshop in 2001. Over the years they have restored many harpsichords, spinets, square pianos and clavichords, as well as accepting commissions to make new instruments based on early designs.

Walking West Sussex Festival comes to Singleton

 
The Museum will host the fifth Walking West Sussex Festival, run by West Sussex County Council, on 10-14 October. Set in unspoilt countryside in the glorious South Downs, the Museum, with its traditional rural buildings, is surrounded by some of the best walking in the British Isles, say organisers, Festival Walks.

For the second year the festival hopes to be joined by ‘Poems and Puddings’ which explores the arts and cultural lives of people in rural West Sussex through heritage, landscape, literature and food. The Museum itself provides opportunities to explore the surrounding countryside and find out how our rural ancestors lived, with the historic houses and period gardens adding to the enjoyment of the festival.

Lanterns and a dragon fire up the Autumn

The week leading up to the Fire Event last year was the October half term so we took advantage of all the child labour on the site to make paper lanterns for the Fire Event parade, watched over by a spectacular paper dragon!

Local artist Rosie Morgan led workshops all week and had a tremendous response – around 100 lanterns were made every day. Not all returned for the Fire Event, but those that did were their owner’s passport to the event, as every lantern entitled an adult and child to free entry for the day.

In the week before, Rosie and her team of volunteer helpers had created a wonderful dragon made entirely of tissue paper glued over a framework of sticks. As well as inspiring the lantern makers, the dragon led the parade across the site as dusk fell at the Fire Event, and then was ceremoniously burnt on the huge bonfire, which was lit by flaming arrows fired by a team of archers.

Celebrating the harvest

The harvest procession took place in October, during the Autumn Action half term week. Visitors were invited to join the procession around the Museum site, following a horse and waggon. Gifts were collected from many of our historic houses and the procession was led by Revd Richard Woods, Rector of the parish of Singleton. The procession was accompanied by music and each visitor enjoyed some bread and cheese at the end as part of the celebration.

Images of Bayleaf

Bayleaf remains one of the most popular historic building exhibits at the Museum and this year a special exhibition celebrating it in many different media is to be held on 31 July – 12 August. Images of Bayleaf will take place in the Downland Gridshell where visitors will be able to enjoy representations of the iconic building in different forms, including paintings, jigsaws, models, drawings, photographs, and even tea towels! Gordon Rushmer, local artist and Museum course tutor, is curating the exhibition and has already begun delving into the archives for material. Our plan is also to gather together works from amateurs and professionals, schools, colleges, course tutors and their students – in fact from whomever and wherever works can be found. Offers of models, rugs, photographs and engravings have already been received, and we will be happy to sell work for those exhibitors who wish to do so. Everyone interested will receive an entry form, together with details concerning presentation. So please raid your walls, mantelpieces and lofts for your favourite image of Bayleaf, and call Rebecca Osborne on 01243 811931 to register.

Brian Weekes - Renaissance Man

Brian Weekes, a long-standing and stalwart Museum volunteer, has been featured in Renaissance News, a quarterly publication describing the achievements of the Government’s Renaissance programme for museums.

‘Renaissance Man’ is a two-page article featuring someone connected to the programme (Brian’s predecessor as ‘Renaissance Man’ was Culture Minister, David Lammy MP, so he is in illustrious company!)

Renaissance in the Regions is the programme delivered by MLA (Museums, Libraries and Archives Council) to further the Government’s priorities for museums. It began in October 2002 when the Department for Culture, Media and Sport allocated £70 million over four years. Museum ‘hubs’, incorporating four or five major museum services in each English region, were created. Between 2004/5 and 2005/6 the hubs attracted nearly two million new users, with over 900,000 of them coming from social classes C2, D and E and black and minority ethnic groups. Contacts with children aged 5-16 were up 50% in the three years to March 2006.

The Museum receives support from the Designation Challenge Fund, which is part of the Renaissance programme, but is not a member of the South East Hub, so we were delighted that Brian was featured in its newsletter. Here is the text –

What attracted you to the Weald & Downland Museum?

My interest in the countryside, and love of history. I had to pack up working as a farm manager after an accident. I lost my livelihood but you can’t just give up your life, you have to do something. Someone suggested the Museum. Many people who retire early come here to volunteer and it changes their lives.

What do children learn from you at the Museum?

I do guided tours, light the fires, serve in the shop and run things like beeswax candle-making. The children learn about the past and about farming, finding out where their food comes from. Today I’ve been talking to six-year-olds about medieval farming and I introduced supermarkets and healthy eating.

Where in a museum or gallery have you found yourself most moved?

Working with and watching children with learning difficulties and the belief they have in themselves and each other.

What skills have you developed?

We do have training but mostly it’s come naturally from interacting with the public, the collections and my own experience. When I’m talking about farming I weave in my own lifestyle, what it’s like living in draughty old 15th and 16th century cottages and how a sickle, a winnowing basket and a flail are still components of a combine. You explain that the ideas we are using now are ideas that have been passed down. Our lives have been made, and in many ways made easier, by the past.

Who would you like to take round the Museum and why?

The designer Wayne Hemingway, because I share his vision of the future and views on the past. When housing is built in Britain I want to see green spaces where kids can play. I’d show him Whittaker’s Cottages and tell him this was probably how his grandma lived in Blackburn, Lancashire, with a large green outside.

If you could take home one museum object for a week, what would it be?

The Gridshell building. It’s the conservation workshop, where they repair things like shepherd’s huts and gypsy caravans. Even when it’s busy you always get a feeling of tranquillity in there; it’s like a cathedral.

What do people in local government need to know or do about museums?

Local government should realise that museums are an important part of the local economy, and should be supported at a local level as well as nationally.

Betty Rush

News in brief