News Release
MAJOR GRANTS GIVE
SIGNIFICANT BOOST TO WEALD & DOWNLAND OPEN AIR MUSEUM
SINGLETON, WEST
SUSSEX
The Weald & Downland Open Air Museum at Singleton,
Chichester, West Sussex is delighted with news of two important grants this week.
The Museum has clinched one of the largest grants made to the
elite group of Designated Museums announced by the Government at the end of last year.
£72,800 has been awarded for a new research, documentation and building reconstruction
project. The decision was announced by Culture Secretary Chris Smith MP on 9 July.
A few days earlier the Museum learned that it had secured
£50,000 from The Wolfson Foundation towards its eagerly anticipated Building Conservation
Centre and Museum Store, which has already received a substantial Heritage Lottery Fund
grant.
The leading museum of historic buildings in the UK, the Weald
& Downland was Designated to mark the outstanding importance of its collections. One
of only 43 museums to receive the distinction, it puts it in the premier league of museums
in Britain. Challenge funding of £15 million was set aside by the Government to assist
these museums and the grant just announced is the Weald & Downland’s share for
1999-2000. Announcing the awards Chris Smith said: "These grants will give
much-needed support to our finest regional collections for imaginative and innovative
projects."
The Museum will use it to improve its analysis and documentation
of its award-winning collection of historic buildings and building materials and make this
fascinating information accessible to visitors. In the next phases of the project new
interpretative displays will be completed for two of the Museum’s most popular
building exhibits - Winkhurst, the 16th century kitchen and the C1600 Pendean
Farmhouse, rescued from near Midhurst, West Sussex.
Museum director Christopher Zeuner says: "This very welcome
grant demonstrates the significance of the Weald & Downland Museum’s research
into historic buildings and the contribution it makes, through access to its collections
and training opportunities, to the historic buildings in the south east region - a region
which has more surviving historic buildings than almost any other."
The Wolfson Foundation’s generosity helps to close the gap
on the matching funding needed for the Museum’s planned £1.4 million Building
Conservation Centre. This exciting project will be the first national centre for the
teaching and demonstration of traditional timber-frame building techniques. It is to be
housed in an innovative building designed by the architect Edward Cullinan with Buro
Happold Engineers, and uses sustainable English timber in its construction. The Museum,
which is an independent charitable trust, continues to seek a further £116,000 to
finalise funding for the project.
"Together these grants mark a significant moment at the
Museum," adds Christopher Zeuner. "They give vital support to enable us to take
our work forward and continue to provide a high quality experience to all our
visitors."
The Museum is open daily from 10.30 am - 6.00pm. Further
information: 01243 811348 or 01243 811363, website: www.wealddown.co.uk
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The award-winning Weald & Downland Open Air Museum has over
45 historic building exhibits from town and country. Set on a beautiful 50-acre site in
the South Downs, it was recently Designated by the Government for the outstanding
importance of its collections. Visitors can discover the medieval farmstead, the working
watermill producing stoneground flour, the 16th century market hall, a pair of
19th century whitewashed cottages, the fascinating hands-on exhibition about
traditional building techniques, historic gardens and farm livestock.
In addition to the buildings the Museum takes a special interest
in nurturing rural skills and countryside crafts, growing thatching straw, producing hazel
spars for thatching, milling flour, maintaining coppice woodland and marketing underwood
products.
Refreshments are provided by the café next to the millpond and
there is a well-stocked museum shop including books on countryside and buildings themes.
Find out more about the Museum by visiting our website on www.wealddown.co.uk.
NOTE TO EDITORS
For further information please contact Museum director
Christopher Zeuner on 01243 811363. Fax 01243 811475. Email marketing@wealddown.co.uk.
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