NEW CURATOR APPOINTED AT
WEALD & DOWNLAND OPEN AIR MUSEUM SINGLETON, CHICHESTER, WEST SUSSEX

 A new curator has been appointed to develop and care for the extensive, nationally important collections at the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton, Chichester, West Sussex, England's leading Museum of historic buildings.

 Julian Bell, will manage the collections relating to historic building technology and rural life which have been built up over the Museum's 34-year history. Along with the historic buildings which form the major exhibits at the 50-acre Open Air Museum in the South Downs, they have recently been designated by the Government for their outstanding importance.

 Following a three-year review funded by the Designation Challenge Fund, the collections are being moved from storage off-site to their new home in the recently opened Downland Gridshell building at the Museum. Here the objects are being made accessible to visitors for the first time. Daily 1.30pm tours of the innovative modern timber building are taking place, with the opportunity to see artefacts from the collection newly displayed in the environmentally-controlled store.

 Julian Bell will take part in the tours, explaining the objects relating to a host of rural and building crafts - including those of the carpenter, joiner, stonemason, bricklayer and brickmaker, plasterer, painter, wheelwright, blacksmith, walking-stick maker, thatcher, miller, woodsman, charcoal burner, sawyer, harness maker, shepherd, plumber, carter, farmer, beekeeper, glass-maker, tool-maker, tinsmith, woodcarver, basket maker…... Julian will also be curating objects on display in and around the historic buildings on the Museum site.

Julian, who is assisted by two staff members and a team of volunteers, said he was looking forward to his work at the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum. "My priority will be to complete the move of the collections to the Museum site and arrange access to them for visitors and researchers. I shall be carrying on with the survey of the collections and mounting displays and exhibitions as part of the Museum's education role."

A geography graduate of the University of Lancaster, Julian Bell comes to the Museum from the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, where he was reserve collections manager. Before that he was operations and liaison officer at the Victor & Albert Museum and an assistant keeper at the Staffordshire Arts & Museum Service. He has an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester and specialised in social history collections for his AMA, the Museums Association Diploma.

Museum director Richard Harris said: "A new era has dawned at the Museum with the opening of the Downland Gridshell which gives us the opportunity for the first time to make our extensive collections accessible to our visitors. We are pleased to welcome Julian as our new curator and look forward to working with him in our continuing development of the Museum."

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The award-winning Weald & Downland Open Air Museum has over 45 historic building exhibits from town and country and is designated by the Government for the outstanding importance of its collections. Exhibits include a medieval farmstead; a working watermill producing stoneground flour; exhibitions focusing on traditional building techniques and agriculture; historic gardens and farm livestock. The Museum runs a well-established and much sought-after programme of courses in building conservation and rural crafts. There is a cafe which uses the Museum's own produce and a museum shop with gifts and books on countryside and buildings themes.

NOTE TO EDITORS

Reporters and photographers are welcome at the Museum. For further information contact Operations Director Gail Kittle
Tel: 01243 811481
Fax: 01243 811475
Email: gkittle@wealddown.co.uk.

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