EXCITING RUBY ANNIVERSARY YEAR PLANNED FOR MUSEUM OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS

Weald & Downland Open Air Museum Celebrates 40th Years of Opening

The Museum's first open day September 1970

2010 is the 40th anniversary of the opening of the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum at Singleton, near Chichester, West Sussex. The Museum is England's leading museum of historic buildings and traditional rural life, set in the heart of the new South Downs National Park. There are many activities planned throughout the year to mark the occasion, involving the Museum staff and volunteers, schools, and visitors past and present.

The highlight of the Ruby year is a major weekend of celebration scheduled for 4th and 5th September. This will be two days of wonderful activities with excitement for all the family, including a Community carnival, arena events, horticultural show, music and entertainment. There will be an evening lantern parade and bonfire party on the Saturday, with lanterns made by children during ‘Wonderful Wednesday’ activity days earlier in the summer. The Museum is delighted that local Radio Station Spirit FM has confirmed its support in the months before the event, and they will also be broadcasting live from the celebrations on the Saturday. Tickets for the Anniversary weekend must be bought in advance from the Museum.

Other activities planned for the year include the production of a superb 40th Anniversary book covering the Museum’s development over the last four decades, and looking forward to the next 40 years. It will also include memories and anecdotes from Museum staff, Friends, volunteers and supporters, and it will be launched at the Anniversary Weekend in September. The Museum’s renowned Adult Learning Department will be marking the Anniversary with a one-day conference on Tuesday 28 September entitled ‘Building Conservation Comes of Age’. This will explore building conservation’s journey from avant-garde to mainstream, and is sure to be of interest to anyone involved in this field.

The Schools Services Department has created an on-going display featuring memories of school visits since the Museum opened. The Department is also running a Ruby Garden Competition open to all primary and SEN schools in West Sussex, with prizes for best wildlife garden, best vegetable garden, and best flower/sensory garden. The overall winner will be announced at the Anniversary Weekend and will win a school visit to the Museum for up to 60 pupils. The Interpretation Department has a number of projects planned, including the creation of a Museum-inspired patchwork quilt under the guidance of professional quilt maker and artist Effie Galletly. The quilt will be raffled on completion to raise funds for the Museum.

The final celebration will be a Ruby Anniversary Charity Ball on 27 November, to be held in the award-winning Jerwood Gridshell Space, home to the Museum’s conservation workshop and rural artefacts collection. This event will raise future funds for the Museum, which is a registered charity, helping it to safeguard the buildings in its care, and also supporting the Museum’s valuable research, conservation and education work in support of our rural heritage.

For further details of the Museum’s 40th Year, including ticket information for the Anniversary Weekend, Conference and Charity Ball, please call the Museum on 01243 811363.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The award-winning Weald & Downland Open Air Museum has over 45 historic building exhibits and is designated by the Government for the outstanding importance of its collections. Exhibits include a medieval farmstead; a working watermill producing wholemeal stoneground flour; exhibitions focusing on traditional building techniques and agriculture; historic gardens, farm livestock and a working Tudor kitchen. The Museum runs a well-established programme of courses in building conservation and rural crafts.  There is a café which uses the Museum’s own flour and a shop with gifts and books on countryside and buildings themes.  The modern Downland Gridshell houses the Museum’s building conservation centre and artefact collection. There is a daily tour at 1.30pm when the Museum is open, and an appointments system for visits to the collections for research purposes.

NOTE TO EDITORS

Reporters and photographers are welcome at the Museum. For further information call the Museum information line on 01243 811348 or contact Cathy Clark, Marketing Officer

Tel: 01243 811014.
Fax: 01243 811475
Email: marketing@wealddown.co.uk.

Full details about the Museum and its activities can be found at www.wealddown.co.uk 

More information about Spirit FM can be found at www.spiritfm.net

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