CELEBRATING THE AGE OF STEAM
Steam Festival
at
Weald & Downland Open Air Museum
Saturday/Sunday 18 & 19 August 2007
The importance of the age of steam is being
celebrated this summer at England’s leading museum of historic buildings and
traditional rural life. The Steam Festival at Weald & Downland Open Air
Museum at Singleton, near Chichester, West Sussex will be held over the
weekend of 18 & 19 August, and will celebrate the historical significance of
many types of steam power, in displays throughout the Museum’s site.
The Museum lovely 50 acre setting in the South Downs provides a fitting
backdrop to all the bustle and excitement of a traditional Steam Festival.
During the two days, steam engines will demonstrate the kind of work around
the Museum’s site for which they were originally designed. The event will be
packed with exhibits, demonstrations and displays representing how steam
power was used for industry, agriculture, road, rail and even shipping.
Exhibits will range from huge working traction engines and steam rollers, to
scale models, such as model boats on the lake, and a narrow gauge railway.
As well as displays in a central arena, the whole site will be used to
demonstrate aspects of steam power at work, including steam powered
agricultural machinery, and a demonstration of steam powered wood lifting,
transportation and sawing.
One of the most popular features of the day is likely to be the spectacular
steam powered carousel gallopers, the most popular of fairground rides of
the steam era, with rides for children (and grown-up children!) of all ages!
One of the scale models on the lake will be a 6ft long radio controlled
replica of the Titanic: as part of the Festival, there will be a large
exhibition of Titanic memorabilia and artefacts, held in the Museum’s
Education Building. The working scale model is a wonderful centrepiece to
the exhibition which also includes artefacts from the Titanic’s White Star
Line sister ship Olympic, which were sold after she was broken up for scrap
in the 1930s.
In addition to the exhibits and demonstrations, there will be a host of
trade stands to browse and buy. Visitors will also be able to enjoy all of
the Museum’s exhibits, which include over 45 historic buildings, rescued
from destruction and carefully reconstructed in a wonderful parkland
setting. They will be able to meet the traditional breed farm animals
including Shire horses, Tamworth pigs, cattle, and sheep. The 17th century
watermill will be grinding flour sold in the shop and used in the café,
while children will love the woodland walks and feeding the hungry ducks on
the lake with grain from the mill.
The Museum is open for the Steam Festival from 10.30am to 6.00pm, and daily
until 23 December. Admission is adults £8.25, over 60s £7.25, children
£4.40, family £22.65, under 5’s free.
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
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