Focus Days -
New for 2008
Join the Museum
interpretation team for a more in depth look at different aspects of our
rural heritage and current work at the Museum. Fascinating days of
discovery for all the family.
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Special Events
Set in the beautiful surroundings of the Museum, special event days are packed with entertainment and interest for all the
family. Admission to special events
is included in the standard Museum admission price with the exception of
open air theatre and musical concerts.
Trade Stands
At a number of our
events we offer space for trade stands.
To view or download an information pack
click here
For the latest
news on specific events
click
here.
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DAYS FOR
CHILDREN
Running out of ideas on how to occupy your children in the school
holidays? Why not try one of our Children's Activity Days packed with things
to do?
Children, (and their parents and carers!) can try their hand at
an astonishing range of arts, crafts, activities
and games which take place amongst the Museum's buildings.
Dress for mess and outside play.
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SPRING HALF TERM
FEBRUARY FUN
18-22
February 2008
11.00am - 4.00pm
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Grooming |
Lino Printing |
Rag Rugging |
Nature Table |
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Put on your winter
woollies this half term and come to our beautiful site in the South Downs
to enjoy a week of creative activities and countryside skills.
Follow the trail around the Museum to find the hidden animals, and work
out the link between them. Make some bird cake for the hungry birds, try
rag-rugging, roll your own bees wax candle, and have
a go at brass rubbing and lace
making. Also enjoy creative arts, crafts and country storytelling. And
with spring just around the corner, plant a garden pea or broad bean, take
it home and watch it grow!
You can also visit all of the Museum’s historic houses, and
enjoy a walk in the woods, or by the lake with the hungry ducks! Most
activities are under cover, and run from 11am – 4pm. Lakeside café open,
plus indoor and outdoor picnic areas, dogs on leads welcome, free parking.
For further information telephone 01243
811348.
Please wear clothes suitable for
playing outdoors. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
[Index of Events]
[Home]
SUMMER HALF TERM
COUNTRYSIDE ADVENTURES
26-30 May 2008
11.00am – 5.00pm
Come and enjoy
the great outdoors and make the most of the countryside which is bursting
with life at this time of year. Learn about the natural world with trails,
scavenger hunts, arts and crafts using natural materials, and a host of
outdoor games. For accompanied children of all ages, from
11 am - 4pm, under cover if wet.
Please note, some of the activities are weather dependent.
Lakeside café open, or bring a picnic, dogs on leads welcome, free parking.
Plus: end the holiday with a visit to our Heavy Horse Spectacular on Sunday
June 4th! Includes magnificent displays and a grand parade of horse-drawn
vehicles.
For further information telephone 01243
811348.
Please wear clothes suitable for playing
outdoors. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
[Index of Events]
[Home]
SUMMER HOLIDAYS
WONDERFUL WEDNESDAYS
30 July 2008 - 27 August 2008
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A special spring
day to welcome visitors old and new at the start of the season! £1
entry for everyone, plus our traditional bunch of daffodils for mothers and
grandmothers! Mothering Sunday is a wonderful time
to visit with spring in the air, buds bursting, traditional breed farm
animals grazing around the site and Shire horses at work at seasonal tasks. |
More pictures
Newspaper article |
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The tables will be groaning at one of the
county's major gatherings of suppliers and
retailers of locally produced food and drink.
Around 50
producers from throughout the South East will be selling speciality food and
drink including award-winning beers and wines, sausages and bacon, succulent
meat and game, delicious ice cream, aromatic bread and much more.
Producers
will be based in and around the Museum’s buildings, bringing a unique
atmosphere to the occasion. The authentic working Tudor kitchen 'Winkhurst'
will be at the heart of the taste celebrations during the fair.
This event is organized by A Taste of Sussex
which promotes local food producers throughout the region.
To reflect the national ‘Year of Food and Farming’, this year the event will
also include a celebration of downland farming.
Admission includes entry to the Museum and the
Food Fair
2008 News Release
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More pictures
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One of
the largest gatherings of heavy horses in the South East. Over 30 working
horses will demonstrate their versatility in day long displays packed with
activity. There will be
displays throughout the day with continuous ringside commentary and a grand
parade of over thirty horses and horse drawn vehicles.
2008 News
Release
View Podcast of previous event
If you enjoy the weekend you could always try your hand on one of
our Heavy Horse
Experience Courses!
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[Index of Events]
[Home]
FATHERS DAY
15 June 2008
Toys For The Boys!
Fathers have the opportunity to celebrate their own special day with a
programme of activities, demonstrations and competitions designed to
appeal to fathers, grandfathers, and children of all ages – and of course,
mum will be welcome to join in as well!
Try some unusual and challenging countryside
activities. Sample some of the Museum's courses in traditional rural trades
and crafts, drive a vintage tractor and work with the Shire horses
all in one action-packed day.
2008 News
Release
[Index of Events]
[Home]
EARLY MUSIC AFTERNOON
6 July 2008 2.00pm
onwards.
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More pictures
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A lively
afternoon of music, dancing and merrymaking, as groups of musicians, some in
period costume, perform song and dance from the medieval, Tudor and Stuart
times in the wonderful; setting of our historic buildings. Come just
to listen or join in the dancing.
2008 News
Release
[Index of Events] [Home]
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RARE AND TRADITIONAL BREEDS SHOW
20 July 2008
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More pictures
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Our biggest show of the
year! Over 500 cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and poultry
of numerous rare breeds will be taking part in the show, the largest in
south east England.
Bring the family to see orange bristled Tamworth pigs;
the Pygmy goats, not much more than one foot high;
Gloucester Old Spot pigs with their dramatic black blotches, Longhorn
cattle with majestic curly horns and Southdown Sheep with their teddy bear
faces and dumpling shape and many many more.
Other attractions include country craft and
trade stands with farm and animal themes and the Museum's own team of
working Shire horses.
View
Podcast of previous event
Schedule of Classes
for competitors
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The British Artist Blacksmiths Association (BABA)
international AGM: meet over 70 blacksmiths at work on a specially
commissioned piece. Have a go yourself, and enjoy many other fascinating
blacksmith-related activities around the site. The event runs alongside an
exhibition of contemporary blacksmiths’ work supported by BABA, from July 23rd
– August 3rd in the Downland Gridshell. [Index of Events] [Home] |
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ST ROCHE
SERVICE ON THE TRUNDLE
16 August 2008
A free open air service on the site of
the chapel of St Roche, patron saint of healing. Meet at the Trundle
near Goodwood Racecourse, transport up the hill will be provided if
needed.
[Index of Events] [Home]
STEAM
FESTIVAL
16-17 August 2008
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All the bustle
and excitement of a Steam Festival, with steam engines on display and
demonstrating the kind of work around the Museum site for which they were
originally designed. Plus steam rollers, working models, model boats
on the lake and a variety of trade stands.
News Release
View Podcast of previous event
[Index of Events] [Home]
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AUTUMN COUNTRYSIDE
SHOW
4-5
October 2008
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More Autumn Countryside pictures |
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'We Plough the Fields and
Scatter'
A celebration of how the countryside used to be.
The hiss of steam engines, the chug of the threshing box, the
chink of the plough horses chains and the scrape of metal on earth as the
plough eats into the ground - these once heralded the golden days of autumn,
and now remind us of the rural heritage on which our modern society is
built.
Numerous pairs of
heavy horses, vintage tractors, the huge threshing drum and a
gleaming steam engine will all be at work.
The museum's crop of thatching straw, grown each year to supply
local thatchers and to repair the Museum's own buildings will be threshed
with steam driven machinery in the traditional way.
Heavy horses and vintage tractors will plough the stubble left by
the harvest. The museum's pair of Shires
plus visiting Suffolk, Clydesdales
and British Percheron draught horses will be at work.
Countryside skills and crafts and trade stands
will add to the atmosphere. A perfect day out!
News Release
[Index of Events]
[Home] |
AUTUMN HALF TERM ACTIVITIES FOR
CHILDREN
AUTUMN ACTION
27-31 October 2008. 11.00am -
4.00pm
Wickedly wonderful seasonal activities, fun and farming for accompanied
children of all ages! Help with the harvest; discover an interesting use for
the humble apple; carve a pumpkin lantern; and enjoy arts, crafts and much
more. Plus – join the Harvest Procession on Wed 25th at 1pm. From 11am – 4pm
daily, under cover if wet. Activities vary each day and include:
Please wear clothing suitable for playing outdoors.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
For further information telephone 01243
811348.
[Index of Events]
[Home] |
TREE DRESSING
2 December 2007
7 December 2008 : 12.30 - 4.00pm
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More pictures |
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A festival of trees rooted in the Green Man legends
of ancient times and the importance of natural objects to man. One of
our busiest days in the winter, people of all ages flock to join in with
dancing, singing, fireside story telling, mummers plays
ending with a lantern procession and spiral dance around a magnificent
aspen tree as it is dressed with the lanterns.
To join in with the lantern making workshop, don’t forget to
bring a jam jar and a night light! Beginning at 12.30pm
the celebrations last until about 4.30pm.
Lantern making will finish
around 3pm in time for the procession at 3.45pm. Mulled wine and mince pies available.
If you're stuck for a particular Christmas present why not have a look in
the Christmas craft market or theMuseum's gift shop. The shop has a well-deserved reputation for
its wide range of books
on rural and related traditions and is the ideal place to discover volumes
unlikely to be found in the high street.
[Index of Events]
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A
SUSSEX CHRISTMAS
26 December 2007 to 1 January 2008
26 December 2008 to 1 January 2009
For the traditions
of Christmas click
here.
For pictures from previous years
click
here.
www.foodloversbritain.com is
the key place for those who love to eat and buy British on the web. Check
their events section, particularly with regards to December and Christmas
festivals and fairs.
[Index of Events]
[Home] |
SPECIAL FOCUS DAYS
On
selected days throughout the year, our interpretation team invite you to
join them for an in-depth exploration of some intriguing aspects of our
rural heritage and current work at the Museum. Fascinating days of
discovery and demonstrations for all the family
TWELFTH NIGHT -
FOCUS DAY
6
January 2008 11am-4pm
A
focus on.. all the excitements, traditions and celebrations surrounding
Twelfth Night in Tudor times, with a chance to sample ‘Twelfth-cake’
prepared in our Tudor Kitchen.
[Index of Events]
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GROW YOUR OWN
CLOTHES
- FOCUS DAY
Sunday 13 April 2008
11am-5pm
A
focus on… how fabrics and clothing were grown and made in Tudor and
Victorian times with demonstrations of spinning, weaving and natural
dyeing. How were clothes worn and how does this differ from today? Come
in your own period costume if you wish. This focus day complements our
Historic Clothing Project exhibition which runs from Monday 7th –
Friday 18th April.
[Index of Events]
[Home]
SMALL
BEER AND THE UPPER CRUST
- FOCUS DAY
Sunday 14th September
11am-5pm
A
focus on… Tudor bread making and brewing based in and around our working
Tudor kitchen. To include talks from local bakers and brewers contrasting
historic and contemporary brewing and baking processes, and the importance
of yeast.
[Index of Events]
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STIR-UP
SUNDAY
- FOCUS DAY
Sunday 23rd November
11am-4pm
A
focus on… a traditional Christmas pudding and cake bake! Find out how the
Victorians prepared for a typical Christmas in 1890 and sample the results.
[Index of Events]
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