Quick Tour (continued)

To get more information about any building either
click the hyperlink in the text or click a building in a picture or a map.

[Home]

As you walk to the far end of the site you will see houses from earlier periods. Stop first at Pendean Farmhouse (17) with its fully furnished interior, pigsty and gardens; then Boarhunt Hall (18) where the magnificent view of West Dean College and the Singleton Valley will unfold. Edward James who is most famous for his patronage of the arts, particularly surrealism, originally owned the house.

You may then return through the woods on a new path completed in 2008,passing the 13th century medieval cottage from Hangleton (19) to the woodland area (20) where woodland crafts of charcoal burning and coppicing are carried out in the traditional way.

The timber yard contains cranes, saw benches and saw pits and other machinery which is housed in the Coldwalltham shed.

Woodland Craft Centre

Woodland Area (20)

 

Pendean Farmhouse from Midhurst, Sussex. C17th. Hall from Boarhunt, Hampshire. C15th. Medieval Cottage from Hangleton, Sussex. C13th. Woodland Craft Centre.


Hall from Boarhunt, Hampshire.

Boarhunt Hall (18)

Treadwheel from Catherington, Hampshire. C17th. Downland Gridshell Conservation Store and Workshop. C21st.


Soon you are out in the open again with wonderful panoramic view of the beautiful museum site and the Lavant valley, giving the opportunity to see many of the building from a different perspective.  Finaaally a treadwheel and its house (23), which date from the early 17th century and were designed to raise water from a very deep well.

One further surprise awaits you.  The magnificent, award winning Downland Gridshell (44) is a structure built of oak like so many of the ancient buildings you have seen but using the most modern building technology.  This building houses the Museums supporting collections and its conservation workshop.  Join one of the guided tours of this unique building, usually at 13.30pm.  Click here to follow the building of the Gridshell in words and pictures.

That brings us to the end of the tour, if you wish to discover more about our collection of buildings visit the Collection area of this website.

You may choose to visit the Museum on one of our special event days and there will be many other things for you to see before you leave for home.

We hope that this quick tour has given you a flavour of this unique and beautiful place but words and pictures can never properly describe the true ambience and atmosphere.  That's why we hope you will want to:

[Home]
 

Copyright © 2007 Weald & Downland Open Air Museum