What’s On This Month…
Discover what’s on this month as there is always something new to discover at the Weald & Downland Living Museum. Just as life in the past changed with the seasons, our demonstrations and hands-on activities vary from day to day, reflecting the rhythms of the people who once lived and worked in our historic buildings.
Our interpretation team, supported by visiting specialists and our fantastic, knowledgeable volunteers, brings different parts of the Museum’s collection to life each day, offering fresh stories, skills, and insights to enjoy.
Alongside our regular programme, a range of additional interpretation activities and demonstrations will be taking place. Please be aware that these may change due to circumstances beyond our control, so if there’s something you’re particularly keen to see, we recommend checking on the day of your visit and keeping an eye on our social media channels for any news.
April:
Monday, 27 April
Return to the familiar charm of working history, with fletching, cottage life, and a fascinating watermill talk offering a gentle yet engaging start to the week.
Tuesday, 28 April
A craft-filled day featuring willow weaving, Tudor life demonstrations, and thought-provoking talks that bridge past and present in compelling ways.
Wednesday, 29 April
Enjoy a lively blend of craft, storytelling, and performance, from knitting and daily chores to a charming smithy play and a peaceful garden talk.
Thursday, 30 April
Close the month with the magic of May Eve, echoes of ancient bonfires and woodland traditions mingle with immersive demonstrations of cottage, kitchen, and farmhouse life, ending April on a truly enchanting note.
May:
Friday, 1 May
Step into the spirit of May Day, with traditional maypole dancing, Tudor-era kitchen life, and the refined world of the mistress of the house brought vividly to life in Winkhurst Hall. The exhibition on rural boundaries also continues.
Get immersed in the sights and sounds of historic springtime celebration.
Saturday, 2 May
Heritage Crafts: Charcoal Burn
Join us as we build and burn the first of our two charcoal fires for the season.
The process of charcoal burning is both art and science – a controlled burn requiring close attention and great care. At the Museum, our knowledgeable interpreter Jon Roberts, together with our Interpretation Team, will bring this practice to life for visitors over this weekend.
Travel across centuries in a single day: explore 16th-century farmhouses, Regency toll keeping, flax processing, and cottage life in the 18th century.
Today is the first of our £5 Doorstep Days for the May Bank Holiday Weekend!
Enjoy a fantastic-value day out at your local museum with our special £5 Doorstep Days this Early May Bank Holiday weekend.
Perfect for history enthusiasts and hands-on learners alike.
Sunday, 3 May
Celebrate the Feast of the Holy Rood with Tudor games, folk songs, and stories of May traditions, alongside immersive domestic life demonstrations and a talk on 16th-century spices.
The second of our £5 Doorstep Days!
Enjoy a fantastic-value day out at your local museum with our special £5 Doorstep Days this Early May Bank Holiday weekend.
Enjoy the rich traditions and rhythms of early English life.
Monday, 4 May
Discover working lives of the past, from railway cottages to Tudor kitchens, and gain insight into historic milling with a live watermill talk.
The final £5 Doorstep Day of the Bank Holiday Weekend!
Enjoy a fantastic-value day out at your local museum with our special £5 Doorstep Days this Early May Bank Holiday weekend.
Step quietly into the everyday world of past generations.
Tuesday, 5 May
Experience history through the senses: taste Georgian butter, hear about Tudor farm life, and compare a woman’s life in 1540 with today.
A fascinating day of contrast, craft, and lived experience.
Wednesday, 6 May
Explore rural labour and devotion, from flax processing to church life, alongside blacksmithing insights and guided introductions to historic gardens.
Feel the rhythm of work, faith, and community in the past.
Thursday, 7 May
A quieter but deeply immersive day featuring Tudor kitchens, farmhouse life, and traditional flax processing.
Perfect for those who enjoy slow, authentic historical immersion.
Friday, 8 May
Step into domestic authority with the ‘Mistress of the House’ and witness the craftsmanship of rag rugging in action.
Discover the overlooked artistry of everyday life.
Saturday, 9 May
Help us keep our heritage crafts alive as we host two days of activities especially for children to ‘Try a trade’ as they explore our Museum heritage trades and crafts.
Back due to popular demand, over this weekend children will become our Junior Apprentices and be given a Certificate in Heritage Crafts and Skills once they have tried their chosen trades.
Also, join National Mills Weekend, meet millers, try your hand at flour bagging, and explore crafts from silk work to folk healing.
An interactive day full of discovery for all ages.
Sunday, 10 May
Heritage Crafts: Try a Trade continues today!
Continue the mill celebrations with Tudor games, traditional crafts, and immersive demonstrations across multiple historical settings.
Bring the whole family for a lively day of living history.
Monday, 11 May
From carving to cooking, experience skilled craftsmanship and daily life, with added insight into milling and Tudor spices.
Ideal for lovers of traditional skills and heritage crafts.
Tuesday, 12 May
Mark the Feast of St Pancras with rich storytelling, dairy tastings, and Tudor farm life brought vividly to life.
Enjoy a blend of faith, food, and history.
Wednesday, 13 May
Witness textile crafts, railway life, and historic domestic routines, alongside talks on blacksmithing and gardens.
Perfect for those fascinated by traditional crafts.
Thursday, 14 May
Celebrate Ascension Day with a special historical feast, alongside Tudor cooking and seasonal traditions.
Experience the sacred rhythms of the historical calendar.
Friday, 15 May
Explore the history of midwifery across centuries, alongside domestic life and traditional crafts.
A thought-provoking journey through life, birth, and care.
Saturday, 16 May
Living History: A Taste of the Past
Step back in time and experience history through the senses. Join us for a weekend of living history ‘A Taste of the Past’, where the sights, sounds, and smells of the past come alive.
Over the weekend you can meet historical interpreters as they bring some of the Museum historic houses to life with demonstrations on how life might have been for the families that lived and worked in them.
Join food historian, Marc Meltonville, as he demonstrates life in a Victualling House, in the House from Walderton. Meet Ian Pycroft from Black Knight Historical and the team, as they demonstrate a bustling Georgian Coffee House in Tindall’s cottage. See Robert the Toll Keeper, as he will be managing the toll house and showing his hospitality on how he might have served tea, cheese scones and crumpets to weary travellers.
Step into the social world of past centuries.
Sunday, 17 May
Celebrate St Dunstan’s Day with blacksmithing demonstrations, alongside Tudor games and bustling historical scenes.
Hear the ring of hammer on anvil in a day of living heritage.
Monday, 18 May
A calmer day focused on railway life and the workings of a historic watermill.
Perfect for a peaceful, reflective historical visit.
Tuesday, 19 May
Taste, learn, and explore: Georgian dairying, Tudor farming, and the lives of women across time.
Engage all your senses in the past.
Wednesday, 20 May
Return to rural rhythms with flax processing, farmhouse life, and guided insights into historic spaces.
Enjoy the steady pace of traditional working life.
Thursday, 21 May
Discover Tudor clothing, farming, and domestic life, alongside insights into heavy horses and rural labour.
A rich day for lovers of agricultural and social history.
Friday, 22 May
Experience household authority and traditional crafts with Tudor cooking and rag rugging.
Step inside the world of historic home life.
Saturday, 23 May
Step Into the Saxon World This May Half Term
Travel back 1,000 years and experience history like never before.
This May half term, embark on an unforgettable, hands-on adventure into the Saxon age at the Weald & Downland Living Museum. From mysterious riddles to ancient crafts, thrilling storytelling to real archaeological discovery—there’s something to spark every imagination.
Living History: Victorian Showtime
Join us for three days of extraordinary Victorian showtime entertainment, as we are joined by Melford Hys Companie, as they showcase their Victorian Travelling Show.
See their collection of oddities as they bring to life their travelling show from the 1890s. Enjoy their extraordinary acts of daring, tales of the Empire, a doctor that can cure all ills and the delightful Gristle Sisters who are always on hand with a snack or a tea leaf reading.
Feel the buzz of a Victorian fairground atmosphere.
Sunday, 24 May
Continue the Victorian festivities alongside Tudor games, cottage life, and historic cooking.
A perfect blend of entertainment and education.
Monday, 25 May
Final day of the Victorian show: experience working life, milling, and traditional crafts in full swing.
Don’t miss the grand finale of living history.
Tuesday, 26 May
Half term continues with hands-on demonstrations, tastings, and talks on Tudor and Georgian life.
An engaging day for curious minds of all ages.
Wednesday, 27 May
Meet historical characters, explore crafts, and learn about rural industries and daily life.
Step into the stories of ordinary people from the past.
Thursday, 28 May
Discover skilled trades, from pin-making to farming, alongside Tudor domestic life.
Perfect for those fascinated by forgotten professions.
Friday, 29 May
Return to domestic history with cooking, household authority, and textile crafts.
Enjoy the quiet craftsmanship of the past.
Saturday, 30 May
Experience the forge with a Tudor blacksmith, alongside Regency tollkeeping and farmhouse life.
Hear history come alive through fire, metal, and labour.
Sunday, 31 May
Close the month with Tudor games, blacksmithing, and bustling village life across multiple eras.
End the month immersed in the energy and vitality of living history.
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Become a Member and Make the Most of the Seasons
Becoming a Member is the best way to enjoy the Museum throughout the changing seasons while helping to care for our historic buildings, traditional crafts, and beautiful landscape. As an independent charity with no government funding, your support helps protect this special place for future generations. With unlimited visits, seasonal activities, and new experiences to discover each time, membership quickly empowers the joy of returning.
Join as a Member and make the most of everything the Museum offers every season.
Click here to find out more about our membership
Information for Visitors
The Museum’s 40 acre site, historic gardens and buildings are fascinating places to learn about rural history. Visitors can purchase grain from the Museum shop and feed the hungry ducks on the mill pond. Whilst enjoying the great outdoors and fresh air, look out for our working animals, which can include the Heavy Horses, Sheep and Ducks. There are a number of lovely woodland trails, including a woodland play area for children to explore.
Why not enjoy breakfast, brunch or lunch at our Waterside Café? Visitors can also bring a picnic as there are plenty of picnic areas available on site. Takeaway refreshments will also be available from our seasonal Shepherd’s Huts located around the Museum.
Dogs on short leads are welcome and there is ample free parking. Please note that the Museum is a no-smoking site. Visitors with access needs are advised to read our accessibility page in advance of their visit.
All activities are subject to change.
