Museum Director Clare de Bathe Interviewed on Investment, Visitors and the Future

Our Museum Director, Clare de Bathe, was recently interviewed by Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers, to talk about an exciting period of investment and development at the Weald & Downland Living Museum.

A year into her role as Museum Director, Clare reflected on the challenges faced by visitor attractions in recent years, but also on the strong and increasingly confident position the Museum now finds itself in.

“We’ve had some tricky years, as a lot of visitor attractions have had,” Clare explained. “But we’ve seen some significant investment this year through external funding and capital appeals.”

That investment is already making a visible difference across the Museum, with improvements focused on creating an even better experience for visitors.

Clare highlighted investment in the Museum’s infrastructure, marketing and branding, alongside a wider programme of work shaped by conversations with staff, volunteers, stakeholders and the local community.

Over the past year, the Museum has been asking people what they want from their visits, from how easily they can move around the site to the way the stories of our historic buildings are told.

One of the clearest responses was a desire to discover more about the buildings themselves.

Visitors told us they wanted more information about their history, why they are significant, how they were dismantled from their original locations and how they came to be preserved at the Museum.

In response, a new interpretation project will introduce new signage outside every historic building, helping visitors uncover more of the stories behind the Museum’s remarkable collection.

Families were another important part of the conversation.

Visitors asked for more places where children could play and explore, leading to the creation of a new woodland marble run and an adventure play area due to open ahead of October half term.

These additions sit alongside the Museum’s historic buildings, demonstrations, landscapes and traditional skills, creating more ways for families to enjoy a full day out together.

For Clare, however, what makes the Museum particularly special comes down to two things: the people and the place.

“We have a remarkable team here, not only staff but volunteers and our visitors,” she said. “Those people bring the whole site to life through interpretation and storytelling.”

The setting is equally important.

With more than 50 acres to explore and 52 historic buildings in the heart of the South Downs National Park, the Museum offers visitors the chance to experience history while also enjoying an extraordinary natural landscape.

And no two visits are quite the same.

“The key is the seasons,” Clare explained.

Throughout the year, the Museum changes with the rhythms of rural life. From coppicing and preparing firewood during the colder months to growing and working the land through spring and summer, different activities, colours and stories emerge across the site.

“The site changes on a weekly basis. The colours change, the activities change, and the stories change as well.”

That constant change is one of the reasons there is always something new to discover, whether you are visiting the Museum for the first time or returning to a place you have known for years.

With new interpretation, improved visitor facilities, new family experiences and continued investment in the site, it is an exciting time for the Weald & Downland Living Museum.

Watch Clare’s full interview with Phil Hewitt below to hear more about the Museum, the changes taking place across the site and what makes the Weald & Downland Living Museum such a special place to visit.