Welcome to our Museum Director

Tilly Blyth steps into Director role to lead an exciting new chapter at the Weald & Downland Living Museum

The Weald & Downland Living Museum is delighted to announce Tilly Blyth as the new Director. Tilly brings with her a wealth of experience in museum leadership and a proven track record of innovative curation.

Tilly has worked for national museums and the British Library, including 20 years at the Science Museum, where she was Head of Collections and Principal Curator.  She joins from the University of Leicester, where she was Professor and Head of the School of Museum Studies.  Tilly holds various professional positions, including as a Trustee of the Bletchley Park Trust, a Member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, and  a member of English Heritage’s Blue Plaques panel.

Expressing her excitement for the Directorship role, Tilly Blyth said: “The Weald & Downland Living Museum holds a special place people’s hearts, telling the stories of rural lives and promoting interest in the preservation of our architecture and crafts. I am thrilled to be leading this jewel of a museum that has so much to tell us about living with nature, in our past and our future.”

Jo Pasricha, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Weald & Downland Living Museum said: “We are thrilled to have appointed Tilly to lead the Museum. An immense thank you to Simon for his six-year commitment as Museum Director; Simon guided the Museum safely out of the Pandemic, has succeeded in the face of many challenges and leaves the Museum in great shape. We are hugely excited to work with Tilly in a new era of advancing the Weald & Downland Living Museum’s mission as a heritage centre of excellence for visitors to enjoy and learn about the vernacular architecture of our region and the stories of life and those who lived here.”

Tilly takes over after six impactful years of leadership from Simon Wardell. His tenure has been characterised by numerous exciting developments and a steadfast commitment to enhancing the Museum’s offering, with the museum winning an array of tourism and heritage awards, undertaking an ambitious £4m development project, carrying out significant conservation projects on historic buildings and forming new partnerships that expanded its educational reach.

Reflecting on his tenure, Simon Wardell said, “I am filled with a deep sense of pride and gratitude for my time at the Museum. It has been an extraordinary privilege to work here and an absolute joy to collaborate with such dedicated staff, passionate volunteers, and engaged visitors of all ages. I am immensely proud of all that we’ve accomplished together, and I believe now is the perfect time to pass the baton of leadership to Tilly. Tilly embodies the spirit and vision needed to continue our mission, and I am certain she will lead the Museum towards even greater heights.”