Royal Visits

With the Coronation of King Charles III fast approaching, we look back at his visits to the Weald & Downland Living Museum.

We have welcomed the monarch here many times, including in November 2010 to mark our 40th anniversary. During the visit he explored many of our historic buildings including the Tudor Kitchen, Poplar Cottage and Victorian School as well as meeting members of the team, volunteers and children from Singleton Primary School. He went on to meet with representatives from the National Society of Master Thatchers in our Downland Gridshell building. The Master Thatchers have a long association with the Museum and have worked on many of the thatched buildings in our collection.

King Charles returned to the Museum in 2022 to feature in a special episode of The Repair Shop, which is filmed here. The episode was part of the celebrations for the BBC’s centenary.

Many of King Charles’ own personal interests including heritage crafts and conservation are encompassed here at the Museum. It was an honour and privilege to welcome him.