18 November 2024
Christmas Through the Ages
How do you celebrate Christmas? You might have traditions that are unique to you and your family, your cultural heritage or national identity. In Britain, Christmas as we know it…
13 November 2024
The Heart of the Home: A History of the Hearth
What does the household revolve around? What is the centrepiece of the home? For millennia, it has been the hearth. Indeed, the modern world ‘hearth’ comes from the Old English…
5 November 2024
Blod-Monath: Winter Survival & Celebration
November, the month of Guy Fawkes, bonfires and autumn leaves, went by a different moniker during the Early Medieval period. It was known, rather descriptively, as ‘Blod-Monath’, or ‘Blood Month’…
30 October 2024
Ghostly Trick or Pious Treat? The Origins of Halloween
As soon as the leaves start to change colour, and the blanket of them begins to crunch under foot, our minds usually turn to Halloween. This is the night where,…
18 October 2024
Cultivating Sustainability: A Gardening Way of Life
In an increasingly eco-conscious world, sustainability is no longer just a buzzword - it’s a way of life. From nurturing soil health to promoting biodiversity, each step we take towards…
18 October 2024
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…
15 October 2024
Keeping a Good Table: Tudor Food
When you think of Tudor food, you probably head straight for the images of whole-roasted swans, pigs with apples in their mouths or feast tables laden with more decoration than…
11 October 2024
A Victorian Deep Clean
Learning from the Past to Clean the Present Deep cleaning is often a job we dread as comfortable moderns; even with all our foamy soaps and vacuum cleaners. But here…
2 October 2024
A New Archive Facility
We have embarked on an ambitious project to digitally archive our vast collection of photographic slides and historic materials. This ongoing work aims to preserve our rich history while making…
25 September 2024
Threshing: The final stage of harvest
For our ancestors, the harvest was not just a period of gathering crops—it was the lifeline that ensured survival through the harsh winter months. The harvest season was the pinnacle…
25 September 2024
Tudor Clothing – Dressing for the day ahead
Imagine waking up before dawn on a beautiful midsummer's day in the 16th century. The air is cool, and there’s a full day of work ahead or a trip to…
9 September 2024
Meet the Maker: Jackie Smith
At Weald & Downland Living Museum we are committed to preserving the skills of the past for future generations. Over the weekend of the 14-15 September we will be inviting…
