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…
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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’…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Plough Monday With references dating back to the late 15th century, Plough Monday was generally the first Monday to fall after Epiphany on the 6th January. Following the close of…
Twelfth Night, also known as Epiphany Eve, falls on the 5th January and is the end of the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas. Decorations were taken down, and it was…
The last Sunday before Advent is Stir-up Sunday, a day when traditionally families gather together to prepare the Christmas pudding. Historically a day of religious importance to Christians, marked with…
Did you know that our ancestors once had ‘two sleeps’ each day? Also known as biphasic sleep, the ritual of ‘two sleeps’ wasn’t discovered until the early 1990s, when historian…
