When one of our volunteers, Debbie Wallace retired, the world had ground to a halt. Lockdown had closed doors across the country, and with it, the usual routes into a…
Read More
Retirement can feel like standing at a crossroads. After decades of routine, the question of what comes next isn’t always easy to answer. For Steve, a volunteer at Weald &…
It is unfailingly remarkable what the willing hands of ordinary people can achieve. Long before the first visitors paid for their tickets at the gate on a September morning in…
Rural life in the shadow of mighty kings and storied conquests, kept the heart of Anglo-Saxon England beating. Far from the centres of power chronicled by monks and minstrels, the…
This year marks a very special milestone for us here at the Weald & Downland Living Museum: our 55th anniversary. For over half a century, we’ve opened our gates to…
When we think of Britain’s interwar years, we often picture the roaring twenties or the austerity of the thirties, but amid these decades of change, one of the most quietly…
When most people think of Halloween today, they imagine carved pumpkins, spooky costumes, and trick-or-treating. Yet beneath these modern trappings lies a much older tradition – a distinctly British story…
Michaelmas, the feast of St. Michael and All Angels, was one of the most important festivals in the medieval English calendar. Falling on the 29th of September, it marked both…
Culture is built on the practices and characteristics that make a place unique. For thousands of years and countless generations, humans have always crafted. Whether it be art or practical…
Nestled in the heart of the South Downs National Park, the Weald & Downland Living Museum tells the stories of rural life in South East England, not just through its…
As part of our collection here at the Museum, stands the Joiners’ Shop from Witley. While a fascinating building in its own right, the Joiners’ shop also gives us an…
Toys have long played a vital role in the lives of children, providing not only entertainment but also education, socialisation, and development. Across history, the materials, design, and purpose of…
