WEALD & DOWNLAND · worked at the Museum in 2016/2017 as the Heritage Lottery Fund Collections Trainee. Please do check the website for further details as the season unfurls. Above,

Spring 2018

WEALD & DOWNLANDLIVING MUSEUM

What’s On 2018, events,summer activities & courses

3 6, 20 & 31Three newbuildings opening this year

5

p01 Cover Spring 2018_Layout 1 20/02/2018 12:34 Page 1

Open daily from 1 January 2018 until 23 December 2018.

Opening times: 10.30am-4.00pm or10.30am-6.00pm during British SummerTime. Opening times vary on major eventdays – please see our website or call for details.

Admission 2018: ticket prices include Gift Aid (standard charges in brackets).Adults £15.50 (£14.00), 65+ £13.50(£12.00), Children £7.50 (£6.50), Family 2 adults + 3 children £42.00 (£38.00),Family 1 adult + 3 children £27.50 (£25.00),Special (inc. helper) £5.00 (£4.50). 4s andunder enter for free. Call 01243 811363 fordetails of group rates and disabled access.Free car and coach parking. Dogs on leadsare welcome. Waterside café, picnic areasand gift shop.

Weald & Downland Living Museum Singleton, Chichester West Sussex PO18 0EU

Museum office Tel: 01243 811363 Information line: 01243 811348 Email: [email protected] Website: www.wealddown.co.ukAnnual Membership: 01243 811893

Acting Museum Director: Simon WardellMagazine Editor: Diana ZeunerAdvertising: Katie Jardine Tel: 01243 811010Registered as a charity No. 306338ISSN 0953 6051

Weald & DownlandLiving MuseumOpening Dates

and Times

Spring is Sprung .....................4

Three new buildings ..............5

Endowment Appeal..................7Gardens-fest!..........................17

What’s On...............................20

LSA house at Museum..........24

Courses ...................................31

Who lived in our 14thcentury cottage?...............27

The Bodgers’ Ball! ................39

9

23

38

The Museum comes to life in Spring with a wealth of activities,demonstrations, talks and events, with three historic buildingsrising on their new sites, and new family exhibits to look forwardto, and all against the backdrop of our glorious green site in thecentre of the South Downs National Park.

A look back at this column over the pastfew years shows how much the deliveryof the new ‘Gateway’ visitor facilities hasdominated the work of the Museum.

Well, 2017 saw its completion and inMay the grand opening of those facilities.Along with a reinvigorated programme ofevents this gave rise to a significant in-crease in both visitors and membership.Our challenge for 2018 is to build on that momentum and to out-per form lastyear’s achievements through continuousimprovement. That we can do by holdingon to our founders’ aim . . . “to run an open air museum which inspires anddelights its users.”

While we know from social media feed-back that the majority of our visitors had a

good experience in 2017 – Facebook re-views give an overall rating of 4.7 out of 5stars and Trip Advisor 94% Very Good orExcellent – we also know that we can stillimprove our catering and retail offers. Allfeedback is welcome, whether via socialmedia or the comment cards provided inthe café, and we are currently reviewingall those in refreshing our Spring 2018offer. With the stunning visitor facilitiesnow available to us and our beautiful loca -tion, there is no reason why the Museumshould not aspire to providing a first classcafé and shop in addition to providing aworld class heritage experience.

Last year we hosted the West SussexLord Lieutenant’s annual away day and insummer this year we will be welcoming the

Welcome

2 Weald & Downland Living Museum SPRING 2018

Weald & Downland Living Museum Magazine is printed on Edixion Offset, uncoated paper with ISO 14001 environmental certification and covered by the European EMAS standard, produced from sustainable forests.

Typeset by Dorchester Typesetting Group Ltd,Dorchester, DorsetPrinted by Pensord (www.Pensord.co.uk)

p02-03 Spring 2018_P. 3- 21/02/2018 09:54 Page 2

County High Sheriff’s main annual charityevent, with some 250 guests. We have anattractive location, charitable objectives –learning, conservation and historical research – which people support, the facilities to host, and a track record of delivering major events. That is a soundbasis for developing our new 10-year planand we will be involving all our stakehold-ers in that process as the year unfolds.

In the meantime development at theMuseum will continue with the completionthis year of the bakehouse from Newdigate,near Dorking, Surrey and the dairy fromEastwick Park, Great Bookham, Surrey.Ahead of opening these two working exhibits, the Museum team is exploringways to demonstrate the skills of bakingand dairying in the reconstructed spacesand to develop our educational offer. Wewant to maximise opportunities for visitorengagement, both through informal activ-ities and formally through our courses programme.

The Museum has experience of operat-ing a working Tudor kitchen, and a 17thcentury mill, producing our own flour.These provide a strong basis for many

similar skills – baking bread, churning but-ter and making cheese. Visitors enjoy see-ing and experiencing food cooked in thekitchen which a Tudor farming family wouldhave eaten: indeed, our Tudor bread ovenwas used as the location to recreate theprincipal events in the recent Great Fire of London documentary TV series. The opportunity to offer something similar formore recent times in our ‘new’ 18th and19th century buildings is an exciting one.

The DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Gal-leries Improvement Fund provided the corefunding for these two reconstructions.Fundraising remains an ongoing priority forthe Museum and currently we are seekingdonations to our new Endowment Appealfeatured in the last issue of the magazine,which aims to ensure that our historicbuildings are safeguarded for the future.Thank you to all those of you who have already contributed, and we look forward tomore support this year (see also page 7).

Our chief executive since May 2016,Martin Purslow, left the Museum in De-cember having contributed significantly tothe renewal of our events programme, thenecessary restructuring of the organisa-

tion and the fitting out of the visitor centrefacilities. We are grateful for the energyand ideas he brought to that work. We arefortunate that Simon Wardell, alreadyknown to many at the Museum, hasstepped into the role of Acting Museum Director as we move forward with confi-dence to deliver yet another exciting yearin the life of our marvellous Museum. Paul RiggChairman of Trustees

Weald & Downland Living Museum SPRING 2018 3

Our Heritage Lottery Fund-supported ‘Gateway’ project whichdelivered our new visitor centre last year had many differentfacets, and another that will be delivered around Easter-time aretwo very special Family Hubs.

At Hambrook barn the focus is play, for all ages. With a colour-ful backdrop and props, you can let your imagination run wild as you act out stories of adventure based on our themes of historical buildings and the countryside. Also in this space you will be able to enjoy simple traditional games undercover, popular with adults as well as children, and ideal if the weather is a little inclement outside!

The second hub will open in the medieval house from SoleStreet, which will have hands-on science as its focus. Inside, youcan try your hand at various construction challenges, with con-cepts you will recognise from exhibits and activities from all aroundthe Museum. Outside, we will examine the natural environment –close up and in detail – as well as information about the fantas-tic and beautiful South Downs landscape within which the Museumsits. Each area will have elements that change at different timesof the year, so there will always be something familiar and some-thing new to enjoy.

Also, look out this season for the development of our new Exhibition Space within Longport farmhouse, which previouslyhoused the Museum entrance and shop. The opening display, untilearly September, will centre on rarely seen images from ourarchives of the Museum’s development from its earliest days.These images were researched and chosen by Hannah Keen, whoworked at the Museum in 2016/2017 as the Heritage LotteryFund Collections Trainee. Please do check the website for furtherdetails as the season unfurls.

Above, the medieval house from Sole Street will be the base for ournew Family Hub focusing on hands-on science. Below, Longportfarmhouse will be the home for our new Exhibition Space.

Two Family Hubs and one Exhibition Space – great new projects coming this year!

p02-03 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:40 Page 3

The Museum comes to life in the gloriousseason of Spring, with all the promise

of new shoots and young lifepopping up everywhere.

Enjoy a day among ourhistoric buildings in thebeautiful South Downs,just drinking it all in quietly, or bringingalong the family to join

in with a host of greatevents we have planned.

There’s more on our websiteabout all our new activities this year

– we look forward to seeing you!


Our delightful waterside café is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, snacks and afternoon tea. Overlooking the millpond to our historic buildings and the countryside beyond, you can just come along to eat and chill without visitingthe Museum if you are short of time. We champion local suppli-ers and use our own stoneground flour and herbs and producefrom our gardens where possible. Gluten free, vegetarian

and vegan options are always avail-able on our changing seasonalmenu and daily specials. Why notdrop in for coffee and cake when youare next passing? And it’s dog-friendlytoo! Annual members save 10% Monday to Friday.

Don’t miss –• Mothering Sunday, with our

traditional complimentary posyfor mothers and grandmothers –11 March

• Easter Celebrations, includingegg painting and bonnet making –1-2 April

• Food Festival, featuring the verybest of the South East’s produceand crafts –5-7 May

• Museum at Night(ticketed): join us foran atmospheric walk around themuseum as darkness falls –18/19 May

• Summer Half-term Activitiesfor the whole family –28 May-1 June

• Living History Festival, an exciting weekend of time traveland history brought to life –1-3 June

Spring is sprung . . .Make the most of it at the Museum!

Great food – lovely views – time out:visit our waterside Café!

Lurgashall Watermill is the only

working watermill producing flour

in West Sussex!

p04-05 Spring 2018_P. 3- 21/02/2018 09:56 Page 4

From the very beginning of this yearthere has been considerable constructionactivity on the Museum site as buildingsfrom the 18th/19th centuries join ourhistoric building exhibits.

Down by the millpond, the roof of theEastwick Park Dairy was thatched in early January after being raised beforeChristmas, and the tiling of the NewdigateBakehouse was completed following structural work on the walls and roof in November and December. Both buildingsare originally from Surrey and their re- erection was made possible by aDCMS/Wolfson Museums & Galleries Improvement Fund grant.

At the other end of the site, nearBayleaf farmhouse, the frame of the 18th century May Day Farm barn wasraised, led by the Museum’s Carpenter-in- Residence, Joe Thompson. The barn, and its associated stable building, wereoffered to the Museum owing to a roadwidening scheme between Tonbridge andPembury, Kent, by Balfour Beatty, which isfunding their re-erection.

All this activity has provided greatchances for our visitors to see the con-struction and conservation work at closequarters and hear short presentations byMuseum staff and volunteers. As workcontinues, so of course do the conversa-tions – each historic structure throws upmany questions from the day it comesdown through the reconstruction and repair process to the days which see itgrow on a new site at the Museum.

Do assumptions about the way to approach particular elements of the con-servation and reconstruction based on theinitial research still hold true? Will newmaterials sourced to cover a shortfall inexisting materials be appropriate for thebuilding? How will the internal spaces belaid out to explain their uses as well aschanges over time? What demonstrationsand special activities do these structuresinspire?

All these challenges are approachedwith care to ensure the integrity of our in-terpretation of the buildings and that westay true to the Museum’s ethos, while at

the same time providing exciting new ex-periences for our visitors. The opportunityto produce bread, and butter and cheesewithin our new food production buildingsis tantalising, and we will be busy over the coming months developing a range ofactivities within them.

In the meantime visitors will enjoy seeing

the new exhibits as they rise from theground and appear from behind scaffold-ing. Catch up with developments throughthe Museum’s website and social mediaas we share the most up-to-date imagesof the projects and regular updates.

(See also page 9 for another article onthe Dairy.)


Work underway during the winter on the Eastwick Park Dairy, the Newdigate Bakehouse andMay Day Farm barn.

Three newbuildingsrise fromthe ground!

p04-05 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:41 Page 5


Explore your ancestors’ lives at our Rural Life Weekends

Building on our popular special week-ends introduced last year, we arerunning six this year, with special activities focusing on different elements of the Museum’s themes –historic buildings and rural life. Asyou tour the Museum and visit ourexhibits you will be able to comparesimilarities and differences acrossthe centuries, from Anglo-Saxontimes to the lives of the Victorians.

Springtime (14-15 April) will focuson how people of the past would havelived at this time of the year. It looksgreen and lovely, yet early in the season their diet was meagre andpreserved supplies from the previousyear would have been running verylow. Through demonstrations, shorttalks and informal chats you can findout what tasks would have been

important to the inhabitants of our homes at this time of yearwith so much promise.

Then, a couple of months forward, during our Historic GardensWeekend (30 June-1 July) find out from the gardening team whatis growing in our historic gardens and the many uses of herbs,plants and trees. Discover how people of the past relied on thisburgeoning summer growth and the difference it made to theirlives. (See also page 17.)

On the first and last weekends of September complementary

weekends take place;Harvest (1-2 Septem-ber) and Home (29-30 September). Fromthe busy long days ofharvesting and thenecessity of preserv-ing food, to thinkingabout the uses of thedifferent spaces within homes across the ages, there will bemuch to explore and experience.

The other two weekends focus on specific skills that were vitalto many past generations; Scything (4-5 August) and Charcoal &Woodyard (25-27 August). Be inspired by watching the skills andprocesses in action, discover how vital they were to the annualpassing of the seasons, and enjoy the chance to talk to the experts.

A detailed programme for each day with times of talks will beon our website a few days before each weekend. We look forwardto seeing you there!

“We all enjoy visiting here and wandering around the countryside and buildings, seeing theanimals and talking to the well-informed volunteers.It’s the complete antidote to the usual kids theme park and much more enjoyable for us as a result!”

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The Museum launched its EndowmentAppeal last autumn, and we have beenastounded at the generosity of our visitorsand supporters so far. With your help wehave already raised over £50,000.

The endowment will form the basis of afighting fund to support the long-term con-servation of our buildings which are at theheart of the Museum, but for which we often struggle for funds. We are commit-ted to the long-term safe keeping of all thebuildings for which we act as stewards for future generations.

The Museum was very fortunate to secure an offer of matched funding support from the Heritage Lottery Fund(HLF), for ALL donations to support theconservation of our buildings through anew Museum Conservation Endowment.

This means that adonation of £50will be matchedby £50 from theHLF, £1,000 by£1,000 and soon, up to a totalof £500,000, mak-ing the final result£1 million.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for all of us to contribute to a lastinglegacy to ensure that our 50+ historic buildings are cared for in per -petuity,” says Museum Chairman PaulRigg. “Our collections are Designated by the Government as an outstanding collection in the UK. Please help us to

continue the good work begun by ourfounders and carried out by so many who have a passion for this Museum andits mission to preserve the importantstory of our rural heritage in the SouthEast.”

All donors will be recognised in our donor gift register for future genera-

tions. If you and your children andgrandchildren love this

place, please considermaking a donation

of any size knowingthat it will be effectively dou-bled. With thebeginning of a new year,there’s neverbeen a bettertime to give a

present to sup-port the building

that you and yourfamilies love the most

at the Museum.Donations through our website

will also qualify. Go to www.wealddown.co.uk/donate, or call 01243811363, or email the Museum at [email protected], or just pop in if you would like to speak to us.


£1 million EndowmentAppeal on course to safeguard our fantastichistoric buildings Give a

present to yourfavourite building– and secure its

future for ever!

p06-07 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:41 Page 7

Richard Pailthorpe retired fromthe Museum in the autumn, after

completing posts as Museum Directorand Project Manager for the Gateway visitor

centre project. This was his second period working for theMuseum, as he was Assistant Director from 1979-1995. Hewent on to manage Syon Park, the London home of the Dukeof Northumberland and Parham Park, near Storrington, WestSussex before returning to lead the Museum. A land agent bytraining, he first worked for the Goodwood Estate, and latterlywas vice-chairman of the Historic Houses Association, SouthEast Region. He chaired Chichester Visitors Group in the1980s and was named Sussex Heritage Person of the Year by the Sussex Heritage Trust in 2015. He is the author of anumber of books, including The Downland Shepherds (withGordon Beningfield); Chichester: A Contemporary View (withIan McGowan) and fourth edition editor (with Diana Zeuner)of Museum Founder Dr Roy Armstrong’s A History of Sussex.Richard lives in Charlton, West Sussex and we will no doubtbe seeing more of him at the Museum in different capacitiesin the future.


3, 4 & 5 Leggs Lane, a GradeII listed Elizabethan property(pre 1583 and with witches’

marks), close to and overlooking the South Downs, is a housevery similar to Pendean here at the museum. It was originallybuilt as a hall house, a large inglenook fireplace was added,leaving the original smoke bays intact in the roof, still with thesoot from the original fires. Call Aelish Paterson at Knight Frank, Haslemere for more details.

www.knightfrank.co.uk/haslemere T: 01428 770 560

RichardPailthorpe retires

“Great day out for all the family. Once the bakehouse is complete the smell of freshlybaking bread is going to be irresistible. Roll on spring 2018.”

I neverknew that . . .

Discover how all sorts of things are done at the Museum –how to string onions, and how to thatch a building are just two.

You never know what you might bump into during your visit!

Sussex has over 200 gorgeous gardens open from February to OctoberThe National Garden Scheme currently gives

away over £2.7 Million to its beneficiary charities, including Macmillan Cancer Support,

Marie Curie, Hospice UK, Carers Trusts, The QNI, Perennial, Parkinson’s UK,

National Autistic Society and MS Society

Pick up our free ‘Gardens of Sussex 2018’ guidefrom libraries, TICs, bookshops and garden centres

or visit ngs.org.uk

SussexWestNGS

p08-11 Spring 2018 v2_P. 3- 20/02/2018 16:23 Page 8

The Museum’s historic buildings tellmany stories, some relating to materials,construction and conservation tech-niques, others to the people involvedwith them and the purposes for whichthey used the buildings, and some aboutthe ideas and concepts that were fashionable or popular at the time. Theornamental Dairy is no exception andtells us about much more than how but-ter and cheese were made.

Its form is two octagonal and lime-washed, brick-walled buildings with a shortconnecting open walkway, all thatchroofed and dating from about 1800. It originally stood close to Eastwick Park, amanor house in Great Bookham in Surrey(demolished in 1958). The larger buildingis the Dairy where the cream and butterwere produced, whilst the smaller one isthe Scalding house, which provided theheat needed as part of the cheese makingprocess. The burgundy-painted windowsand doorways have two-centred archedheads, giving a neo-Gothic style to thesebuildings. Internally the Dairy and Scald-ing house have slightly domed, lime- plastered ceilings. The walls were alsoplastered and show evidence for shelvingand some tiling, as well as a copper andflue in the Scalding or wash-house (Fig 1).

This fascinating addition to the Museum’s collection is an example of polite rather than vernacular architecture,bringing together a number of importantnational themes affecting the largerlandowning classes of the late 18th andearly 19th centuries.

Firstly, the agricultural revolution, in the

form of the ‘improved’ model farms of thetime, made extensive use of the conceptof buildings specifically designed for a single function, some of them built oradorned with deliberately ornate detailing.

Secondly, the English landscape gardenas popularised by designers such as ‘Capability’ Brown had introduced the con-trived natural landscape with its notion of an idyllic rural setting and often withdecorative ‘picturesque’ buildings as features in the views.

Thirdly, the dairy and the milkmaid hadbecome powerful cultural symbols of bothindustry and femininity which stood in con-trast to idle, lascivious women lounging inboudoirs. Some women from the highestechelons of society such as Queen MaryII, Marie Antoinette and Queen Carolinehad been adopting the dairy and dairywork to project an image that was pureand clean in morals and hygiene.

Fourthly, the act of conspicuous con-sumption could be indulged in for virtuousrather than ostentatious purposes. For example, the pottery factories such asthose run by the Wedgwood family wereproducing a range of elegant glazed wareespecially for the purpose of furnishingsuch ornamental dairies.

A brief analysis of the National HeritageList for England indicates that there arearound 50 or so of these dairies surviv-ing, nearly all of them in the south andsouth west of the country, often on largeestates. The example at the Museum appears to have been from the lower endof this spectrum as there was no separatetea-drinking room, nor ornate flooring or

marble shelving in the rooms. But it wasstill an eye-catching building primarily in-tended for the use of the lady of the houseand her milkmaids. It had been placedclose to the main house in a purpose-made shallow hollow or dell, as a meansof passive climate control. The effect ofthis is included in the Leatherhead & Dis-trict Local History Society records of thememories of the daughter of a Victorianowner, Miss Helen Kathleen Keswick(1903-1997): “I remember the dairy.There was a house in the wood. It wasquite extraordinary when you steppeddown how cool it became. You went downtwo steps and I suppose the base of itwas about two feet below ground level.The temperature on a hot summer’s daywas degrees colder than outside.”

This is confirmed by another memoirfrom the same period, Turville, the life andtimes of Turville Kille and stories of OldBookham from 1898, by Wendy Young,which describes how as a young boy hewould visit the dairy, going down somesteps, on a hot summer’s day and the dif-ference in temperature was unbelievable.The dairy, the larger octagon, was fur-nished with blue and white tiles and shelving on which stood bowls of cream,jugs of milk and joints of meat for theManor House.

The Museum’s buildings were listedGrade 2 in June 1990 and were describedas “derelict” at the time. Despite local efforts to save the buildings, no feasiblesolution could be found, partly due to theproximity of the bungalow of 1 EastwickDrive (built in 1953) and in whose front


Joe Thompson, the Museum’s Carpenter-in-Residence describes his work on the structural timbers of one of our latest projects

Conserving the ornamentaldairy from Eastwick Park,Great Bookham, Surrey Fig 1. The timber roofs in place on the three structures which make up the

building, from left, the Scalding house, the walkway and the Dairy.

➔

p08-11 Spring 2018 v2_P. 3- 20/02/2018 16:23 Page 9

garden it now stood. So it was offered tothe Museum as a last resort and was dismantled soon afterwards in 2011. Itwas stored prior to being bought into the Gridshell Conservation workshop in August 2017.

Here the timbers could be individuallyexamined and appraised. My site notestaken during the dismantling had indicatedthree main phases of development; thiswas further confirmed in a conversationwith Mr and Mrs Webb, who kindly donatedthe buildings to the Museum, when they visited the workshop in September2017 (Fig 7).

These were its construction in the early1800s (Phase A), then the removal of thethatch and repair of the rafters in the early1900s (Phase B). Finally, replacing theroof tiles of the Dairy and temporarilyweather-proofing the Scalding house withbuilding felt in the early 1970s (Phase C).The evidence on the roof and ceiling timbers all corroborated this chronology.Curiously, although there is documentaryevidence from two sales particulars ofEastwick Park dating from 1829 and 1833 that both refer to the buildings being thatched, it became very difficult toconfirm this with physical evidence.

Two concepts of forensic work are applicable here; firstly, everything leaves a trace, and you just have to look hardenough to find it. Secondly, “assume noth-ing, believe no-one and check everything”.No evidence for thatch was found at the

time of the dismantling: later siftingthrough the detritus found in splits in thetie beams yielded nothing conclusive; thenail patterns on the back of the rafterswere similarly inconclusive, and it was onlyafter about three months, whilst lookingcarefully at a rafter that the missing bit of the jigsaw fell into place. The lowestcourses of thatch used to be secured torafters using a plant-based tie of somesort. From the mid-18th century tarredtwine was increasingly used. This leaves a distinctive stain around the rafter as the tar oozes out leaving a black/brownmark on the underneath. Finally, a seriesof ‘tarred twine’ marks were visible onsome of the rafters and confirmed the documentary evidence (Fig 2).

At the time of dismantling, the Dairyroof had mostly collapsed, as had part ofthe brick walls. The walkway had almostentirely gone but the Scalding house wasstill (just about) standing (Fig 3).

The roof timbers were oak throughoutbut had been converted out of crookedand low branched trees that had retaineda large amount of non-durable sapwood.As such they were in very poor condition,being knotty and having had much fungalattack and beetle infestation (Fig 4). TheMuseum wished to restore the building toits original arrangement with its thatchedroof – Phase A.

Following examination of the timbers itsoon became apparent that their conser-vation would involve both restoration (as


Table showing the amount of original timbers that were able to be conserved and retained.

Total No of Phase A Percentage of Total volume Percentage of volume of timbers timbers Phase A timbers of the timbers the Phase A timbers

Scalding house 70 45 64% 0.89m³ 78%

Walkway 32 0 0% 0.36m³ 0%

Dairy 102 45 44% 1.76m³ 40%

Fig 2. One of the marks of the ‘tarred twine’which gave the final evidence for the buildinghaving been originally thatched.

Fig 3. The structures before dismantling.

Fig 4. Knotty and decayed timber.

Fig 5. The timbers of the Scalding house laidout in the Gridshell workshop.

Fig 7. Mr and Mrs Webb, who donated the building to the Museum,visiting the workshop in September 2017.

Conserving the ornamental dairy ➔

p08-11 Spring 2018 v2_P. 3- 20/02/2018 16:23 Page 10

many as possible of the surviving Phase Atimbers would be reused, and if required,repaired) and reconstruction (where PhaseA timbers were missing or had so signifi-cantly decayed that they had little struc-tural strength left they would be renewedwith new timbers, the species, grade andsizes matching the surviving ones.) Fig 5.

By using the Museum’s and my ownwell-established timber repair techniquesI was able to scar f new ends onto therafters and tie beams, to reinforce withtimber splints some of the joists andrafters, and to glue together splits. Thisapproach retained as much as possible ofthe Phase A timbers and where possible

allowed the reason for the intervention to be legible in the repaired/reinforcedtimber (Figs 8 & 11).

I was able to pass some of this knowl-edge on to two French carpentry students,Christophe and Antonin, who were in England as part of an Erasmus exchangeprogramme, for a three-week placement.We worked together on the larger octagonrepairing the timbers and cutting replicaones (Figs 6 & 9). Their first task was tohelp cut the new ceiling joists that I hadespecially converted from curved oaktrunks, so that the grain followed theshape, before we went on to pitch the roof(Fig 10).

The rearing up of the roof onto the brickwork walls, with my colleague Steve

Turner, went very smoothly, the greatestchallenge being the interaction betweenthe walkway roof and the octagon roofs ateach end (Fig 12). The Dairy was fairlystraight forward as the span of the walk-way (2.28m) matched the width of thefaces of the octagon. However the Scald-ing house is narrower (1.52m) and thejunction with the walkway roof required alayboard in two parts to suit the three intersecting planes. Whilst it would havebeen possible to draw this out, I solved itwith the use of a straight stick, a stringline and the roofing square, on the roof.This took into account the actual positionsrather than the theoretical ones and wentvery well (Fig 13).

Visitors to the Museum will soon beable to compare and contrast the produc-tion of butter and cheese from the 16thcentury in Winkhurst kitchen, from the17th century in Pendean farmhouse, fromthe 18th century in Tindalls cottage andnow in the 19th century in the EastwickPark Ornamental Dairy, the trend towardsmore specialist, hygienic and cleanerworking spaces being easily seen. TheDairy provides the Museum with anotheropportunity to tell a wide variety of storiesto visitors, so that they can learn from thepast and be inspired for the future.


Fig 13. The two-part layboard.

Fig 6. Christophe and Antonin, Frenchcarpentry students on an Erasmus exchangeprogramme assist Joe Thompson with therepairs.

Fig 12. The repaired timbers are reared up on site.

Fig 9. Joe Thompson preparing some of thejoints on new replacement timber.

Fig 10. The domed timber ceiling of theDairy.

Fig 11. The Dairy roof timbers during repair.Fig 8. The scalding house timbers duringrepair.

p08-11 Spring 2018 v2_P. 3- 20/02/2018 16:23 Page 11


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Did you know that annualmembership of the Museumpays for itself in just threevisits? Becoming a membergives you a great range of benefits enabling you toenjoy all that the Museum offers throughout the year. • Entry for 12 months, including

our fantastic new visitor centrewith its shop, café and galleries

• Free admission to all major events• Discounts in our shop and café• A free copy of our twice-yearly magazine • A monthly e-newsletter.

Membership is great value, at Adults £35; Child 5 and over £18; Child 4 and underFREE; 65+ £32; Family (2 adults and up to 3 children) £92; Family (1 adult and up tothree children) £67 and Special (inc. helper) £10.

If you would like to purchase additional memberships for friends and family, you cando so over the phone by calling 01243 811010, face to face at the shop, or, online viaour website www.wealddown.co.uk/membership


The Museum’s shop stocks a wide range offoods, books and gifts, all linked to our workwith historic buildings and the countryside. Annual members save 10% on purchases.

The Museum is greatvalue for a family!

AnnualMember-ship

p13 Spring 2018_P. 3- 21/02/2018 12:10 Page 13


THE MARTIN SEWELLBUILDING COMPANY

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grand extensions to period properties through to new-build projects.

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ACCOUNTANTS, AUDITORS AND ADVISORS TO CHARITIES

We wish the Weald and Downland Open AirMuseum deserved and continuing success.

Contact: Neville Lacey 01243 789031

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CharteredAccountants

Specialising in conservation, alterations and additions to historic buildings

'Register of Architects Accredited in Building Conservation'

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Julian R A LivingstoneChartered Architect

Specialising in the conservation of historic buildings,providing unique and imaginative designs for

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A Sussex Wildlife Safari – Exploring theNature Reserves of Sussex Wildlife TrustTuesday 10 AprilSpeaker: Michael Blencowe, Author andPeople & Wildlife Officer at SussexWildlife Trust

John Evelyn’s ‘Sylva – A Discourse onForest Trees’Tuesday 17 AprilSpeaker: Maggie Campbell-Culver FLS,Garden and Plant Historian and Author

From Thrift to Therapy – the ColourfulHistory of Patchwork and QuiltingThursday 26 AprilSpeaker: Karen Berry, Textile Artist

Cakes and Ale: Food and Drink in Sussexinns, taverns and alehouses c. 1550-1750Thursday 3 MaySpeaker: Dr Janet Pennington, Historianand Author

Furniture Design and InspirationThursday 17 MaySpeaker: Abdollah Nafisi, Furniture Maker and Designer

Landscapes – Photography, Light and TimingWednesday 23 MaySpeaker: Benjamin Graham, UKLandscape Photographer of the Year

A History of Southdown Wool toldthrough Ten ObjectsTuesday 5 JuneSpeaker: Louise Spong, Textile Artist andFounder of a micro yarn company

Romantic, Nationalistic and Nostalgic: the art of Eric RaviliousWednesday 6 JuneSpeaker: Janet Sinclair, Art Historian,Curator and Lecturer

Roman SussexThursday 14 JuneSpeaker: Dr David Rudling BSc, MA, FSA,MCIfA, Archaeologist, Author and Lecturer

Drugs from Natural SourcesThursday 28 JuneSpeaker: Christina Stapley, MedicinalHerbalist and Author

East Dean: A Landscape History Wednesday 4 JulySpeaker: Margaret Dean, Archaeologistand James McInnes, Historian andArchaeologist

Tales of theDownsand beyond . . .Enjoy fascinating summer eveningtalks, beginning at 6.30pm with tea, coffee and cake served from6.00pm. Each lasts for 1-1½ hours.£14 per person; £10 for Museum annual members, £5 for Museum volunteers. Online booking viawww.wealddown.co.uk/courses. Book five places and get the sixthplace free.

UK LandscapePhotographer of the Year winning

image of West Wittering: Benjamin Graham will give a talk on Landscapes – Photography, Light and Timing.

Louise Spong’s talk is A History of Southdown

Wool told through Ten Objects.

“@WealddownMuseum thank you for a fabulous day –what a gem of a museum.”

“Lovely day @WealddownMuseum on Friday. One ofmy favourite #Museums.Great for families ofall ages.”

p15 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:44 Page 15

Over 40 years’ participation at the Plumbing Heritage Craft Museum in Court Barn at the Museum was recognised in October, when Phil Mead was presented with a special award inrecognition of his long service by the Worshipful Company ofPlumbers.

At a meeting of the Plumbers’ Court at Vintners’ Hall in the Cityof London, the Master, Robert Burgon, madethe presentation of their prestigious indus-try ‘Heritage Award’. Phil Mead is one of ourlongest-serving volunteers, becoming in-volved with the Museum in 1975 when thebarn from Court Farm at Lee-on- Solent wasrescued and dismantled ready for a new life as one of our historic building exhibits.The Worshipful Company of Plumbers was looking for a building in which to establish aHeritage Craft Museum, and in consultationwith the then Museum Director, Chris Zeuner,Court Barn was identified as suitable, andthe Company generously supported thecosts of its re-erection.

In October 1980 it was formally opened byLavinia, Duchess of Norfolk CBE. Phil Mead

led the first craft demonstrations with students from ChichesterCollege on that day and has organised periodic craft demonstra-tions in Court Barn ever since.

Our links with the Worshipful Company of Plumbers have led tomany other demonstrations and activities showcasing traditionalplumbing, including the Company’s funding of the plumbing

display in the Building Crafts Gallery; regularcare and maintenance of the plumbers’workshop from Newick; making lead flashingand drain pipes on several of our buildings;displays on public sanitation for our Medicineand Mortality weekend; sand-casting coursesand demonstrations, and involvement in ouradult learning courses along with the LeadSheet Association.

The Company has held its Masters Daysat the Museum on several occasions, andwe recently hosted the Lord Mayor of Londonon a visit organised by the Company. ThePlumbers Museum has held its AGM andlunch with us every November, and the Company’s library is also housed at the Museum.

The conservation of historic buildings has gained great importance in the building industry, both in the UK and over-seas, leading to increased demand forspecialist conservators. Our two well- established MSc courses, in BuildingConservation and Timber Building Con-servation, validated by the University ofYork, enable practising building conser-vators to improve their competence, and open new doors to other building professionals wanting to specialise orchange career direction.

The MSc Building Conservation is fullyrecognised by the Institute of HistoricBuilding Conservation (IHBC), and suc-cessful completion of the MSc reducesthe requirement for relevant experience forthose seeking full membership of the

IHBC from five years to two years. For further details see www.ihbc.org.uk

Each course is run as a series of sixstudy modules taken over 18 months, followed by a period of six months to carryout a piece of research which is pre-sented for examination as a dissertation.Each study module runs from Wednesdayto Sunday, allowing students to continue

working while taking the course. The MScdegree requires successful completion ofthe personal research project.

All taught modules include contributionsfrom leading practitioners in the field. Ampletime is allowed for discussion with theseexperts, usually within the supportive andrelaxed environment of the Museum.

Teaching is based on lectures and seminars, together with visits to historicbuildings and sites, contractors’ workshopsand specialist conservation studios. Whereappropriate, modules provide hands-on experience of materials and processes.Most of the teaching is based at theWeald & Downland Living Museum, and isdelivered by Museum staff and visiting lecturers employed by the Museum.

The University of York is a global top100 institution renowned for its excellencein research and teaching. It has beenranked eighth in the world, and numberone in the UK in new Times Higher Education world rankings of universities less than 50-years-old. In 2012 Yorkjoined the prestigious Russell Group of universities. In 2011, the Department of Archaeology at York won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its leading-edge workin archaeology from pre-history to themodern age.

Applications will open in spring 2018,for an autumn 2018 start. Please look out for further details on our websitewww.wealddown.co.uk/adult-learning/msc-degrees/, where you can find moreinformation on the course content of both programmes. For an informal discussionabout the course and the opportunities itpresents, please contact the adult learn-ing team on 01243 811931.


Phil Mead is pictured on the right receivinghis award from the Master of the WorshipfulCompany of Plumbers’, Robert Burgon.

Phil Mead receives Plumbers’ Company heritage award

MSc BuildingConservation &MSc TimberBuilding Conservation –delivered by theWeald & DownlandLiving Museum, validated by the University of York

p16-17 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:45 Page 16

Gardens-fest! Special weekend and mini-residency to tempt those with green fingers

If you have an interest in plants, their uses and history then do add the HistoricGardens Weekend (30 June and 1 July) toyour diary!

This is the time when our gardening team putdown their tools for a short while and man beautifuldisplays as well as leading guided walks through the gardens and putting on demonstrations to explain the fascinatingproperties of plants.

Today we use gardens as a room outside, with a strong leisurefocus, as well as sometimes producing some food. But this luxurywas not available to the inhabitants of the historic homes youvisit at the Museum. Herbs for health, vegetables and herbs for the pot, as well as for strewing in the home and many otherpurposes made the garden an essential space for the wellbeingof the family.

Also this year, medicinal herbalist and author Christina Stapleywill hold a mini-residency from 27th June – 1 July at the end of the Historic Gardens Weekend. She will focus on different topics every day: native British herbs on Wednesday, Roman andAnglo-Saxon plants on Thursday; influences of Arabic and NorthAmerican plants on Friday, and over the weekend 16th centurybotanist and herbalist John Gerard and his famous herbal andhistory of plants. On each day there will be a series of 10-minutetalks as well as demonstrations and displays covering the day’stheme. (Christina will also be giving an evening talk on 28 June,and tutors a range of hands-on workshops for our course programme – find out more on pages 31 and 33).

Throughout the year our gardeners workhard in our seven period gardens to ensure

the pests are kept at bay, and produce, fromBayleaf farmhouse garden, for example, can

be used in the Tudor kitchen giving visitors aninsight into the way food was produced 500 years

ago and more. From the upkeep of fencing in the earlymonths of the year, to planting and protecting young plants in thespring to harvesting in the autumn and planning for the followingyear, the activity in our gardens is non-stop!


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By the end of 1968 the Museum had beenformally established as a charitable trust.Edward James’ generous offer of the site onWest Dean Estate on a peppercorn rent of£1 had been accepted and outline planningpermission granted. Kim Leslie was ap-pointed honorary treasurer – with a bankbalance of £11. 17s. 2d!

That year saw the arrival of the first build-ing on the site, the timbers of Winkhurstfarm as it was then called, later to be re-vealed as a Tudor kitchen. One of the housesdisplaced by the building of the Bough BeechReservoir in Kent, it was an excellent exam-ple of a late-medieval timber-framed buildingwith a crown post roof. Dendrochronologylater showed that it was built between 1492and 1528. Re-erection began in 1969. It wasa landmark building for the embryonic projectand appeared on the first Museum logo.

Later in 1968 the timbers of its BoughBeech compatriot, Bayleaf farmhouse, alsoarrived (it was re-erected in 1972). Bayleaf wasa classic Wealden hall-house, dating mainlyfrom the early 15th century, which became

perhaps the most iconic structure at the Museum and for many its most-loved building.

1968 also saw the Museum dismantle theearly 19th century Toll house from UpperBeeding, West Sussex, and rescue the tim-bers of the medieval shop from Horsham. Italso took into its care important Tudor wallpaintings discovered in a house undergoingrefurbishment in Fittleworth, and collectedthe first artefact for its rural life collection.Lintott’s Walking Stick Factory, was effec-tively a set of artefacts, the working tools andequipment from a threatened workshop nearChiddingfold, Kent, and is now an importantfeature in the Museum’s new interpretationgallery.

A Sites & Buildings Committee was es-tablished to agree the acquisition and siting ofexhibit buildings, and two key figures arrived– Master Carpenter Roger Champion helpedFounder Roy Armstrong and his team dis-mantle the 17th century Pendean farmhousefrom near Midhurst, and Chris Zeuner, who wasto become Museum Director for nearly 30years, joined as a volunteer putting his own

landrover and trailer at the disposal of theMuseum to transport buildings and artefacts.

The site itself was very busy with the first pathways being created, building sitesbeing identified, and volunteers recruited.The Friends of the Museum was set up andthe first fundraising appeal was launched (for £35,000). Roy Armstrong was building support through a letter writing campaign, topeople such as Frank Atkinson, who was set-ting up Beamish Open Air Museum in CountyDurham, Nigel Nicholson at Sissinghurst,East Sussex, archaeologist Sir MortimerWheeler and Ingemar Liman, who led theworld’s first open air museum, Skansen inStockholm, Sweden.

He was also recruiting people for his com-mittees, including architect John Warren, accountant Norman West; Robin McDowall,Senior Investigator at the Royal Commissionon Historical Monuments; Stuart Rigold, aleading authority on medieval buildings andChief Inspector of Ancient Monuments, andhistorian Betty Murray, who was principal ofBishop Otter College, Chichester. JamesFarmer, a senior alderman from Surrey, wasthe first Chairman, and General Hawes, whohad planned the movement of the British Expeditionary Force to France for the SecondWorld War and lived at Harting, brought orderand confidence.

The Museum was in full throttle, withboundless enthusiasm and determination,and getting ready for its first public openingin 1970.


Museum history You can find out more about the Museum’s history and the history of vernacular architecture and rurallife in our region in a variety of ways. One is via www.wdoam.co.uk,which provides information on where books and offprints are shelvedwithin the on-site Armstrong Library. There is also a section called‘Museum History’ where searches can be made for the Museum’snewsletters, magazines and early minutes from 1968-2013.

50 years ago . . .1968 was a busy year. The museumwas not yet open but the collectionwas building rapidly . . .

(1-3) Museum founder Roy Armstrong, with one of its earliest supporters and later vice president, Marjorie Hallam, at the dismantling ofPendean farmhouse in 1968. Pendean (pictured before and after re-erection) was the first building to be dismantled wholly by a Museum-ledteam. (4 & 5) Volunteers stripping tiles from the roof of the Toll house at Upper Beeding, and the building on its new site at the Museum. (6) Lintott’s walking stick factory became the first rural life artefact to be collected by the Museum in 1968. (7-10) Winkhurst ‘farm’ as it was then known, on its original site. Following delivery of the Winkhurst timbers in 1968, the building was re-erected the following year. It wasmoved from its original site at the Museum to a new site near Bayleaf farmhouse many years later after it was discovered to be a Tudor kitchen.

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8

9 10

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Food Festival – 5-7 MayEnjoy the very best of the South East’sproduce with lots of tasty samples to try and buy at this popular spring event!Cookery classes and demonstrations willtake place in the Cookery Theatre, GillMellor is our guest chef and alongside amultitude of stands selling local produceof all kinds there will be traditional folkmusic, dancing and storytelling, crafts,books andplants.

Stepping back in time through the ages, this is the Museum’s new signature event, with scores of re-enactors and living history groups bringing the past to life with encampments, military

displays, crafts and demonstrations. Visitors can explore any age in our history, from early life in Saxon times, survival in the medieval period and the developments of the Tudor age

(TV broadcaster Ruth Goodman is pictured above on one of her many visits to the Museum), to great change during the Civil War, the struggles for many in the Victorian era, and wartime

in the 20th century. This year’s festival will also include heavy horse displays marking the end of the First World War, and the centenary show for the British Percheron Horse Society.


Living History Festival – 1-3 June

Find out more at www.wealddown.co.uk/events/

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What’s On 2018

May 28‐Jun 1: JuneHalf‐Term Activities

Jun 30‐Jul 1: RuralLife Weekend:Historic Gardens

Jul 1: Rural LifeWeekend: HistoricGardens

Mar 11: MotheringSunday

Mar 30‐Apr 2:Easter Celebrations

Jun 17: Fathers’ DayMay 18‐19:Museums at Night(ticketed)

May 12‐13: Bodgers’Ball

March

Apr 14‐15: RuralLife Weekend:Springtime

Jul 18: Theatre: TheMidnight Gang(ticketed)

Aug 1, 8, 15, 22 &29: WonderfulWednesdays

July

Apr 3‐13: EasterHoliday Activities

Apr 1‐2: EasterCelebrations

Jun 2‐3: LIVINGHISTORY FESTIVAL

April

May 5‐7: FOODFESITVAL

June

Jun 10: Morris Dayof Dance

May

Aug 4‐5: Rural Life Weekend:Scything

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Jul 21‐22: WORKINGANIMALS SHOW

Working Animals Show

August

Weald & Downland Living Museum SPRING 2018

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Aug 23: TwilightTale Trail (ticketed)

Aug 25‐27: RuralLife Weekend:Charcoal &Woodyard

Find out more about these events and many others on our website,www.wealddown.co.uk


Aug 18‐19: VINTAGE& STEAM

Sep 11: AnnualBuildingConservationConference

Sep 29‐30: RuralLife Weekend:Home

Nov 4: Guy FawkesFamily Activity Day

Sep 1‐2: Rural LifeWeekend: Harvest

September

Dec 1‐2, 8‐9, 15‐16, 21‐23: MeetGreen FatherChristmas

Dec 26‐27:CHRISTMAS AT THEMUSEUM

Oct 26‐27:Museums at Night(ticketed)

Oct 25: Museums atNight: Family TaleTrail (ticketed)

November

Oct 6‐7: AUTUMNCOUNTRYSIDESHOW

Oct 6‐7: Theatre:The HawkhurstGang (ticketed)

Oct 22‐26:Hallowe’en Half‐Term Activities

Nov 23‐25:CHRISTMASMARKET(discounted entry)

Dec 2: Tree Dressing

December

Aug 14: Theatre:The RailwayChildren (ticketed)

October

p20-21 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:49 Page 21


Vintage & Steam– 18-19 AugustExperience the nostalgic sights,sounds and smells of an era whensteam and world class engineeringpowered the country. Soak up theatmosphere of an extensive selectionof full-size steam engines, as well asa wide range of other exhibits aroundthe site – including commercialvehicles, miniature steamengines and classiccars! Enjoy vintagemusic, a themedtea tent, localcrafts,traditionaldemonstrationsand arenadisplays.

Working Animals Show – 21/22 July

We’re taking a year out to refresh our popular

RARE & TRADITIONAL BREEDS SHOW, ready for a great comeback in 2019! In itsplace this year we’re planning a WORKINGANIMALS SHOW on 21/22 July, focusing ontraditional and modern working breeds in

an entertaining and informative event for visitors of all ages. Watch out

for more on our website.

p22-23 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:50 Page 22


Experience the Museum at Night! 18/19 May & 26/27 OctoberThe Museum takes part in the national Museums at Night events in May and October, with pre-booked evening walks, firesidestories and historical tales of mysterious places, magnificent creatures and amazing adventures. “These night tours offer a trulyout-of-the-ordinary experience, when you will be guided by lamplight around the museum to hear fantastic stories, all with ahistorical root,” says Lucy Hockley, the Museum’s Cultural Engagement Manager. At the end of the evening gather around anopen fire for a spiced warm drink, delicious biscuits and reflect on a magical evening with family and friends.

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Autumn Countryside Show – 6-7 OctoberExperience our glorious British countryside at the end of harvest time! With the autumn colours asa sensational backdrop take a step back into the past and see heavy horses ploughing the fields,vintage tractors at work and steam-powered threshing demonstrations. Watch woodland and ruralcraft demonstrations, and take part in traditional competitions in our ‘village’ horticultural show.

p22-23 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:51 Page 23

(4-7) Dismantling the chimney, and showing the graceful arch which supported it.

Land Settlement Association housesafely stored at Museum By Julian Bell

The Museum has completed its carefuldismantling of the Land Settlement Association Manager’s House from Sidlesham, West Sussex (described inthe Museum Magazine Autumn 2017issue) and all the materials have beencarefully photographed, labelled and re-moved to safe keeping at the Museumready for its re-erection in the future.

In my last report I described the re-moval of all the internal fixtures and fittingand the roof and internal timbers madeready for numbering and dismantling. Eachhistoric building is different in respect ofthe techniques used in numbering and

preparing for dismantling, and we use themost logical system we can in each case.Roof, stud walls and floor timbers were allphysically marked with an embossedDymo label and their locations recordedon simple drawings, which will be used tore-assemble the timbers.

External contractors removed andstored in wire stillages all the roof tiles,no small job as a Mansard roof like theone in this house uses significantly moretiles than a normal single pitch. In thiscase there were some 5,800 tiles and weestimate that some 80% were retained(there is always some unavoidable dam-

age resulting from their removal). This aspect of the job was generously carriedout for the Museum free of charge by WStirland Ltd, the building company whoconstructed the LSA dwellings in the firstplace, back in the 1930s.

As soon as the tiles were removed the interior of the building is vulnerable to the elements so it was important to dismantle the timbers as quickly as possible. The battens onto which the roof tiles were hung could not be retainedbut were removed in sections as they provided valuable rigidity to the rafters,which were dismantled a pair at a time.


(1) Dymo labels on the roof timbers. (2) The roof partly dismantled. (3) The numbering plan for the porch timbers.

1 2

4 5 7

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This section of the project proceededsmoothly although quite slowly as we removed all nails from the timbers prior to storage.

Once the majority of the roof structurewas removed, the level of support itplayed in the building became obvious.Having only end gable walls on the upperfloor (the Mansard roof acting as walls at the front and back) they were unsup-ported from the ground/first floor levelright up to the apex of the building, some18ft in height. Once the roof timbers had begun to be removed, they displayedan alarming level of movement, so theywere dismantled, out of sequence, beforeall ridge boards and rafters were takenaway.

The method employed in the removal ofthe bricks was very manual, using lumphammers and bolsters to split the brickaway and then clean as much mortar fromthe brick as feasibly possible prior to storage in the stillages.

The majority of timbers from theMansard roof which formed the walls ofthe bedrooms were removed before addi-tional, temporary scaffolding was erectedat roof level, either side of the chimney toprovide access for its dismantling. Takingthe chimney down to first floor ceilingheight was a very time-consuming busi-ness due to the huge quantity of bricks involved with the structure; a chimney isnot simply four sides of brick, but a solidmass punctuated by a number of flues. Inthis case we discovered that five of the six

flues were, or had been, operational; oneto each of the bedrooms, one each to the dining and living rooms and one to thewater boiler in the kitchen. The last wasblank but included in the final constructionto give symmetry to the stack. The chim-ney stack was supported centrally abovethe stairwell by a graceful brick arch whichamply demonstrated the strength of suchstructures.

The removal of the temporary chimneyscaffold then enabled us to take down theremaining Mansard timbers and begin thejob of dismantling all first floor bricks –both gable ends, internal walls and thecontinuation of the chimney stack, whichby this point had divided into two sectionseither side of the central stairwell. Firstfloor joists were left in place to provide aworking platform for this.

The building was constructed of twovery different types of brick. All internalwalls, chimney stack and inner skin of thecavity walls were constructed of soft,heavy Midhurst white bricks, held togetherwith quite a soft mortar which was easyto remove without causing damage to thebrick. This was fortunate as these Mid-hurst whites counted for the majority ofbricks in the dwelling; some 13,500.

In contrast, the external facing brickswhich are those most visible, are lighterand extremely brittle, manufactured byMarstons, but in places virtually impossi-ble to remove due to the strength of themortar used to bind them. The hammerand bolster method tended to break the

brick, no matter how much care wastaken, although as we later discovered,the hardness of the mortar varied wildlyfrom one area to another.

To this end a powered brick cutter was hired and although very difficult, tiring and messy to use, larger sections ofwall could be removed at a time withoutany of the bricks being damaged. This cutter was mainly employed on the southern elevation where there were sig-nificant patches of the very tough mortar.There was no obvious reason for the mortar being so hard here but the prevail-ing weather causing changes to the consistency over the years could haveplayed a part, or it could simply have beendown to different mixes when the brickswere being laid. Fortunately there wereonly a mere 7,000 facing bricks to be removed.

We have been very lucky that the maj -ority of original features were retained inthe building, including all but three of themetal-framed Crittall windows. These orig-inal windows would have been quite inef-fective at retaining heat and keeping outdraughts and would condense very badly.So it was fortunate but quite surprisingthat only three had been replaced sincethe building was constructed.

During the course of the project a number of Sidlesham neighbours and LSAdwellers from other parts of the countrymade contact with the Museum, havingheard about the project through a numberof channels, and the grapevine. Through


(8-10) Removing the brick walls, and showing the Midhurst white bricks and the exteriorbricks with their harder mortar.

➔

8

3

10

9

p24-27 Spring 2018 v2_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:52 Page 25

these contacts came very useful informa-tion relating to the original layout of thesebuildings, since there were a limited number of designs employed throughoutthe various settlements.

The suggestion of an additional room to-wards the rear of the living room which wediscovered through distinctive marks out-lining where a dividing wall had once stoodproved accurate, according to informationreceived from former LSA dwellers. Origi-nally it was a spare room/additional bedroom with a window, with an accessdoor to the kitchen and no heat.

Very generous offers of spare parts in-cluding bricks and windows have alsobeen received where alterations or demo-litions have been planned to existing LSAdwellings. This will be vital to the futuresuccess of the project and will provide animportant local link to non-original ele-ments of the house, rather than purchas-

ing or commissioning replacements fromelsewhere.

I had estimated that the project to dismantle the LSA house would takeabout 10 weeks. Beginning on Monday 4September, I was hopeful of wrapping upthe project sometime in the middle of November, preferably before the weatherconditions became too unpleasant, andwe were extremely fortunate that we lostvirtually no time to adverse weather at all.Having shifted some 6,000 roof tiles,20,000 bricks, over half a mile of con-structional timber and a similar length offlooring, the final brick was lifted onWednesday 29 November.

This task was given to Norman Dixon,one of the team of volunteers withoutwhom the project would not have beencompleted, having provided nearly 500hours of unpaid labour. Norman movedwith his family into another, newly built

LSA property in Sidlesham in 1939 andhas lived there ever since. At 88-years-oldhe spent over 81 hours helping to disman-tle the building, frequently putting his co-workers in the shade with his enthusiasmand stamina – not to mention the supplyof home baking which regularly appeared!

Clearing up the site and transferring allthe stillages of bricks and tiles andlengths of timber back to the Museumtook a further week and we are again in-debted to W Stirland Ltd who provided free help with loading and transporting the materials.

The house is now safe in the Museum’soff-site storage facility where it will stayuntil we have the means and opportunityto re-erect it on site and be able to tell theLand Settlement Association story in full –a unique local story from the 20th century,enabling us to increase our focus on therural heritage of the last 100 years.


The Land Settlement Association (LSA) was a Government-supported initiative of 1934, the height of the depression, established to provide rural smallholdings in England and Wales for the unemployed from industrialised cities. The programmes were for 5-10-acre smallholdings throughoutEngland and Wales for horticulture and livestock, particularlypigs. By 1938 it had 25 estates, including the largest of themall, at Sidlesham, which had 120 plots. The families whichmoved to Sidlesham were predominantly those of unemployedshipbuilders and miners from Durham and other areas in northeast England. The smallholdings were run as co-operatives withproduce sold through the LSA; the initiative finally closed in 1983. Today some of the smallholdings still operate as independent growers businesses but most of the buildings havebeen converted into private dwellings.

(11) Some members of the dismantling team, left to right, Julian Bell, John Allen, Norman Dixon, Frank Hubbard and David Bowden. (12) The last brick – the honour of removing it was given to 88-year-old LSA dweller, Norman Dixon.

Land Settlement Association house➔

11 12

p24-27 Spring 2018 v2_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:52 Page 26


The Museum is a fantastic learning environment!

ShakespeareWeek 12-18 March

Our popular Shakespeare Week programme, run in partnership with Chichester Festival Theatre, makes a return this March. KS2 pupils can join us for a full day ofworkshops to learn about everyday life in Shakespeare’s England and A MidsummerNight’s Dream. The day will finish with a group performance to showcase the skillslearned during the day. £9.50 per pupil for a full day of workshops. Pre-booking essential. To secure a place for your class please contact us on 01243 811459 or email [email protected]

Sandford Award win for Museum’sSchools teamThe Museum is delighted to havebeen selected as a winner of theprestigious Sandford Award forHeritage Education 2017. Thejudging panel for the award summed up theachievement as follows: “The Museum’s well-regarded Schools Servicehelps teachers planning to visit the site by providing pertinent and comprehensive advice about what is on offer as well as useful web-based resources, which teacherscan download and tailor to their needs. On-site, enjoyable and informative workshops,as well as live demonstrations and other methods of interpretation enable pupils toexplore the buildings, stories and lifestyles of the people who lived there.” Picturedat the award ceremony, where the certificate was presented by Dr Lucy Worsley, chiefcurator at Historic Royal Palaces and TV presenter, are left, Schools Services OfficerNatasha Turner and right, Schools Services Assistant Sally McCubbin.

Express Yourself!UNESCO WorldPoetry Day CompetitionTo celebrate UNESCO World Poetry Dayon 21 March we are holding a poetrycompetition for visiting schools! Poemscan be on any subject related to theMuseum – wow us with words aboutour woodland, paint a picture of ourbuildings in verse or transport us backto a memorable visit with your creativewriting. The competition is open to allstudents who have visited or will visitwithin 12 months of this year’s WorldPoetry Day, and the winner from eachKey Stage will receive a Family DayPass to the Museum as well as havetheir poem shared on our website. Formore details or to enter please visitwww.wealddown.co.uk/school-news/

“Great place if you lovehistory and architecture. A variety of different time periods melded into one open air museum.”

p24-27 Spring 2018 v2_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:52 Page 27

An era comes to an end at the Museumwith the retirement of Pete Betsworth,who hung up his spade, pitchfork, rake,broom, Fergie tractor and all at the endof last year.

Pete first came to the Museum in theearly 1990s to help with building work and site maintenance, was joined by his brothers Mick and Ron for many years,and has soldiered on helping keep the Museum spick and span ever since.

He first visited the site when he helpedDave Gabbitas with the Museum’s crop ofthatching straw, stooking the sheaves ofwheat and collecting them in at harvesttime. Before long he was helping on thehistoric building projects, and joined Dave and Albert Peacock in creating the wattle fence around the Bayleaf Farmhouse paddocks. His brothers, thelate Mick, and Ron, soon joined him,for there was work for them all as res-cued buildings were rebuilt each year increasing the exhibits for visitors to enjoy.

Pete was on hand to help anyonein need, whether it was the director,site manager, carpenter, eventsmanager or the horseman. He spenta long period chiefly with the work-ing horses and some of his bestmemories are from that time.

An unusual job by any standardswas transporting by horses and timber wagon conserved timbers for Longport Farmhouse.Repaired by Master Carpenter Roger Champion in the Museum’s workshop in the nearby village of Charlton, some of them were 25-30ft long, and Petespoke of his admiration of theway Roger could move themaround his workshop withalacrity. The Betsworth teamand others were on hand to load the heavy timbersonto the horse-drawn wagon,and take them the milethrough Singleton to the Museum site for re-erection– a real job for horses inthe modern era.

The same process wasused to transfer the tim-bers of Winkhurst Tudorkitchen from their originalsite at the Museum totheir new position nearBayleaf Farmhouse –this time they had to negotiate a steep hill.

Pete became skilledat demonstrating allthe agricultural tasks

using horses, harrowing, rolling, hay har-vesting and carting. He was also closelyinvolved with the pigs, the sheep and theworking oxen.

Pete and his brothers could turn their hand to anything, and stayed late into the evening getting Longport Farm-house ready for its official opening. Whenthe timber frames were complete Rogerwould top them off with a branch of holly, and his late wife, Heather, wouldthen go off and get fish and chips to celebrate.

Pete and his brothers have moved build-ings within the site from one place to an-other, built chimneys, laid floors, appliedwattle and daub, dug the footings of Whittakers’ Cottages sticking closely tothe archaeological evidence, constructedroadways, shifted everything from A to B,and when a trench was needed for newelectrics downhill from Hambrook BarnPete dug it by hand and by eye to a depthof some 2ft with neat upright sides; it wasa work of art.

Pete enjoyed the harvests. In the pasta big gang was involved, much more effi-cient than the smaller groups involvedmore recently, he says. “One year we hadfive ricks to thresh. It took forever to dothe stooking, but everyone helped includ-ing Chris Zeuner, the Museum Director,and his wife Diana would come out withcider and lemonade. Albert Peacockthatched the ricks in the traditional way, and taught Alan (Waters) and Nick(Conway)”.

Pete remembers the day the beesswarmed by the millpond. Heather Cham-pion, who was a beekeeper, asked Pete tohold a box while she collected the swarm,which he did with a certain amount of reluctance. But bees are fairly easy to remove when they’ve swarmed and he survived unstung. Brother Ron had aworse experience when the vibration ofequipment he was using caused the beesto become upset and they wasted no timein flying out of their hives towards him –he fled.

Pete doesn’t plan to slow down much inhis retirement – he likes walking, aroundthe fields where he lives at Eastergate,and knows someone who wants the grasscut and the stables painted. There will befishing off Pagham Harbour, and he plansto come back to the Museum now andagain . . .

Former Museum Director RichardPailthorpe says the three Betsworths con-tributed 75 years to the Museum betweenthem (both Mick and Ron retired severalyears ago). They don’t make workers likethat any more, and Pete will be a toughact to follow.

Pete Betsworth daubing Tindalls Cottagelast autumn, and bottom, turning the hay in summer, 2003.

Many handsmake lightwork . . .PeteBetsworthretires

Weald & Downland Living Museum SPRING 2018

p28-29 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:52 Page 28

You will meet a group of like-minded in-dividuals from all walks of life – who wantto give something back to their localcommunity in the dramatic downland setting of the Museum.

It’s a great opportunity to make newfriends and enjoy the activities and socialevents held for our volunteers throughoutthe year. Are you a student or returning to work? You can gain valuable future employment experience, or share yourown expertise after a lifetime of work.

Museum volunteers have the opportu-nity to learn exciting new skills, from black-smithing to working in our Tudor kitchen,from looking after the farm animals totending historic gardens – and, of course,stewarding our collection of fascinatingrescued historic buildings.

Enthusiasm is the only qualifica-tion required, as full training will beprovided! Being a Weald & Down-land Living Museum volunteeralso gives you a whole host ofbenefits, including free ad-mission to the Museum andits events, plus discounts onour courses and in our shopand café.

Above all, as a volunteeryou will experience the stun-ning beauty of the Museum firsthand through the changing sea-sons, whilst knowing that you area vital part of one of Sussex’s lead-ing heritage conservation attractions.

For more information please visitwww.wealddown.co.uk/volunteer


Michael Burton was one of the Museum’shardest-working trustees and one of thegreatest promoters of the Museum andits work. His death at the age of 84 deprives us of a most supportive friendand his wisdom and enthusiasm will bevery much missed.

Michael joined thetrustees in 1993 and immediately setabout practical andenergetic efforts tohelp the Museum. Hewas especially inter-ested in marketing;he took much time tosupport staff and vol-unteers, and aboveall was a superb fund-raiser. His vast net-work of contacts waseffectively put at theMuseum’s disposal,and over the years he raised many hun-dreds of thousands ofpounds for the Museum’s capital projects.

Michael was, as his godson Nick Cook

said at his funeral, an extraordinary per-son: it was truly a privilege to have knownhim. He was born in Pedmore, Worcester-shire to Geoffrey, who became head of theDaimler and BSA Group and oversaw tankproduction at the outbreak of the SecondWorld War, and Meme, who was a talented

archaeologist. Closefamily bonds, astrong work ethic andcommitment to publicservice were to provethe foundations ofMichael’s life.

Michael went toEton and after Na-tional Service joinedRuberoid Manufactur-ing Company, eventu-ally promoted to theexport department,and then became theLondon MD of Frenchbuilding company,Gerland Ltd. After hismarriage to Jane, and

the arrival of their two sons, Rupert andDaniel, they decided to move out of

London, and bought their house in Lavant.Research into the growing leisure activity ofgardening led them to form their companyRoom Outside, located on the GoodwoodEstate. It grew into an incredibly success-ful business, leading innovation in the burgeoning conservatory market.

Michael was a man of many talents anddiverse interests, who with great generos-ity of spirit devoted himself to the com-munity, helping with fund-raising for manycauses – the Weald & Downland Museumwas extremely fortunate to be just one ofthose.

Diana Zeuner

Michael Burton 1933-2017

Michael Burton, right, with museum directorChris Zeuner at the Rare Breeds Show in1996.

Lewis Golden, who donatedthe Pallingham Quay wagon shed tothe Museum, sadly passed away inOctober. At the heart of Petworth community life for more than 20years, he died at the age of 94. Thebuilding, which was the Museum’scafé servery for many years, was dismantled prior to the building of the new visitor centre, but will be re-erected elsewhere on the site shortly.Mr Golden was also a contributor tothe Gateway Project.

Volunteering at the Museum is incredibly rewarding!

Louise

Adam

s

p28-29 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:53 Page 29


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Driving heavy horses.

CoursesLearn a new skill . . .

Building Conservation & Traditional Rural Trades& Crafts Courses – April-October

APRIL MEDIEVAL TILE MAKINGLeader: Karen Slade Saturday 7 April, £130

MILL EXPERIENCELeaders: Museum millersSaturday 7 April, £45

WILLOW PLATTERS (NEW)Leader: Linda MillsTuesday 10 April, £115

HANDS-ON TUDORS: SIMPLE BRAID (NEW)Leader: Catherine Guilder Thursday 12 April, Intergenerationalworkshop* – £50 (price for two people)

LEADED LIGHT STAINED GLASSLeader: David LillyFriday 13 April, £120

HERBAL SELF-CARE: DIGESTION (NEW)Leader: Alex LairdSaturday 14 April, £85

LEATHER POUCH WORKSHOPLeader: Jon LewingtonSaturday 14 April, £70

DOWSING DAYLeader: Pete RedmanSunday 15 April, £65

WOODCUT PRINTINGLeader: Will DykeThursday 19 April, £65

GATE HURDLE MAKING DAY (NEW)Leader: Julian BellFriday 20 April, £65

MAKE A SHAKER BOXLeader: Murray MarksSaturday 21 April, £75

BONE NEEDLES (NEW)Leader: Ruby TaylorSaturday 21 April, £80

SERVANTS AND SERVICE (NEW)Leader: Andrew Robertshaw Sunday 22 April, £75

MAKE A HAND-SEWN BOOKLeader: Angela Thames Sunday 22 April, £120

OAK TIMBER FRAMING: JOWL POSTSLeader: Joe ThompsonMonday 23 – Friday 27 April, £550

MAKE A SHAVE HORSELeader: Mark AlleryFriday 27 April, £85

INTRODUCTION TO POLE LATHE TURNINGLeader: Mark AllerySaturday 28 April, Sunday 29 April, £70

CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF HEAVY HORSESLeader: Mark BuxtonSunday 29 April, £90

MAYIRONS IN THE FIRELeader: Martin FoxThursday 10 May, £95Friday 11 May, £95

DAWN WALKLeader: Jonathan MycockSaturday 12 May, £20

BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION: THE COTTAGE GARDEN Leader: Leigh Ann GaleSunday 13 May, £60

INTRODUCTION TO DAIRYINGLeader: Catherine GuilderSunday 13 May, £60

DRAWING BUILDINGS IN PEN AND INKLeader: Kate TugwellWednesday 16 May, £60

ENERGY CONSERVATION INTRADITIONAL BUILDINGSLeader: Richard OxleyThursday 17 May, £115

NATURAL NAVIGATION WALKLeader: Tristan GooleyFriday 18 May, £25

SEEDS OF GOOD HEALTHLeader: Christina StapleyFriday 18 May, £60

“A passionate, knowledgeable and excellent tutor”. Driving heavy horses participant, 2017

Discover building conservation and traditional rural trades and craftsthrough the Museum’s award-winningprogramme of courses throughout the year. These are just some of thecourses available – visit our websitefor the full programme and to book –www.wealddown.co.uk/courses. If you would like a brochure [email protected], or to find out more about any course, call01243 811021.

Making gate hurdles.

“A really enjoyable day, over and above my expectations!” Irons in the fire participant, 2017

➔

p31-33 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:53 Page 31

MUSEUMS AT NIGHTLeaders: Museum storytellers and guidesFriday 18 May, 8.45pm – c.10.45pm, £25Saturday 19 May, 8.45pm – c.10.45pm, £25

NETTLES – FROM STING TO STRINGLeader: Catherine GuilderSaturday 19 May, £60

CELTIC HERBS (NEW)Leader: Christina StapleySaturday 19 May, £60

WOODLAND HERBSLeader: Christina StapleySunday 20 May, £60

FROM HONEY AND BEESWAX TOCOSMETICS AND SOAP (NEW)Leader: Dr Sara RobbSunday 20 May, £75

FRAME BASKETS (NEW)Leader: Linda MillsTuesday 22 May, £65.00

ANCIENT AND RECENT RIVER ANDSEA BOATS OF SUSSEX, KENTAND THE SOUTH EAST (NEW)Leader: Damian GoodburnSaturday 26 May, £65

TO DRESS A LADY: AFTERNOONTALK (NEW)Leaders: Catherine Guilder, and Joanne BriffettSunday 27 May, £30

DRIVING HEAVY HORSESLeader: Mark BuxtonSunday 27 May, £95,

JUNEINTRODUCTION TO OLD ENGLISHLANGUAGE (NEW)Leader: Stephen PollingtonFriday 1 June, £85

LEARN TO BRAID (NEW)Leader: Steve KennettSaturday 2 June, 2 hour session, £25

ENGLISH BRICKWORK, TUDORTO EDWARDIAN Leader: Gerard LynchMonday 4 June, £115

OAK TIMBER FRAMING: WALL FRAMINGLeader: Joe ThompsonMonday 4 – Friday 8 June, £550

JOINTING, POINTING ANDREPOINTING HISTORICBRICKWORKTutor: Gerard LynchTuesday 5 – Thursday 7 June, £230

INSPIRED BY THE MUSEUM:WATERCOLOUR DAYLeader: Kate TugwellWednesday 6 June, £65

NATURAL DYES (NEW)Leader: Louise SpongFriday 8 June, £55

BRONZE AGE METALWORKLeader: Simon BarnardSaturday 9 – Sunday 10 June, £250

PREHISTORIC FLINT TOOL MAKINGLeader: Will LordSaturday 9 – Sunday 10 June, £160

TUDOR SONGS (NEW)Leader: Emily LonghurstSaturday 9 June, £60

CARVE A WOODEN BOWLLeaders: Jess Jay and John VardonSaturday 9 June, £70Sunday 10 June, £70

INTRODUCTION TO DATINGTIMBER FRAMED BUILDINGS IN SOUTH-EAST ENGLANDLeader: Joe ThompsonTuesday 12 June, £115

INTRODUCTION TO SIGNWRITINGLeader: Wayne Osborne Wednesday 13 June, £115

THE ORIGIN OF PLANTS (NEW) Leader: Maggie Campbell-CulverThursday 14 June, £60

CIDER MAKING DAY (NEW)Leader: Simon ReedSaturday 16 June, £95

FLAX TO LINENLeader: Catherine GuilderSaturday 16 June, £55

COOKING IN WARTIME (NEW)Leader: Andrew RobertshawSaturday 23 June, £75

CHEESE MAKING (NEW)Leader: Paul ThomasSaturday 23 June, £70

BONFIRES TO BARLEYCORN:SONGS AND CUSTOMS OF THEFARMING YEAR (NEW)Leaders: Gail Duff and Bing LyleSunday 24 June, £60

DRIVING HEAVY HORSESLeader: Mark BuxtonSunday 24 June, £90

PIT-FIRED POTTERYLeader: Alison SandemanSaturday 23 June, Saturday 30 June andSunday 1 July, £120

THE INVISIBLE CHAMBER POT:‘HIDDEN’ MATERIAL CULTURE INTHE HOME 1500-1700 (NEW)Leaders: Tara Hamling and Catherine RichardsonThursday 28 June, £75

JULYINSPIRED BY THE MUSEUM:SKETCHING DAYLeader: Kate TugwellWednesday 11 July, £65

HANGING POCKET – ENGLISHQUILTING Leader: Charlotte DawberThursday 12 July, £60

SCYTHING: LEARN TO MOWLeader: Mark AllerySaturday 14 July, £70

‘MERE VILLAGE’ OR RURAL CITY?MEDIEVAL AND TUDOR (NEW)Leader: Ian FrielThursday 19 July, £65

AUGUSTIRONS IN THE FIRELeader: Martin FoxThursday 2 August, £95 Friday 3 August, £95

MOWING WITH AN ENGLISHSCYTHELeader: Mark AllerySaturday 4 August, £75

CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP(NEW)Leader: Greg MosseSaturday 4 August, 2-4pm, £20 Saturday 1 September, 2-4pm, £20 (or £30for both sessions booked together)

WEAVE A RUSH MATLeader: Rachel FrostSunday 5 August, £65

WEAVE A RUSH HATLeader: Rachel Frost Friday 10 August, £65

WEAVE A RUSH BASKETLeader: Rachel FrostSaturday 11 August, £65


Oak timber framing: jowl posts. Tudor baking.

Prehistoric flint-tool making.

“Met my needs perfectly. Now feel confident to approach repairs.

Excellent/knowledgeable tutors”. Flint walling participant, 2017

“Very thorough and will be very beneficialto me in my work as a Conservation Officer”. English brickwork participant, 2017

p31-33 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:53 Page 32

SCYTHING: LEARN TO MOWLeader: Mark AllerySaturday 11 August, £70

MEDIEVAL MEDICINE CHESTLeader: Catherine GuilderSunday 12 August, £60

WEAVE A RUSH BAGLeader: Rachel FrostSunday 12 August, £65

HERBS FOR HEALTHLeader: Christina StapleyFriday 24 August, £60

BAT WALKLeader: Sue Harris Friday 24 August, £12

HERBS FOR DAILY LIFE Leader: Christina StapleySaturday 25 August, £60

ARABIC INFLUENCE HERBSLeader: Christina StapleySunday 26 August, £60

SEPTEMBERDOUGH TROUGHS, CARVEDBOWLS AND OTHER LARGERDOMESTIC WOODWARETHROUGH THE AGES Leader: Damian Goodburn Saturday and Sunday 1 and 2 September,£140

CORN DOLLY WORKSHOPLeader: Verna BaileySaturday 1 September, £55

MEDIEVAL FEAST (NEW)Leader: Helen MbyeSaturday 1 September, £60

FLINT KNAPPING (NEW)Leader: James DilleySunday 2 September, Intergenerationalworkshop* – £50 (price for two people).Minimum age for this session is 12 yearsold.

LIMEWASH, DISTEMPER ANDLINSEED-BASED PAINTSLeader: Sibylle HeilTuesday 4 September, £115

INSPIRED BY THE MUSEUM:ACRYLICS (NEW)Leader: Kate TugwellWednesday 5 September, £60

FIRE AND HISTORIC BUILDINGSLeaders: Steve Emery, MarjorieSanders and Roger AngoldWednesday 5 September, £115

GRASS BASKETS (NEW)Leader: Ruby TaylorFriday 7 September, £80

CHEESE MAKING (NEW)Leader: Paul ThomasSaturday 8 September, £70

DORSET BUTTONSLeader: Jen Best Sunday 9 September, £55

BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATION:NATURE’S HARVEST (NEW)Leader: Leigh Ann GaleSunday 9 September, £60

OLD ENGLISH ALES (NEW)Leader: Marc MeltonvilleSaturday 15 September, £70

CORACLE MAKING WEEKENDLeaders: Kevin and Ellen GrimleySaturday 15 – Sunday 16 September, £260

TUDOR BAKING Leader: Elizabeth StillmanSunday 16 September, £60

DAMP AND HISTORIC BUILDINGSLeader: Duncan PhillipsTuesday 18 September, £115

WATTLE AND DAUBLeader: Joe ThompsonThursday 20 September, £115

SYMBOLISM AND MEANING INMEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERNBUILDINGS (NEW)Leader: Jonathan Foyle Thursday 20 September, (for buildings from1200-1450AD) £75

REED MACE BASKETS (NEW)Leader: Ruby TaylorSaturday 22 September, £65

WILD FOODLeader: John RhyderSunday 23 September, £75

MAKE A PSALTERY (NEW)Leader: Paul BakerSaturday 22 – Sunday 23 September, £180

OLD HOUSES – THEIR FABRIC,INTERIORS AND FURNISHING.IDENTIFICATION, CARE ANDREPAIR. Leaders: Kevin Stubbs and Vincent ReedTuesday 25 September, £115

HISTORY OF KNITTING FROMTHE TUDOR PERIOD ONWARDSLeader: Ruth Gilbert Friday 28 September – Saturday 29September, £60

SPOON CARVINGLeader: JoJo WoodSaturday 29 September and Sunday 30 September, £75

TRADITIONAL MANUSCRIPTBOOK SKILLS (NEW)Leader: Josie BrownSunday 30 September, £85

OCTOBERLIME MORTARS FORTRADITIONAL BRICKWORKTutor: Gerard LynchMonday 1 October, £115

REPAIR OF TRADITIONALLYCONSTRUCTED BRICKWORKLeader: Gerard LynchTuesday 2 – Thursday 4 October, £360

THE ROOFING SQUARELeader: Joe ThompsonTuesday 2 October, £115

IRONS IN THE FIRELeader: Martin FoxThursday 4 October, £95

PRACTICAL THATCHINGLeader: Chris TomkinsThursday 4 October, £150

MAKE A PYCOMBE-STYLE CROOKLeader: Martin FoxFriday 5 October, £95

INTRODUCTION TO STRUCTUREMOTION PHOTOGRAMMETRY Leader: Sarah DuffyTuesday 9 October, £90

STUMPWORK: BUTTERFLIESLeader: Caroline VincentSaturday 13 October, £55

TRADITIONAL WOODEN RAKEMAKINGLeader: Mark AllerySaturday 13 October, £85

COIFS, CAPS, HATS AND HAIRLeader: Catherine Guilder Sunday 14 October, £60

HERBAL SELF-CARE: SLEEP,ANXIETY AND FATIGUE (NEW)Leader: Alex LairdSunday 14 October, £85

INTRODUCTION TO BUILDINGCONSERVATION (NEW)Leader: David McDonaldWednesday 17 October, £90

OAK TIMBER FRAMING: ROOF FRAMINGLeader: Joe ThompsonMonday 15 – Friday 19 October, £550

SYMBOLISM AND MEANING INMEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERNBUILDINGS (NEW) Leader: Jonathan FoyleThursday 16 October (for buildings from1450-1600AD), £75

GARDEN HISTORY IN 10OBJECTS (NEW)Leaders: Letta Jones, David Standing and Carlotta HoltFriday 19 October, £60

ILLUMINATED LETTERINGLeader: Jan MehiganSaturday 20 October, £60

WOODCARVING WEEKENDLeaders: Jess Jay and John VardonSaturday 20 – Sunday 21 October, £85

CALLIGRAPHY FOR BEGINNERS:UNCIAL SCRIPTLeader: Rebecca OsborneSunday 21 October, £60

EXPLORING THE HISTORY OF AHOUSE: AN INTRODUCTION (NEW)Leader: Ian FrielSunday 21 October, £65

MUSEUMS AT NIGHTLeaders: Museum storytellers and guidesFriday 26 October, 6.45pm – c.9pm, £25Saturday 27 October, 6.45pm – c.9pm £25

STONE CARVING: GREEN MANLeader: Will SpankieSaturday 27 – Sunday 28 October, £160

STORIES OF SUSSEX (NEW)Leaders: Gail Duff and Bing LyleSaturday 27 October. Intergenerationalworkshop* – £50 (price for two people)

*Intergenerational workshops: Please notethat these workshops are priced for two people booking together and the minimumage, unless otherwise stated, is 7 years.


Spoon carving.

“A really enjoyable day, learning a new skill”. Willow garden structures participant, 2017

Weave a rush basket.

p31-33 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:53 Page 33


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England is unique. Its medieval ex -chequer documents survived while other European countries, such as France, losttheirs to fire and turbulent later history.Sussex is particularly fortunate to haveits taxation documents, the SubsidyRolls, preserved in excellent condition forthe years 1296, 1327 and 1332. Taxa-tion paid to the king, lay subsidies, werenot requested every year and thereforethe three years for which Sussex holdsrecords are representative of the inter-mittent taxation during this period.

The Subsidy Rolls for 1296, 1327 and1332 contain the names of individual taxpayers and the amount of their contribu-tion. Information concerning Hangleton’sresidents can be read using their names.The early 14th century is the last period ofhistory that, outside of the nobility, a per-son’s ‘surname’ is a cognomen. Their cog-nomen was either a physical description,‘Simon Slyghbody’, their profession, ‘Eliasthe Carter’ or, if they were in an itinerantprofession, their home village, ‘William ofPlumpton’.

It was only the head of the householdwho was recorded. The 24 pages of the1332 roll contain 1,547 names of which138 are women, 9% of the total, which isa lower percentage than for other coun-ties. Women became head of the house-

hold on the death of their spouse and thisis noted in the rolls by the title Relicta(widow). In Hangleton, Edwina the Smithappears on the 1327 roll. Women oftenworked alongside their husbands and it ispossible that Edwina learned her trade inthe forge alongside her husband takingover as the village smith on his death.

The amount of tax a householder hadto pay was dependent on the value of aperson’s moveable goods (their personalpossessions). In feudal England it wasusual for the house and its contents to be-long to their lord which meant that manypeople did not have enough possessionsto pay any tax at all. The chief taxors,working directly for the exchequer, were instructed not to tax any household whose possessions did not reach a stated amount. In 1296 this was 11s., in1327 and 1332, 10s. Lepers and theclergy were exempt from taxation.

The 1296 SubsidyIn the 24th year of Edward I’s reign a sub-sidy of a twelfth (8%) from those living inthe countryside was granted to aid theking’s efforts to regain Gascony. Their taxallowance, possessions excluded from theassessment of rural people, was: the jew-els and clothes of knights, gentlemen andtheir wives and their vessels of gold, silver

and brass. Also exempt were riding horsesand armour. In towns and cities the exemptions were: one garment each for aman and his wife, a bed, a ring, one claspof silver or gold and a girdle of silk (as longas it was worn daily) as well as a silverdrinking cup. This was the first timecoinage was counted in a tax assessmentwhich firmly dates from when the moneyeconomy became established. Paymentwas to be made in two equal parts to the exchequer in Westminster. The firstwas due at the Feast of the Purification (2 February) 1297 and the second onWhitsunday (2 June) 1297.

Sussex was divided into districts known as hundreds. Hangleton was in the Fishergate Half Hundred, as was Portslade and Aldrington. The three villagesform one tax return and there can be nocertainty as to who lived in which villagefrom the Subsidy Roll alone. However,names which appear are worth scrutinyand they were people who lived either in orin the vicinity of Hangleton. A shoe maker,Walter Kordewan (cordwainer), paid 6s.9½d: the tools and materials of his tradewere included in his assessment. Simi-larly, owning a fishing boat and nets wouldincrease the value of your moveable goods.Fishermen Reginald, Roger and RobertHerying (herring) paid 5s. each. Another


Helen Mbye explainshow lay taxationrecords for HangletonVillage from the 14thcentury reveal theidentities, occupationsand origins of itsinhabitants – one of them may have inhabited ourreconstructed cottage

Who livedin our 14thcenturycottage?

The 13th century

Hangleton Cottage at the

Museum, reconstructed

from evidence obtained

from an excavation of

the deserted medieval

village of Hangleton,

north of Hove, East

Sussex, and, below,

the interior displaying

replica furniture of the

sort that its occupier

would have used. Tony

Mar

shal

l

➔

p35-37 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:55 Page 35

tradesperson is William le Bouyher (thebowyer or bow maker) who paid 1s. 2½d.

Names which are related to agricultureor rural occupations are:

• Radolphus le Wayte (watchman) 3s. 7¾d.

• Julianne the widow of the hyrdman(herdsman) 1s.

• Gilbert Wodelonde (woodland) 1s.• Richard atte Holte (coppicer) 2s. 1½d.• Radulphus atte Holte (coppicer)

5s. 8½d.• Elias le Cartere (drives the cart)

2s. 1½d.• William Snylhals (snails) 3s. 9½d

Also named is Matilda Widow of theLeper 2s. 1½d. The Leper family are stillin the area, currently living in Portslade.

In total the Fishergate Half Hundredpaid a subsidy of £19 8s. 10½d.

The 1327 SubsidyOn 7 August 1327 Parliament was sum-moned to Lincoln where King Edward IIIwas granted a subsidy of a twentieth (5%)to continue the war with the Scots. Thefirst instalment was due on 3 February1328, the second on 29 September 1328.However, some counties were ordered topay their revenue to the Florentine Bardifamily who had lent money to the king tofinance the Hundred Years War. This mayaccount for Sussex returning nearly a yearlate, on 15 February 1329.

Hangleton is counted as a single fiscalunit which gives a snapshot of who lived in the village circa 1328. Twenty-sevennames are recorded and the village paid atotal subsidy of £4. 6s. 6½d. The lady ofthe Hangleton Manor appears on the roll,Margery de Ponyings (pronounced ‘Pun-nings’) paying 17s. 11d. Margery was thewidow of Sir Michael de Ponyings who haddied at the Battle of Bannockburn in1314. The widow of Philip de Benefeldpaid 5s and Richard de Hangleton 4s1½d. suggesting they were freeholders,probably resident of the neighbouringmanor of Hangleton-Benfieds.

The other tax payers were villeins and their names reveal their crafts and occupations:

• Richard the Wayte (watchman)• Ralph le Shephurde (shepherd)• William Cony (warrener)• Widow of William Waryn (the former

warrener)• Edwina Smothe (smith)• William Brun (charcoal burner)• Walter Stighelman (gamekeeper)• Roger Herdman • Gilbert le Reve (reeve)• Simon de Illigate (the fastener) pay

between 1s. and 4s. each.

From other villages are John Plumpton,Richard Farndon and Godfrey de Brem -beldon.

With descriptive cognomens are Ralph

and Simon Sleghbody (slight body) whowere possibly of small stature. Also, JohnSpendlove, a name given to someone whowas free with their affections!

John and Robert Thomas were possiblytwins, as ‘Thomas’ was commonly usedto describe such.

Unmentioned are those who did notpossess moveable goods valued at thetaxation threshold of 10s. Using the average of five persons to a medievalhousehold, and the Domesday data ofHangleton village of approximately 250persons, the Subsidy Rolls account leaves115 people or approximately 23 house-holds of unnamed poorer villagers exemptfrom tax. Although the Domesday data predates this subsidy by over 200 years,Hangleton was not a village that expandedafter the 11th century and the Domesdaydata can be used for approximate calculations.

The 1332 SubsidyOn 25 June 1332 King Edward III wasgranted a subsidy of a fifteenth (6%) to as-sist with troubles in Ireland and difficul-ties with Scotland. The first instalmentwas due on 3 February, the second on 15June 1333. Because of the lateness ofthe returns for the 1327 subsidy the chiefassessors were threatened with a £100fine and the king’s contempt for lateness.Because of this threat, Sussex had theirroll and revenues at Westminster by 5 February and 7 May 1333. Once again,the tax threshold was 10s.

Nationally, the subsidy raised £34,000for the king. Fifteen households paid tax inHangleton, contributing £2. 18s. 8d.

Between 1327 and 1332 William Cony,Robert Thomas, The Sleghbodys, Richardde Hangleton, John Spendlove and JohnPlumpton had moved to Aldrington. FromPyecombe to Hangleton came Thomas dePonying, taking up residence of the ManorHouse. A coppicer, John atte Holte, movedto Hangleton from Perching. Still living inthe village were Walter Stighelman, JohnThomas and Simon de Illigate.

New tax payers in Hangleton were:

• William Worth (from Worth, Sussex) • William Rykke (rick)• John Broun (charcoal burner)• Radolphus the yong (young)• Henry Dolyn• William Wyghteden• John Wylott• Emma de Benefeld.

Local men were appointed for each sub-sidy to act as sub-taxors and assess theworth of the moveable goods of the othervillagers. Simon de Illigate performs thistask in 1327 and 1332. Sub-taxors alwaysworked in pairs and in 1332 Simon is


Who lived in our 14th century cottage?➔

1

2 3

p35-37 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:55 Page 36

joined by William Worth as joint taxators.It was important to employ villagers forthis purpose as they possessed localknowledge regarding values of items. Inpayment for their labour, they werecharged only the nominal amount of 1s.which was an effective way for the treas-ury to operate at a local level.

In manorial accounts gifts are reportedas being given to the local assessors. InCuxham, Oxfordshire, the manorial rollrecords: ‘in expenses of the taxers of thelord king coming for several days, 2s. In agift to the same taxers, 3s. 3d.’. Is this amedieval back-hander? Possibly. Else-where food and drink are recorded asbeing given to the taxors. No such manor-ial evidence survives for Hangleton, butJohn atte Holte pays a nominal amount of1s. although he is not a taxor in 1332. Hewas a taxor for Perching in 1327 and mayhave claimed he should be treated assuch. John atte Holt was a juror for the1341 tax on Hangleton, so the evidence isthat he liked fiscal responsibility.

Overall, the socio-economic trend forHangleton is one of decline. Between1327 and 1332 there was an exodus toAldrington whose link with Hangleton goesback to the late 13th century when thetwo villages were held by the same lordnamed Cockfield or Cukufeld. Some oftheir descendants remained in the Aldring-ton area and their surnames, or like-sounding names can be traced throughAldrington Church and the national cen-sus. We therefore know that some ofHangleton’s villagers and their childrensurvived the Black Death (1349/50). However, Hangleton, by 1332, was in economic freefall with its residents payinghalf the subsidy they had in 1327.

Poorer people who are not named onthe Subsidy Roll appear elsewhere. In1339 Thomas de Ponyings died and hisholding had to be assessed. Hangletonresidents that acted as jurors for this in-quisition were: John de Athalle, Robert deEnloc, John de Holt (again!), Simon atteNash, Richard Taillur, John Gub, William leClerk, William de Saddlecombe, John God-win, Simon de Flegge, Henry de Wyke, and‘Ralph’ whose other name is illegible.These names reveal a tailor in the village,although we know he was a poor man ashe does not pay tax. The 1341 tax has, inaddition to John atte Holte, William Blood,Thomas Hankyn and Robert Thomas as jurors.

Who lived in the building from Hangle-ton? The truth is that we shall never know.They were probably poor villeins who didnot pay tax. Perhaps John Gub or ‘Ralph’.The interpreters of the building fromHangleton adopted the Sleghbodys as theunofficial ‘Hangleton family’ about three

years ago, but the tax records reveal thatthis family was unlikely to live in suchmodest accommodation.

After 1334 names were no longerrecorded on Subsidy Rolls, just the villageand the total paid to the exchequer. After1336 surnames become hereditary andthe cognomens are lost. With the detailsrevealed by the three Sussex SubsidiesHangleton village, and those who livedthere, are brought to life with their names,occupations, crafts and descriptions.

Helen Mbye has been involved in the

work of the Museum since 2006. The

recipient of a Leverhulme Trust doctoral

studentship, Helen is currently researching

the social and economic effects of 12th

century coastal change at the University of

Southampton. Readers who enjoyed this

article may also enjoy the Museum’s Rural

Life ‘Home’ weekend on 29-30 September.


Figs 1-5 are taken from the Luttrell Psalter, British Library, Add MS 42130, 1325-1335. (1) The de Ponyings family lived in Hangleton manor house: their dining arrangements wouldhave been similar to this. (2) Richard the Watchman guarded Hangleton, sounding a pipe ortrumpet if the village was attacked. (3) Radolphus the Shepherd looked after around 1,500sheep. He would employ other villagers to help him. (4) Poorer villeins, like this sower, did not pay tax. (5) Walter Stighelman was the gamekeeper, who organised the hunt for the dePonyings and would net birds for their table. (6) A reeve overseeing harvesting work, from the British Library, Royal MS 2 B. vii, f.78v (c. 1310-1320).

4

5

6

p35-37 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:55 Page 37

The Museum is thrilled that Olwyn, itsPercheron mare, is expecting a foal thisyear. She returned to Robert Sampson’sPercheron stud at Harbridge Farm, nearRingwood, Hampshire last year and wascovered by his stallion, Norse. The foal is expected in late June and will join theMuseum’s team of four working heavyhorses, Olwyn, a Percheron gelding namedOllie and two Shires, Mac and Major.Working draught horses were introduced

to the Museum in 1979 to help interpretthe historic building exhibits. Horses would

have been a vital source of power for transportand farming for the inhabitants of our historic

homes and workplaces, and at the Museum theycan be seen carting goods, haymaking, ploughing,

harvesting, at the stables or grazing in the fields.The Museum has also played an important part in

encouraging interest in heavy horses, and they arecelebrated at our special events, including the Living

History Festival and Autumn Countryside Show. This year’sLiving History Festival will also see a special focus on the Percheron

breed as 2018 is the centenary of the British Percheron Horse Society.Pictured is Museum Horseman Mark Buxton with Olwyn, and left, Ollie.


Heavy horsefoal expectedin June!

Stone andmasonry to be thefocus of our buildingconservationconferenceThe Museum holds an annual buildingconservation conference and this year it will take place on Tuesday 11 September, with stone and theconservation of masonry as the theme.Full programme details will be available on thewebsite, www.wealddown.co.uk, in Spring, or contact the adultlearning team on 02143 811021 or email [email protected] for furtherinformation. Pictured are stone masons at work at the Museum beneath the wagon shed from Wiston.

p38-39 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:56 Page 38

The Museum is delighted to be hostingthe UK’s great annual festival of greenwoodworking, The Bodgers’ Ball, thisyear, on 10-13 May.

The Bodgers’ Ball is a grand celebrationof all forms of green woodworking, organisedand run by the Association of Pole-latheTurners & Green Woodworkers (APT) andcoinciding with their annual general meeting.

This four day event is held in a differentvenue countrywide each year and on 10-13 May the Museum will play host forthe third time – previously it was held herein the late 1990s.

Julian Bell, Museum Curator, says: “The first two days see the gathering of

par ticipants, the set-up of theevent, and courses run byand for APT members. The

association has about1,000 members and

dozens of localgroups spread

nationally, andwe expect

about 500 who will come along anddemonstrate, participate or simply immerse themselves in the variety ofactivities taking place.

“Over the weekend of the 12/13May Museum visitors will be able toenjoy myriad demonstrations and activities taking place in our Green-ways show field and at other locations across the site. The huge rangeof green woodworking crafts include pole-lathe turning, gate hurdle making, wovenhurdle making, hewing, and anything elsethat APT members can think of to do withwood straight from the tree!”

There will also be a range of associatedcrafts, such as tool-making, leather com-ponents and blacksmithing. The Museum’sown pole-lathes will be set up and mannedby volunteers so that visitors can have ago themselves, and stallholders will beselling their own creations, books, wood-working tools, craft tools and other historicitems.

Elsewhere, the Museum’s Woodyard willbe busy with activity, centred on our historic,working timber crane, the Museum’s working heavy horses will extract timberfrom the woodlands to a number of locations on the site, and a traditionalcharcoal earth-burn will be under way.

Interpreterswill be on handto guide visitorsand participantsalike through theMuseum’s owncoppiced woodlandwhich provides fire-wood, fencing and a range of other resources for our activities throughoutthe year.

Access to the Ballfor visitors will be thesame as for our othernon-ticketed events andwill be covered by theregular Museum entrance fee. Find out more on the Museum’s website,www.wealddown.co.uk


All dressed up for The Bodgers’ Ball!

p38-39 Spring 2018_P. 3- 20/02/2018 15:56 Page 39

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Documents

WEALD & DOWNLAND · worked at the Museum in 2016/2017 as the Heritage Lottery Fund Collections Trainee. Please do check the website for further details as the season unfurls. Above,