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        The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum

        Enjoy a trip back into Britain's medieval past as we accompany Reginald Charman on his visit to the Weald and Downland Museum in rural West Sussex

        Amateur film 1972 14 mins

        From the collection of:

        Logo for Screen Archive South East

        Overview

        After a greeting at the entrance to the museum we proceed to view several ancient rural buildings in varied states of reconstruction. These range from simple dwellings to functional buildings such as assembly halls and toll cottages. We also see several farm buildings, mills and granaries as well as structures like windpumps and waterwheels in action. There are also kilns burning charcoal, firing clay pots and a demonstration of ploughing with horses and harvesting.

        The Weald and Downland Living Museum is located near Singleton, West Sussex and was begun by a group of enthusiasts in 1967 under the leadership of the museum's founder, Dr J R Armstrong MBE. Opened to the public in September 1970, the museum aimed to rescue and preserve a number of threatened vernacular buildings throughout the region. It also generated interest in the local built environment and in rural crafts and trades that were in danger of vanishing from the scene entirely.