Collection: Weald and Downland Living Museum

Collection-level records:

• Collection overview (Cornucopia)

  Agriculture

  The principal collection held by the Museum consists of buildings dating from c.1400 to the late 19th century that have been dismantled and transferred to the Museum site. Currently the Museum has re-erected forty-five buildings, and has a further fifteen buildings in store awaiting re-erection. The exhibit buildings include a timber framed farmhouse from Kent, a market hall from Hampshire, a Victorian school, medieval shop, barns, a granary and a tread wheel from the South Downs. There is also a collection of parts of buildings that consist of furnishings such as hinges, latches, doors etc, as well as larger structural elements. The museum also collects material used in the construction and conservation of buildings in order to form a reference collection for the use of people concerned with the care of buildings outside the Museum. Items are also acquired that represent the construction of buildings and the manufacture of building materials. Furnishings and other items will in most cases come from the same region as the main building collection. From time to time items from outside this region will be accepted if they significantly contribute to the usefulness of the collections. Building materials will be collected including historic material, such as samples from buildings, as well as new material. Material used in the conservation of buildings will be collected, together with items related to the manufacture of building products and the building trade e.g. stone masons, plumbers, plasterers and other trades involved in the construction of buildings.

  Social History

  The rural life collections include agricultural material that is used to support and enhance the main collection of buildings and their interpretation.

  Science and Industry

  Items relating to trades and industries are collected to support the main buildings collection and include contents of carpenters, plumbers and brickmakers workshops.

  Archives

  A library of printed books, maps and other published materials relevant to the Museum’s collections will be maintained and catalogued, but will not form part of the Museum’s accessioned collections.

  Source: Cornucopia

  Date: Not known, but before 2015

  Licence: CC BY-NC