Keeping Rural Life Alive: From Heritage Crafts to Summer Family Adventures

What better way to spend your summer than exploring great family days out in your local area?

Set within 40 acres in the heart of the South Downs National Park, the Weald & Downland Living Museum, Singleton, invites visitors to explore more than 1,000 years of rural history, with something to discover in every season.

Through its collection of historic buildings, working landscapes and traditional crafts, the Museum shares the stories of the ordinary men, women and children who lived and worked in the countryside. Here, rural life is not displayed behind glass; it is brought vividly to life through hands-on experiences, demonstrations, and immersive storytelling.

Clare de Bathe, Museum Director, said: The Museum offers visitors a unique opportunity to slow down, reconnect with nature, and experience history in a meaningful and engaging way. Whether families are exploring our historic buildings, taking part in traditional crafts, or enjoying one of our special event weekends, every visit offers the chance to discover something new together. We are passionate about keeping rural heritage alive, not only preserving the buildings and landscapes of the past, but also the stories, skills, and traditions that shaped everyday life.

Open year-round, the Museum offers a relaxed and enriching day out, come rain or shine, with plenty of historic buildings to explore and shaded spots to rest visitors to explore at their own pace.

The Weald & Downland Living Museum has something different happening every day, alongside a packed calendar of special event weekends throughout the summer season.

Summer Events Programme

Midsummer Celebrations 13 & 14 June Explore how midsummer was celebrated throughout history, from the Saxon period to Victorian times. Living history experts will share ancient traditions and customs — many of which still influence celebrations today.
Anglo-Saxon Life 4 & 5 July Step back into the 6th and 7th centuries as the Wulfheodenas Living History Society sets up an authentic Anglo-Saxon encampment. Discover how people lived, worked, cooked, and crafted during the early Saxon period.
Victorian Life: Living on the Edge 18 & 19 July Experience the realities of Victorian life as award-winning living history group The Ragged Victorians recreate the sights and sounds of a bustling Victorian market and reveal what life was like for working-class communities living on the margins of society. Visitors can also meet The Rifle Brigade Reenactment Group, explore their military encampment, and learn about life on campaign during the Victorian era.
School Holiday Activities, 21 July to 31 August

This summers family programme explores Childhoods Through Time with interactive games, family trails, and hands-on activities running throughout the school holidays. Additional activities will take place Tuesday to Thursday each week.

Lammas Celebrations 31 July to 3 August Celebrate the medieval harvest festival of Lammas Day with Black Knight Historical Group as they bring medieval life, traditions, crafts, and celebrations to life around the Museum site.
War of the Three Kingdoms 22 & 23 August Discover 17th-century life with The Wardour Garrison Living History Group as they recreate an English Civil War Royalist encampment complete with traditional crafts, open-fire cooking, weapon demonstrations, and interactive displays.
Charcoal Burn August Bank Holiday weekend: 29 31 August Experience one of the countrysides oldest traditional industries as the Museums interpretation team demonstrates the fascinating process of charcoal burning over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Summer Theatre under the open sky

Spend a summer evening enjoying open-air theatre in the beautiful surroundings of the Museum grounds. Visitors are encouraged to bring a picnic or enjoy hot food and drinks from the onsite bar while watching live performances under the open sky. The theatre evenings are pre-book ticketed events; tickets are available to book now on their website.

This years performances include:

As You Like It Tuesday 14 July
The Three Musketeers Wednesday 22 July
The Pirates of Penzance Tuesday 28 July
Pinocchio Tuesday 3 August
King Arthur and the Holy Fail Tuesday 11 August

The Museum is a fantastic day out for the whole family, with FREE parking, an onsite café, and a shop. Once youve paid for your admission ticket, everything is included. For more information and to plan your visit, go to wealddown.co.uk.

About the Weald & Downland Living Museum

The Weald & Downland Living Museum is an open-air museum in Chichester, West Sussex, dedicated to preserving and sharing the rural heritage of southeastern England. Through historic buildings, traditional skills, and immersive events, the Museum brings the past vividly to life for visitors of all ages.