| 1970/8 | SBC Minutes / 9 August 1970 | Southwater forge / RECOMMENDED that the museum should not acquire the forge. Possible that a better one at Betchworth may become available. |
| 1970/8 | SBC Minutes / 9 August 1970 | Emergency fund / Suggested for future consideration for unexpected rescue of buildings. |
| 1970/8 | SBC Minutes / 9 August 1970 | Opening arrangements for Sept. 1970 / Director explained desirability of fencing the main entrance properly before the opening, and of fencing the whole site, excluding two areas by the lake and beyond the Bayleaf complex, later in the autumn when the grazing season was over. RECOMMENDED that the fencing should be post and split oak rail which was approved by Mr Heymann.
Director reported that Phase I of the car park had been completed and pointed out that overflow parking was available round the Toll Cottage. AGREED there would be no parking on the land now being used for grazing.
Director reported on plans for positioning notice boards, litter baskets, lavatories and picnic sites. General Hawes suggested that paths should be mown to give dry access to all buildings. Mr Gravett suggested enquiring about notices manufactured by the Royal Label Factory, Stratford. There will be no form of catering this year but this needs urgent consideration for the future. |
| 1970/9 | Guidebook / 1970 | The Gipsy Caravan / This is of a type known as the Reading caravan. Nothing is known of the history of this caravan which had been abandoned on a farm at Lavington for 18 years before it was presented to the Museum by Mr Robertson, the farmer. It has been restored and painted for the Museum by Mr Jeff Lowe, with the help of students at Bishop Otter College. |
| 1970/9 | Guidebook / 1970 | The Granary from Littlehampton / This large granary was built in 1731 if we can rely on an incised brick beside the door. The farm to which it attached has a date 1732 over the door. In 1966 it became separated from the farm by the building of the new W Sussex Police HQ. As it was also in the way of projected road improvements it was offered to the Museum by WSCC in April 1969, dismantled by volunteers and taken to W Dean in June.
The Museum already had in store a granary given earlier in the year by Mr White of Yapton but priority was given to the Littlehampton granary because it is larger. Three missing staddle stones were replaced by identical ones from the Yapton granary (and two of concrete, used out of sight).
About 50% of the original bricks were used, supplemented by bricks from Boarhunt cottage.
The granary will be used as an exhibition room to illustrate the history and construction of granaries in the W&D region and as a temporary office and information centre for the Museum. |
| 1970/9 | Guidebook / 1970 | Winkhurst Farm / The house was acquired in November 1967 and repaired and re-erected in March 1969. "There is no question that the original house which we have re-erected dates at least from the 15th century and possibly from the late 14th". Winkhurst Farm retains that name consistently in all documents from 1610 onwards and continues for over three centuries as a considerable farm of 72 acres or more. Perhaps it was originally either a) a small self-contained dower house, b) a self-contained domicile for a farm or craft worker, or c) a combined kitchen and living quarters for household staff atached to the farm. Points to note:
1) The orientation of the building on the edge of a valley has been preserved, and windows face north away from prevailing winds. 2) The partition between the upper floor and the hall was extended from tie beam to ridge at some time after the original construciton. 3) The internal wattle infill was of cleft oak staves and hazel wattle infill. 4) Repair work has used oak from the \\ |
| 1970/9 | Guidebook / 1970 | The Donkey or Treadhweel from Catherington, Hampshire / It came from a farm in Catherington. It was located between the farmhouse and the complex of barns and was in a very derelict condition. It stood over a well reputed to be 300ft deep. The wheel is said to have been last used some 80 years ago. |
| 1970/9 | Guidebook / 1970 | The Beeding Toll Cottage / The cottage was dismantled and moved into storage in January 1968 following an accident when a lorry caused severe damage with the result that the whole building had to be demolished. It is the last survivor of a common type of little weaterhboarded toll cottages in the Worthing-Horsham-Shoreham triangle. At the Museum it will serve as a ticket office and contain an exhibition. It was the first building dismantled by the volunteer labout group. The tollboard attached to the outside of the cottage originally came from the Northchapel tollhouse. The milestone exhibited near the tollhouse came from Erringham near Shoreham. It is inscribed "54" and came from the same stretch of road as the toll cottage. |
| 1971/1 | Newsletter Number One / Jan-Apr 1971 | Future Publications / By next May the Museum will have produced a revised guide boook, a short guide book, a guide book for children, and a short guide to the nature trail. Charles Shippam has made a leaflet with a map of walks in the neighbourhood. |
| 1971/1 | Newsletter Number One / Jan-Apr 1971 | Progress of the Appeal
Public opening of the Museum for 1971 / By the end of December 1970 the museum had raised |
| 1971/1 | Newsletter Number One / Jan-Apr 1971 | Progress on Historic Buildings / By the opening last autumn there were four main buildings [Winkhurst, Treadwheel, Toll Cottage and Littlehampton Granary], the charcoal burner's camp and the Saxon Weaver's hut. Since then Roger Champion has erected the Lurgashall Shed, where he is working on Bayleaf. He has been helped by Anthony Simmons and Alan Olford. Messrs Longley will then erect the frame. Mrs K. Bonsey gave Mr R. J. Sharp's library of books about Sussex to the Museum. We plan to enlarge the Charcoal site, and are starting on Hangleton. After Bayleaf Roger Champion will work on a barn to house the wheelwright's tools of Mr Plewis. |
| 1971/1 | Newsletter Number One / Jan-Apr 1971 | Development of the Museum Site / The Countryside Commission have offered to pay 15s in every |
| 1971/1 | Newsletter Number One / Jan-Apr 1971 | Report on the Autumn opening 1970 / The experimental opening for six weekends was an unqualified success. 7,198 adults and children attended. More people visited on Sundays than Saturdays, with the peak on Sunday afternoons. On two Sundays more than 1,000 visitors came and even on the wettest Saturday there were 420 visitors. |
| 1971/1 | Newsletter Number One / Jan-Apr 1971 | Growth of the Friends
Public opening of the Museum for 1971 / There are now 533 members. |
| 1971/1 | Newsletter Number One / Jan-Apr 1971 | Public Opening of the Museum for 1971
Public opening of the Museum for 1971 / The Museum will be open from 11am to 6pm on Wed, Thurs, Sat & Sun, from 29 May to 31 October 1971. |
| 1971/1 | Newsletter Number One / Jan-Apr 1971 | Private View for the Friends
Public opening of the Museum for 1971 / The Museum will be open to the Friends on 22nd and 23rd May, including guided tours by Roy Armstrong and John Lowe. |
| 1971/1 | Newsletter Number One / Jan-Apr 1971 | Volunteers urgently needed / The Museum will be manned during opening hours entirely by volunteers, and volunteer site work will continue in the spring and summer. |
| 1971/10 | SBC Minutes / 24 October 1971 | Buildings for Consideration: Bridge Cottage, Uckfield / East Sussex County Council are now less confident in the proposal for re-erection in the Hastings area. Their concern for its preservation suggests that they might be prepared to assist with costs if the Museum accepted it. Mr Rigold commented on its value as a example of a distinctive style and its suitability for inclusion in a village complex. It has suffered recent damage by vandals. AGREED that the possibility of County Council assistance with cost should be pursued, and that a survey party of Messrs. Armstrong, Rigold, Martin, Mason and Wood should attempt to decide its original form and report to the next meeting. |
| 1971/10 | SBC Minutes / 24 October 1971 | Buildings for Consideration: Binsted Roundhouse / Was first discussed by the Committee in 1968/69 and was considered worthy of acquisition. The owner requested a few days ago that it should be removed urgently. An emergency decision was made to dismantle it with the help of volunteers and this is taking place today. |
| 1971/10 | SBC Minutes / 24 October 1971 | Bure Valley Reservoir development / Mr Rigold referred to the Bure Valley Reservoir development and the possibility that some of the buildings involved would be of value to the Museum. Understood that Mr Martin is already investigating. |
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