Weald and Downland Living Museum Ticket Portal

Tuesday 16 September 2025

The Weald and Downland region in the South East of England has a very large number of timber-framed houses from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century. They are found in the countryside, towns and villages though they are not always obvious, as they are often underbuilt in brick or stone and clad with weather-boarding or weather-tiling. They make a vital contribution to the landscape and contain much evidence of how people lived in the past.

This day school will adopt a systematic approach to analysing some of the most commonly surviving plan forms and types of timber-frame encountered in the region. The Museum’s Building Collection is a rich resource that we will use to help illustrate some of the different forms found and how they have changed over time.

Understanding the form, function, date, setting and subsequent development is the first step in ensuring that the significance of the building and its conservation is as informed as possible.

Wednesday 21 May 2025

Learning how to use a roofing square is a fundamental skill in carpentry. This course will help demystify this essential carpenter’s tool. You’ll practice how to line out and cut softwood timber rafters for lean-to, gable and hipped roofs following a late 19th/20th century method where you use the square to calculate the lengths and bevels, without needing rafter tables, ready reckoners, or electronic devices. Imperial measurements are used during the day, but metric conversion is explained.

Wednesday 15 October 2025

Wattle and daub was a much used material for panel in-filling of timber framed buildings. The exact wood used for the wattle and the mix which was daubed over it to keep the wind and weather out were dependent on the materials available. There are many examples of wattle and daub panels at the Museum, some are historic, having been saved from the original buildings and re-fitted and some have been replicated as replacement panels. Students will have the opportunity to view a selection of these and other samples in the artefact store, followed by a practical hands-on session, and a lecture on the appraisal and techniques of repair.

Wednesday 17 September 2025

The Weald and Downland region has a large number of non-domestic timber-framed structures. These range from agricultural to industrial to civic buildings. They are found in the towns, villages and countryside and date from the medieval period onwards. They make a vital contribution to the landscape and character of the region and tell us much about how people lived and worked.

This day school will adopt a systematic approach to analysing some of the most commonly surviving plan forms and types of timber-frame encountered in the region. The Museum’s Building Collection is a rich resource that we will use to help illustrate some of the different forms found and how they have changed over time.

Understanding the form, function, date, setting and subsequent development is the first step in ensuring that the significance of the building and its conservation is as informed as possible. This workshop will explain the terminology and concepts that underpin these changes using the unrivalled resource of the Museum Building Collection. We will visit many of the non-domestic buildings to illustrate the different forms encountered and how they were designed to help fulfil their required tasks.