As we said farewell to three days of historical exploration, in Portsmouth, we were on our way to meet the Besties, who were joining us for the final leg of our road trip. Our destination was Billingshurst, but there’s always something to discover on route 😜 so we arranged to rendezvous at Amberley Museum.

There was going to be a lot more reminiscing as this vast open air museum, contains antique cars, trains, and exhibitions with collections dating back to the early 1800s. We aren’t quite old enough to remember that far back, but we were definitely going on a journey through time.

Most people think of the North of England as being the industrial heart of the country. However the beautiful South Downs provided a natural abundance of materials from pits, mines and quarries and the site which is now Amberley Museum was once the Amberley chalk pits. The old quarries, equipment and workshops now house the many artefacts and machinery once used in local industry, plus much more.

The chalk pit was opened in the 1840s, with the extracted chalk being burned in kilns, a couple of which are still on site. The end product was used for building, and in agriculture. In the 1870’s several smaller producers were merged by one family, making them the only producer in the area. Having the local railway line and river meant they could easily transport their goods to businesses around Sussex and continued on site until closure in the 1960’s.

The museum covers a vast area and alongside a small number of paid  staff,  it is manned by an army of passionate volunteers and crafters, eager to impart their knowledge and show their skills.

We just had to decide where to start.

Strolling from workshop to workshop, we were introduced to the early days of printing. The volunteer explaining the painstaking way newspapers used to be printed, each individual letter being placed in the frame, in reverse order, to make the required text. It was a very skilled job and with the introduction of computers, one now lost to a previous generation.

Industry is everywhere, original kilns are still on show, workwear from the 1900’s, wood turning tools, steam engines to a display of fireman’s protective gear alongside old engines.

 

 

We we amazed at the vast collection of televisions and radios, showing how they developed through time. Record players, similar to those we used in our youth to play our vinyls. Who knew they would come back into fashion. We had a chuckle at the old telephone operator demonstration, as we remembered having to speak to the operator and request they put us through to our friends phone. An old phone box with A & B buttons. (If you know you know) A to connect you and B to return any unused coins. Like all new fangled gadgets 😜 these boxes gradually phased out the operators.

 

 

A vintage bus takes you on a tour of the site. There are several stops along the route. We hopped off half way to explore the warehouse exhibiting electrical products. Our entire youth was covered in one warehouse 😂. From vacuum cleaners, to a hairdryer I remember my Mum wearing around the house. She was also very proud of her electric mixer, which stood on the work top for all to admire.

There is also a little steam train tour, taking you past the entrance to the mine where scenes in A View to A Kill were filmed. Obviously we just had to watch the film again once we got home 😂

 

The transport exhibits naturally caught my husbands attention. I must admit seeing the old bicycles, the Sinclair CV, (you had to be there 😂) and some of the old buses, did bring back fond memories.

We discovered a steam engine with a family connection (well our surname was emblazoned on the wheel) and the hubby reminisced as he walked around a Bedford truck.

 

 

Lots of craft stalls and areas are dotted around the site. Unfortunately for us, as it was mid week many were not manned. The guys had a good chat with a woodworker, who carved garden ornaments, whittled spoons and bowls and made bows and arrows. His products were fairly expensive, but chatting to him made us realise the hours each item took to produce.

Another craftsman who was on site that day, made walking sticks. Each had a fabulously carved handle, from the traditional to the unique, to animals heads. Perfect workmanship.

The museum also boasts a lovely nature trail. We had had some heavy rain, so didn’t attempt the whole trail, but we did walk part of it, climbing to the highest peak allowing us to look over the entire site and the countryside far beyond.

The museum has a good sized cafe, where we enjoyed lunch, with plenty of seating both inside and out, when the sun shines. We took advantage of the free vintage bus and train rides to get around in the intermittent rain showers.

In spite of the inclement weather, we had fantastic day. The exhibitions are terrific, especially for those of us of a certain age 🥴, although there is something for everyone. There were lots of laughs as we went back to our younger days, remembering a time before the World buried their heads in t’internet and mobile phones.