Weald & Downland Living Museum awarded grant by The National Lottery Heritage Fund

The Weald & Downland Living Museum has received a £239,500 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support their Building Resilience Through Development, Audience Growth and Digital Innovation project. The project aims to help strengthen the long-term resilience of the Museum, through the development of a sustainable strategy for the conservation and interpretation of its nationally significant heritage collection.

Located in the South Downs National Park near Chichester, the Museum preserves and celebrates the rural history and heritage of south-east England across its unique 40-acre site. This funding from the Heritage Fund will support a programme of improvements designed to enhance visitor engagement, accessibility and long-term sustainability.

As visitor expectations continue to evolve, the project will create new opportunities for the Museum to digitise interpretation across the heritage site. Working with heritage specialists and digital innovation partners, the Museum aims to develop more community-led engagement with its collection while improving access to heritage for a wider range of audiences.

The funding from the Heritage Fund will support initiatives including the development of a pilot museum audio trail, investment in digital cataloguing systems for the Museum’s collection, and improvements to interpretation across the site to help visitors better understand the historic buildings and landscapes.

The project will also help improve the wider visitor experience, including enhancements to the café, shop and gallery spaces, while supporting the Museum’s ambition to make the site more accessible and welcoming to all.

Clare de Bathe, Museum Director at The Weald & Downland Living Museum, said: “We are incredibly grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for this generous support. Thanks to the National Lottery players this funding represents an important investment in the future of the Museum and will help us ensure that our extraordinary collection and historic buildings remain accessible, relevant and inspiring for future generations. Through new digital interpretation, improved learning spaces and enhanced community engagement, we hope to connect even more people with the rich rural heritage of south-east England.”

Further investment will also be made in learning and engagement spaces across the Museum, including toddler play areas and facilities for schools and community groups. By strengthening the Museum’s educational offer, the project aims to deepen community connections and broaden access to heritage experiences.

The Museum also plans to expand its outreach activity to reach currently underserved audiences through new workshops, tours, digital archives and interpretation initiatives both onsite and within the local community.