Museum celebrates iconic building with special exhibition

Take part with your own favourite image!

Bayleaf remains one of the most popular historic building exhibits at the Museum and this year a special exhibition celebrating it in many different media is to be held on 31 July – 12 August. Images of Bayleaf will take place in the Downland Gridshell where visitors will be able to enjoy representations of the iconic building in different forms, including paintings, jigsaws, models, drawings, photographs, and even tea towels! Gordon Rushmer, local artist and Museum course tutor, is curating the exhibition and has already begun delving into the archives for material. Our plan is also to gather together works from amateurs and professionals, schools, colleges, course tutors and their students – in fact from whomever and wherever works can be found. Offers of models, rugs, photographs and engravings have already been received, and we will be happy to sell work for those exhibitors who wish to do so. Everyone interested will receive an entry form, together with details concerning presentation. So please raid your walls, mantelpieces and lofts for your favourite image of Bayleaf, and call Rebecca Osborne on 01243 811931 to register.

Background Information

The award-winning Weald & Downland Open Air Museum has over 45 historic building exhibits and is designated by the Government for the outstanding importance of its collections. Exhibits include a medieval farmstead; a working watermill producing wholemeal stoneground flour; exhibitions focusing on traditional building techniques and agriculture; historic gardens, farm livestock and a working Tudor kitchen. The schools service welcomes over 25,000 schoolchildren a year for workshops and teacher led visits covering all aspects of the curriculum.

Note to Editors

For more information about this project contact Jennie Peel, Schools Services Manager on 01243 811028 or email

Reporters and photographers are welcome at the Museum. For further information call Rachel Neville on 01243 811459  or schoolbookings@wealddown.co.uk.

Full details about the services to schools offered by the Museum can be found on the website www.openairclassroom.org.ok.

Full details of the Museum and all of its activities can be found at www.wealddown.co.uk