Amberly Museum & Heritage Centre Review
Amberley Museum
& Heritage Centre
Arundel, Sussex
Reviewed by Amanda Hayes
Amberley Museum is situated adjacent to Amberley Railway Station and is very easy to find, just follow the brown signs from Storrington or Arundel. There are ample free parking spaces right outside the station including plenty of disabled spaces. The museum entrance is a three minute walk from the car park along a footpath following the route of an old railway line.
Entry was quick and easy and the young man on the desk gave us a map of the museum, showed us where we were on the map and let us know both the vintage bus and narrow gauge train were both running today. These are both staffed by volunteers so only run when they have drivers, although it seems to be at least most weekends and certainly all the special events days which are held regularly throughout the year, almost every fortnight in fact.
The museum is a working museum which has both pros and cons. You could come every week and see someone different working, for instance the blacksmith or potter, or it could be a quiet day with only a few. However there are plenty of other things to see and do as it’s a huge 36 acre site with many different exhibitions that are open from March to October. Even without artisans working it would be easy to spend a day here.
It is laid out like a village with everything well-spaced out, but you can grab the bus and see how it is all laid out before you start the walk or do as we did and take the train to the end of the line and bus back. Both train and bus are included in the entrance price, so you can hop on and off as much as you would like. We took the bus a couple of times as my little boy loved it so much.
If you like vintage vehicles you won’t be disappointed with both a bus station and fire station filled with equipment from very old to very new. Equally as fascinating is the road laying section of the museum a large barn full of vehicles from horse drawn caravans for the workers to up to date ready mix concrete lorries.
Near the end of the train track are two huge industrial buildings one full of post and telephone equipment through the ages and one full of electrical equipment. Both of these are interactive with plenty of buttons to push and things to do for children. The sheer range of items here is outstanding, the largest collection of telephones and electrical equipment we had ever seen together with clear displays and explanations of how things worked. Housed in several smaller buildings around the site are a brick section, pottery, blacksmith, printworks, cafe and wood turning centre. A lot of the smaller buildings, such as the café, have been moved in from other locations and have a plaque telling the story of how they ended up at the museum which was really interesting, it’s great to keep history alive.
Right at the heart of the site are the large lime making kilns which are extremely interesting, there is a button you can press to hear the story of the men working at the kilns and you can walk round and look down the chimneys and imagine it as it used to be.
Near the entrance you have a large café serving a selection of reasonably priced food, a small children’s playground and a picnic area should you wish to bring your own food and drinks. There are plenty of toilets dotted around the site and although these are a little dated they are fully functional.
One of the best things about the museum is the array of activities and special event days held, from vintage motorcycles, to buses and pottery classes there is something for everybody and with adult membership at only £25.00 per year it’s a real bargain as you could come time and time again and always see something different.
I definitely recommend Amberley Museum & Heritage Centre it has plenty to see and do in all weathers and with the 12 months membership ticket its exceptional value for money. A really enjoyable day out.
Rating: 4.5/5
Tickets (with Gift Aid): Adults £10 (£11), Children £6 (£6.60), Family £30 (£33).
For more information visit www.amberleymuseum.co.uk.
Amberley Museum, Station Road, Amberley, Arundel, BN18 9LT | 01798 831 370
