AMBERLEY MUSEUM
Station Road, Amberley,
Near Arundel,
BN18 9LT
t: 01798 831 370
e: office@amberleymuseum.co.uk
w: www.amberleymuseum.co.uk
Amberley Museum is an amazing place tucked away in the South Downs between Storrington and Arundel, with a focus on industrial and transport history, with over 40 buildings, some dating from when the site was a working chalk pit, some reconstructed and some modern exhibition spaces.
Most days the bus service is running as well as the narrow gauge railway which takes visitors from near the entrance right to the far end where the electricity, communications and railway exhibition halls can be found.
Train fans can investigate locos and rolling stock and see the James Bond exhibition, and in the electricity hall there are buttons to press, handles to turn and many other activities – for the adults as well! Can you set the controls to operate substations and switch the street lights on? It’s not as easy as it looks! In the communications hall you can enjoy a variety of vehicles and phone a friend using our collection of old telephones.
Further exhibits include the working printshop where children can have a go at printing a card with their name on, lime kilns, road steam engines, radio and TV exhibition, standard gauge line, stationary engines and more. On special days the amateur radio station is operational and visitors can witness communications right across the globe. Amateur radio operators can listen out for our station GB2CPM.
The Museum is also home to traditional craftspeople, such as the woodturners, wheelwrights, potters and blacksmith, with a café, gift shop and numerous picnic areas. We aim to have at least three crafts being demonstrated on any day we are open. If children still need to let off steam, we also have an enclosed playground.
There are two nature trails, a bug hotel and two ponds, and depending on the time of year you visit, rare orchids, spring flowers, butterflies and many other wonders of nature to see.
It’s well worth a visit and there is plenty to do in all weathers.
The Museum is hosting over 50 events in 2016 ranging from children’s activity days to classic vehicle shows, craft days and steam days, and we are pleased to welcome Hawking About on chosen dates, demonstrating their owls and birds of prey.
Standard Museum entry prices apply to all events except those outside of normal opening hours, which in 2016 are the evening sessions of the ale festivals, Halloween evening and Santa Specials, for which pre booking is needed.
We open from March to the end of October, seven days a week during Sussex school holidays and on Bank Holidays, otherwise Wednesday to Sunday. We are right next to Amberley railway station, with direct trains from London Victoria, Bognor Regis and Portsmouth (but do check nationalrail.co.uk before you travel) and we have a large, free carpark.
Please see our website for a full list of events and opening dates and times. You can also find out the days we plan on having steam trains running, group booking prices and details of courses that we run.