Weald and Downland Living Museum

The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum was launched in 1967 by a group of enthusiasts led by the museum's founder, the late Dr. J.R. Armstrong MBE. The land for the museum was provided by a local landowner, Edward James of West Dean at a peppercorn rent. The objective was to rescue vernacular buildings that would otherwise have been demolished. The museum first opened to the public on 5 September 1970. The principle of an open-air museum was well established in Scandinavia as a way to create a three-dimensional setting for explaining the way of living or working. Open-air museums allowed the buildings to give context to the techniques, equipment, furnishings, clothes and art of the period.

The open shed dates from the 18th century. It was originally built at Charlwood, Surrey. It served as a cart shed and also a saw shed. The shed was dismantled in 1999, the work being partly funded by the British Airports Authority. When it was reconstructed at the museum in 2000, the horse whim from West Kingsdown, Kent, was installed.