Amberley Museum, Amberley, near Arundel, West Sussex

Amberley Museum is dedicated to the arts, crafts, technology, transport and communications of the West Sussex area in the pre-war and later decades, together with a very comprehensive radio and television exhibition. There is nothing like enough room to cover everything in a single post, so I'm going to limit myself to an overview here...


The museum is set in beautiful countryside; here are part of the grounds...with the bus stop...


Metalwork as produced on site...



There are many recreations of artisan's workshops - millers, metalworkers, various arts and crafts...this one is a cobbler's



4 1/2 old pence (just under 2p) would get you a fair amount of polish in those days...



Transport, including a variety of buses, featured in the displays....


...as did these fire engines, made by Dennis in Guildford, Surrey.


In the comprehensive radio and TV section, there were dozens of examples of inter-war 'art deco' design, including this Pye radio speaker. What we refer to nowadays as 'radio' was frequently referred to as 'wireless' in the UK, to within my own living memory.


And if you wanted television in the late 'Thirties, you had to live within thirty miles of London, be satisfied with one channel, on the air for a few hours a day, and be prepared to pay quite serious money. This entry-level set cost around GBP 36.75 - hence the rental industry. The sets worked on the 405-line standard which was discontinued in....1985!


Vacuum cleaners were gaining in popularity but they weren't cheap either...


This 'man up a pole' was a surprising - and amusing - addition to the 'Communications' - themed displays


while daft advertising slogans have always been around...


And setting off back home? - Here is the ticket office from 'back in the day'