“Side by Side” Farming Tours have been developed so that children can make direct comparisons of old and new farming methods. The tours incorporate the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum at Singleton, and the working, organic Home Farm on Goodwood Estate about three miles away. The tours can be completed in a day and are led by experienced guides, who are farmers or have experience of farming. 

The usual format of the day is to begin at the Museum at about 10.30 am and to move on to Goodwood at 1.30 pm. Lunch will be eaten at the Museum, where there are picnic and toilet facilities. 

We can accommodate up to 50 children on each site and we usually provide one guide for every 15/20 children. If there are more than 50, we will ask the school to divide into two groups, so that one group will start at the Museum and the other at Goodwood. The two groups will then change over after lunch. N.B. The morning group cannot actually see milking since it does not take place until after lunch, but they can still see the artefacts and view the parlour. 

Click here for a map of the route to Goodwood Home Farm. It is best for coaches to avoid travelling through the grounds to Goodwood House. Leave the Museum and turn right up the hill to the Racecourse. Turn left at the Racecourse signposted to Petworth and continue along the road. At the next crossroads turn right following directions to Goodwood House. The farm is on the left just after the Sculpture Park.

The Museum

The Museum has excellent examples of medieval/Tudor farmhouses, and other traditional agricultural buildings, traditional livestock, farming tools and equipment. There is also a complete re-construction of a Tudor farmstead with the Bailiff’s farmhouse, vegetable garden, orchard, woodland shaw, threshing barn and livestock. 

A tour will include some of the following: 

• an introduction to the history of farming and the main developments from early to modern farming

• a furnished farmhouse from the Tudor period

• a farm labourer’s cottage

• a medieval garden to explore types of crops available and growing techniques including crop rotation

• the threshing barn attached to the farmhouse to see how corn was threshed

• traditional livestock to demonstrate the types of animals kept on Tudor farms

• a working water mill for grinding flour

• other agricultural buildings such as lambing pens, a shepherd’s hut or an early granary

Please let the Schools Services Manager at the Museum know if you would particularly like to concentrate on any of these areas in detail.

Museum Risk Assessment

Goodwood

Goodwood Home Farm is an 1100 hectare organic mixed farm that is self sufficient, growing all the food for the cows, sheep and pigs on the farm.  Children can learn how a modern organic farm avoids the use of pesticides and fertilisers through crop rotation, good husbandry and by encouraging the natural balance with wildlife. Activities can focus on animal diet and digestion; food production and sustainability; soil investigations, biodiversity sampling, comparisons of the design materials and uses of farm buildings, farm machinery - what job does it do?

At the farm children can see the sheep (lambing in March and April), a small herd of pigs roaming free range in the woods and fields, and a large dairy and beef herd.  Calving takes place throughout the autumn, and most of the cows are housed through the winter.  Afternoon milking can be seen from a special viewing gallery.

Important Points for your Visit

Unlike the Museum, Goodwood is a working farm and care must be taken at all times to observe guides’ instructions. Map of Goodwood Estate

It is very important that the children wash their hands after each tour according to Health and Safety Guidelines. Hot water and washing facilities are provided and will be supervised by your guide. 

The farm work at Goodwood is obviously seasonal and this will clearly affect what the children may see according to the time of year, or even the time of day. For example, milking can only be seen by school groups in the afternoon around 2.00 pm. Lambing takes place twice a year in January and April. You may wish to coincide your visit with these events. 

The farm is often muddy or dirty and we recommend that you advise the children to wear suitable clothes and footwear for such conditions. 

The guides on both sites will assess the abilities of the group and the time available so that their tour may suit the individual group. The Schools Services Manager is happy to speak to the teachers organising the visit beforehand to discuss and advise on the content of your visit. 01243 811028.

Bookings