# Singleton and West Dean: the Weald & Downland Museum, West Dean Gardens and the Trundle > The Weald & Downland Living Museum at Singleton and West Dean Gardens are about 12 miles from The Marden in West Marden, 20 to 25 minutes by car, and a mile or two from each other. The museum has more than 50 rescued historic buildings on a 40-acre site, and The Repair Shop is filmed in one of its barns. The Trundle hillfort, the Goodwood Art Foundation and the Centurion Way cycle path are in the same valley. - **From the farm:** About 12 miles, 20 to 25 minutes - **Open:** All year, shorter winter hours - **Dogs:** On short leads at all five - **Best for:** A full day, wet or dry ## Weald & Downland Living Museum More than 50 historic rural buildings, rescued from where they stood and put up again here. The museum opened to the public on 5 September 1970 on land let at a peppercorn rent by Edward James of West Dean. BBC One’s The Repair Shop is filmed in its Court Barn. Many of the buildings can be gone into, so it works on a wet day. Adults are £18.75, children £9.75 and under-fives free. Booking online ahead is recommended but not required. Dogs are welcome on short leads. Winter hours, from 27 October to 23 December 2026, are 10am to 4pm with last admission at 2pm. The museum is closed on 20 and 23 November and from 23 December 2026 to 2 January 2027. The Christmas Market is on 21 and 22 November 2026 and must be booked. Summer hours are longer. Check the [museum’s site](https://www.wealddown.co.uk/) for 2027. ## West Dean Gardens The gardens of the former home of Edward James, the patron of the Surrealists. There is a 300-foot Edwardian pergola, a walled kitchen garden with Victorian glasshouses, and a 2.5-mile circular arboretum walk through 50 acres of parkland, past James’s grave. West Dean is open daily: 9am to 5pm from March to October and 9am to 4pm from November to February, closed on 24, 25 and 31 December. Winter entry is £7.95 against £13.75 in summer, and under-16s are free. Dogs are welcome on a short lead, including in the arboretum. No booking is needed except on event days. See [plan your visit](https://www.westdean.ac.uk/gardens/plan-your-visit). ## The Trundle The Trundle is the hill above Goodwood Racecourse, 206 m high, with an Iron Age hillfort on top built over a Neolithic enclosure from about 3700 to 3300 BC. The older earthwork was only recognised in 1925. It is free, open all year and has no facilities. You walk up from the car park and round the ramparts. It is open downland, so expect livestock and take a lead. On race days, between May and October, the roads around it clog. Check our [Goodwood](https://themarden.co.uk/local/goodwood) page for dates. ## Goodwood Art Foundation and the Centurion Way If you remember the Cass Sculpture Foundation, it closed for good at the end of October 2020. The site reopened in 2025 as the Goodwood Art Foundation, a non-profit set up by the Duke of Richmond, with indoor galleries and about 70 acres of woodland. It opens Thursday to Monday, and dogs are welcome in the galleries, gardens and restaurant. Adult tickets were £15 in 2025 with under-18s free. Sessions are timed, so book. An exhibition by Ragnar Kjartansson runs from 26 November 2026 to 12 April 2027. We have not been able to confirm winter hours, so check before you go. The Centurion Way is a traffic-free path for walking and cycling on the old Chichester to Midhurst railway. It now runs 6.8 miles from Chichester to just beyond Singleton, after new sections opened in August 2025. Join it at West Dean or at Lavant, about 9 miles from the farm. The link on to Cocking and the South Downs Way is not finished. ## From the farm A good order for the day: the museum in the morning while children are fresh, West Dean Gardens after lunch, the Trundle for the last of the light. In winter do West Dean first, as the museum’s last admission is 2pm. With a dog you can do all of it, and [Barley Cottage](https://themarden.co.uk/stay/barley-cottage) is the one for you. For two couples, [Keepers](https://themarden.co.uk/stay/keepers) has a bath in each bedroom for afterwards. Our [family days out](https://themarden.co.uk/local/family-days-out) page has more for children. ## Questions ### How far is the Weald & Downland Living Museum from West Marden? About 12 miles by road, 20 to 25 minutes by car from The Marden. West Dean Gardens is about 11 miles, on the same road. ### Is the Weald & Downland Museum open in winter? Yes, until just before Christmas. From 27 October to 23 December 2026 it opens 10am to 4pm, with last admission at 2pm. It is closed on 20 and 23 November and from 23 December 2026 to 2 January 2027. ### Are dogs allowed at West Dean Gardens and the Weald & Downland Museum? Yes, both welcome dogs on short leads. At West Dean that includes the arboretum walk. ### Is the Cass Sculpture Foundation still open? No. It closed permanently at the end of October 2020. The same site reopened in 2025 as the Goodwood Art Foundation, open Thursday to Monday. ### How much is West Dean Gardens in winter? From November to February entry is £7.95, or £8.75 with Gift Aid, compared with £13.75 in summer. Under-16s are free all year. ### Where can you cycle off-road near Chichester? The Centurion Way is a traffic-free path of 6.8 miles from Chichester to just beyond Singleton, on an old railway line. Join it at Lavant or West Dean. ## Related - [A place to stay near Goodwood: 11 miles from the Motor Circuit](https://themarden.co.uk/local/goodwood.md) - [Days out near Chichester with kids, by age and for when it rains](https://themarden.co.uk/local/family-days-out.md) - [A day in Chichester: cathedral, theatre, galleries and a Roman palace](https://themarden.co.uk/local/chichester.md) - [Kingley Vale: the yew forest and the Devil’s Humps](https://themarden.co.uk/local/kingley-vale.md) - [Christmas and New Year 2026 in a South Downs house near Chichester](https://themarden.co.uk/events/christmas-and-new-year.md) - [A dog-friendly place to stay in the South Downs, near Chichester](https://themarden.co.uk/breaks/dog-friendly-stays.md) ## Booking Book direct with The Marden at https://themarden.co.uk (no booking fees), or message us on WhatsApp: https://wa.me/447822026091. West Marden Farm, West Marden, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 9EN. Page: https://themarden.co.uk/local/singleton-and-west-dean · Last updated 2026-11-14