Chichester museum welcomes new director for next era

Weald & Downland Living Museum has appointed TILLY BLYTH as its new director following SIMON WARDELL, who steps down after six years.

Blyth joins the Chichester museum from the University of Leicester, where she was professor and head of the School of Museum Studies. She previously worked for the British Library and for 20 years at the Science Museum, where she was head of collections and principal curator.

A trustee of the Bletchley Park Trust, she is also a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, and a member of English Heritage’s Blue Plaques panel.

Blyth said: “The Weald & Downland Living Museum holds a special place in people’s hearts, telling the stories of rural lives and promoting interest in the preservation of our architecture and crafts. I am thrilled to be leading this jewel of a museum that has so much to tell us about living with nature, in our past and our future.”

JO PASRICHA, chair of the board of trustees, said: “We are hugely excited to work with Tilly in a new era of advancing the Weald & Downland Living Museum’s mission as a heritage centre of excellence for visitors to enjoy and learn about the vernacular architecture of our region and the stories of life and those who lived here.”

Wardell said, “I am filled with a deep sense of pride and gratitude for my time at the museum. It has been an extraordinary privilege to work here and an absolute joy to collaborate with such dedicated staff, passionate volunteers, and engaged visitors of all ages.

“I am immensely proud of all that we’ve accomplished together, and I believe now is the perfect time to pass the baton of leadership to Tilly. Tilly embodies the spirit and vision needed to continue our mission, and I am certain she will lead the museum towards even greater heights.”