An open-air museum in a former chalk pit at Amberley, given over to industrial Britain, from narrow-gauge trains to old workshop trades
The old chalk quarry and lime works at Amberley shut down decades ago, and the pit is now filled with the machinery and workshops of industrial Britain. It’s an open-air museum, so much of the collection sits outdoors across the quarry floor — a working narrow-gauge railway (small trains on a narrow-set track), vintage buses, and sheds full of stationary engines. Craftspeople work at old trades on site, from a blacksmith to a print shop, alongside displays covering telephones, electricity and roadmaking. Amberley village and Amberley Castle are a short way north, and the South Downs Way runs close by. Paid entry, and it’s a big site worth a few hours; handily, Amberley station is right beside the entrance.
