Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings facts for kids
 |
|
| Established | 1963 |
|---|---|
| Location | Stoke Heath, Bromsgrove, England |
| Type | Local independent museum |
The Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings is a special open-air museum in Stoke Heath, near Bromsgrove, England. It's a place where old buildings that were going to be torn down have been saved and moved. They are then rebuilt and restored here!
The museum started in 1963 and opened its doors in 1967. It began when a 15th-century timber-framed house in Bromsgrove needed a new home. This museum became England's very first open-air museum. It was also the second one in the whole United Kingdom, after the St Fagans National Museum of History in Wales. Today, that first building is known as the 'Town House'. The museum now has many different types of old buildings. These include homes, workshops, farm buildings, and more. Most of them were taken apart and put back together again at Avoncroft.
The museum's collection has over 30 buildings and structures. Each one was moved from its original spot to save it from being destroyed. You can see a working windmill here. There's also a "prefab" house, which is a type of home built quickly after World War II. These houses were used to replace homes destroyed by bombs. The prefab house at Avoncroft was moved from Yardley, Birmingham, in 1981.
Many weddings and parties happen in The New Guesten Hall. This building uses the preserved timber roof of an old hall that was once next to Worcester Cathedral. The New Guesten Hall also hosts concerts, meetings, and exhibitions. The museum has a Victorian church, built in 1891. It was moved from Bringsty Common, Herefordshire, and reopened in 1996. Church services are still held there when the museum is open.
Other cool exhibits show over 700 years of history. These include a perry mill (used to make pear cider) from Redditch. There's also a toll house from Little Malvern and a unique fibreglass spire from Smethwick. You can also see an earth closet (an old toilet), a cruck-frame barn, and a counting house.
Contents
What Can You See at Avoncroft Museum?
All the buildings at Avoncroft Museum were moved here to save them. They were in danger of being torn down or falling apart. Together, they show over 700 years of history from the Midlands area of England.
Many of the buildings were carefully taken apart and rebuilt by Gunolt Daniel Greiner and his son Francis. They made sure to keep the original style of each building. If a part was missing, they would replace it with a simple, plain section. An example is the plain oak stairway in the Town House.
The buildings include many types:
- Industrial buildings: Like the chain shop, where chains were made.
- Homes and shops: Such as the prefab house and the toll house.
- Religious buildings: Like the Victorian church.
- Farm buildings: Such as the windmill, barn, and stable.
- Other interesting structures: Like the cell block, earth closet, and ice house.
Some buildings are set up inside to look like they did in a certain time period. This helps you imagine what life was like back then. Other buildings are empty or have displays about their history.
The museum also has a collection of smaller items. These objects help tell the story of the buildings and the people who used them. Some are on display, while others are kept safely in storage.
The National Telephone Kiosk Collection
Avoncroft Museum is home to the UK's National telephone kiosk Collection. This is the biggest collection of phone booths in the country! It's part of a project called Connected Earth, which looks after old communication items.
You can see the full history of UK telephone kiosks from 1912 to the 1990s. There are also three working old-style analogue telephone exchanges. One of them is a mobile exchange! You can also see a manual switchboard and early automatic phone systems. The collection shows how phone calls were made and connected before digital technology took over.
Fun Events at the Museum
The museum has many different events throughout the year. Most events are for families, especially during school holidays and long weekends.
These events often have historical themes. You might see re-enactors dressed up in costumes from different time periods. They bring history to life, showing what it was like in Tudor times, the Victorian era, or the 1940s.
Gallery
-
A Glasgow police box, like the Doctor Who's Tardis, is part of the museum's kiosk collection.
-
BT's last Strowger electromechanical exchange from the London region is preserved at Avoncroft in working condition in its original building.
-
Agricultural buildings at Avoncroft
