Rural Life Living Museum, Tilford facts for kids
Henry's Yard at the Rural Life Living Museum
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| Established | 1973 |
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| Location | Tilford, Surrey, England |
| Type | Open-air museum |
The Rural Life Living Museum is a cool place to visit in Tilford, Surrey, which is in southern England. It's close to a town called Farnham. This museum is an open-air museum, meaning many of its exhibits are outside! It shows what country life was like a long time ago.
The museum used to be called the Old Kiln Agricultural Museum and then the Rural Life Centre. It is run by a group called the Old Kiln Museum Trust. This trust is a charitable trust, which means it's a non-profit organization. The museum covers more than 10 acres (about 40,000 square meters) of fields, woods, and barns. It collects and keeps old items related to farming and tools used by local craftspeople. These items are from between 1750 and 1960. There's also a special garden called an arboretum with over 100 different kinds of trees!
Contents
What Can You See at the Museum?
The museum helps you understand how people lived and worked in the countryside.
Farming and Country Life
You can see how farming changed throughout the year, from planting to harvesting. The museum also shows how local hop plants were grown. Hops are used to make beer. You'll find tools and crafts that were important for country jobs and daily needs.
Village Life and Trades
The museum also explores the social history of village life from the 1800s. You can see what school was like back then. There are displays about housework and old-fashioned shops and trades.
Working Exhibits
Some parts of the museum are still working!
- There's a real iron furnace that volunteers operate.
- You can also see a busy woodyard, also run by volunteers.
- The museum has a Blacksmith's forge where you can see metal being shaped.
- You can even ride on the 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge Old Kiln Light Railway. This is a small train that runs on narrow tracks.
How the Museum Started
The museum began as a private collection. A couple named Henry and Madge Jackson started collecting items in 1948. They lived in a nearby house called Old Kiln Cottage.
Opening and Growth
The Old Kiln Agricultural Museum first opened to the public in 1973. It started in a small area called Henry's Yard. In 1984, the museum trust was created. This helped make sure the museum would continue for many years. At that time, the museum was renamed the Rural Life Centre.
Recent History
Madge and Henry, the founders, passed away in the early 2000s. In 2019, the museum received more funding. This allowed it to grow and improve even more. It was then renamed again to what it is today: the Rural Life Living Museum.
