Woodchurch Village Life Museum

31/03/2026

Just three more sleeps before we throw open the doors on Friday 3 April (Good Friday) and welcome visitors back to the museum for 2026. Come and explore the fascinating history of Woodchurch between 10am and 4pm every Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday until the end of October. [La Méridienne, Vincent van Gogh, 1889–1890, Musée d'Orsay]

24/02/2026

Enormous thanks to everyone—over 150 of you—who visited us at the Memorial Hall over the weekend. The perfect start to a year of celebrations for our 25th anniversary. If you enjoyed the exhibition, there’s so much more to see and explore when the Museum opens again to visitors on Friday 3 April and all over the Easter weekend from 10 am until 4 pm each day.

21/02/2026

Well, that was a fantastic first day! Thank you to everyone who came to help us celebrate our 25th anniversary in the Memorial Hall. And the good news...we're going to do it all again tomorrow from 10am until 2pm. Browse our vast collection of newspaper clippings, enjoy some unusual items from the collection, view a selection of our artworks, talk family and local history with members of the Woodchurch Ancestry Group, try to top score at bagatelle, and much more.

21/02/2026

And we're off! Come and join in the celebrations. Open today until 4pm at the Memorial Hall.

20/02/2026

23/01/2026

We at the Woodchurch Village Life Museum are excited to celebrate our silver jubilee this year, starting with an exhibition in the village hall over the weekend of 21–22 February 2026. Highlights of the collection on display will include a Victorian magic lantern. In the Woodchurch Ancestry Group's latest blog update, Jenny Mills, assistant curator at the Museum and WAG member, delves into the history of this early form of public entertainment.

Magic lanterns were a popular form of education and entertainment in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, before the advent of the cinema.

12/10/2025

Incredibly sad news that the Sittingbourne Heritage Museum, a much-visited fellow member of the Wheels of Time, is being forced to close by its landlord. Despite this temporary setback, our best wishes for a bright future for this truly remarkable and vitally important community museum.

Volunteers who run a museum have called for urgent help to save its collection after it was told it must leave its shopping centre base.

25/05/2025

Are you joining in the Shrapnel Boys: Life on the Home Front Museum Trail at the Woodchurch Village Life Museum this May half term? From 24 May until 1 June, follow a trail around the museum to discover what life was like for children during World War II, from air raid shelters to ration books. Complete the trail to receive a sticker!

Design your very own VE Day bunting and share your artwork on Instagram or BlueSky with the hashtag & tag and for a chance to win a signed bundle of Jenny Pearson books, including Shrapnel Boys and National Art Pass + Kids – giving one adult plus children under 16 free entry to hundreds of museums, galleries and historic houses across the UK, plus 50% off major exhibitions!

📚 T&Cs: https://kidsinmuseums.org.uk/what-we-do/museum-trails/shrapnel-boys-competition/

Also, enter our own raffle for a further chance to win a book bundle!

We will be open as normal from 10am until 4pm on Saturdays, Sundays and the Spring Bank Holiday (26 May). During the remainder of half-term week (27–30 May), opening hours will be 10am until 12 noon.

20/05/2025

A reminder of when in 2023 Sara Thornton and BBC South East Today came to put Woodchurch 'On the Map' and included a visit to the Woodchurch Village Life Museum. [The first 20 seconds are slightly fuzzy]

Sara Thornton visits Woodchurch and the Village Life Museum as part of the BBC South East Today's On The Map series

17/05/2025

We were delighted this week to receive a donation from the Rare Breeds Centre in Woodchurch of some original artwork by Geoff Loynes (1934–2024), founder of the Woodchurch Village Life Museum. Geoff created this in 1982 for his animated feature 'Christmas Day at the Workhouse'. The framed picture will be added to the new display in the Museum celebrating Geoff's life. [Photo: Kate Anson]

15/05/2025

Looking for a free, fun activity at the Woodchurch Village Life Museum this May half term?

From 24 May until 1 June, join us for the Shrapnel Boys: Life on the Home Front Museum Trail! Discover what life was like for children during World War II, from air raid shelters to ration books. Complete the trail to receive a sticker!

The Museum will be open as normal from 10am until 4pm on Saturdays, Sundays and the Spring Bank Holiday (26 May). During the remainder of half-term week (27–30 May), opening hours will be 10am until 12 noon.

Children can also design their own VE Day bunting. One winning design will receive:

📚 A signed bundle of Jenny Pearson books, including Shrapnel Boys
🎫 A Double National Art Pass (plus kids) courtesy of – giving one adult plus children under 16 free entry to hundreds of museums, galleries and historic houses across the UK, plus 50% off major exhibitions!

ℹ️ https://kidsinmuseums.org.uk/shrapnel-boys-life-on-the-home-front-museum-trail/

The Shrapnel Boys: Life on the Home Front Museum Trail is run by in partnership with .