Rural Life Living Museum

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Rural Life Living Museum Bringing our Rural Heritage to Life One of the biggest private collections of village and rural life. There is so much to explore!
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The Rural Life Living Museum is a country life museum, assembled by the late Mr & Mrs Henry Jackson and now run by a charitable trust. It is pleasantly distributed over ten acres of field, woodland and barns, and comprises a large number of implements and devices marking over 150 years of farming. Many aspects of village and rural life are also displayed in realistic individual settings. Meet the blacksmiths
Have a ride on the train
Find out what the Woodies are up to

Check out our shop looking beautifully autumnal. It's the perfect backdrop for one of our new pull-up banners. We ordere...
21/10/2026

Check out our shop looking beautifully autumnal. It's the perfect backdrop for one of our new pull-up banners. We ordered the banners through www.printpackages.co.uk and we are absolutely delighted with them!

We have just a few spaces left this year on our incredibly popular candle-making and soap-making courses.Give Christmas ...
20/10/2026

We have just a few spaces left this year on our incredibly popular candle-making and soap-making courses.

Give Christmas gifts that are a bit more special because you made them yourself! You’ll leave with beautiful handmade presents, ready to wrap, and a new skill into the bargain. Plus, a course at the museum is a lovely way to treat yourself to a relaxed, creative few hours so that you're feeling calm before the silly season begins. Win win!

🧼 Natural Soap Making with Naked Nanny Soaps
23 October, 6 November, 20 November

🕯️ Candle Making and Painting Workshops with Rowhill Candles
11 November and 25 November

To book, visit the website https://rural-life.org.uk/whats-on

The museum is closed for a private event on Saturday 24 October.
19/10/2026

The museum is closed for a private event on Saturday 24 October.

We apologise for any inconvenience and do hope to see you another day this week instead. Please also note, we are closed...
19/10/2026

We apologise for any inconvenience and do hope to see you another day this week instead. Please also note, we are closed this Saturday for a private event.

If anyone needs us between now and Christmas, we'll be testing thousands upon thousands of lights. Want to see the museu...
16/10/2026

If anyone needs us between now and Christmas, we'll be testing thousands upon thousands of lights.

Want to see the museum aglow? Booking is open now for our classic family favourite Santa Special, as well as our new event for older families, A Night at the Museum. Visit the website for tickets https://rural-life.org.uk/

Farnham’s Lantern Festival is back on Thursday 29 October! It's a wonderful community event. Come and help us make lante...
15/10/2026

Farnham’s Lantern Festival is back on Thursday 29 October! It's a wonderful community event. Come and help us make lanterns to represent the Rural Life Living Museum during half term and then gather on Gostrey Meadow from 5pm on the 29th for live music, followed by a procession finishing at St Andrew’s Church.

Join us for a season full of half-term fun! We’re open every day from Monday 19 to Friday 30 October, on top of our usua...
14/10/2026

Join us for a season full of half-term fun! We’re open every day from Monday 19 to Friday 30 October, on top of our usual winter opening days, with crafts and activities planned throughout. Look out for Railway Wednesdays, Community Days and Activity Thursdays, and there’s something to get stuck into every day, from scarecrows and lantern making to leaf games.

Who needs an oven when you’ve got a steamroller? We tried out beef and b**r stew in the smoke box of Reckless the steamr...
12/10/2026

Who needs an oven when you’ve got a steamroller? We tried out beef and b**r stew in the smoke box of Reckless the steamroller recently and now we’re cooking on steam! Recipe and ingredients in the photos.

🚛🔥 BIG VEHICLES, BIG FUN! 🔥🚒With over 50 vehicles coming, our Commercial Vehicle Rally 2026 is shaping up to be a fantas...
11/10/2026

🚛🔥 BIG VEHICLES, BIG FUN! 🔥🚒

With over 50 vehicles coming, our Commercial Vehicle Rally 2026 is shaping up to be a fantastic event! 🎉

From buses, lorries and fire engines to military vehicles and classic commercial favourites, there’ll be something for everyone to enjoy.

📅 Join us on Sunday 25th October for a day of motoring heritage, family fun and amazing machines at The Rural Life Living Museum in Tilford, Surrey, GU10 2DL.

🎟️ Your event ticket includes museum entry too!

🚚 Love big vehicles? You won’t want to miss this one!

📩 Vehicle owners wishing to take part, email [email protected] with the subject “Commercial Vehicle Rally”.

👉 Tag someone who loves a big truck! 👇

For more information and to buy tickets visit: www.rural-life.org.uk

The Rural Life Living Museum is owned and operated by the Old Kiln Museum CIO, registered charity number 1200370. The Museum receives no external funding and is dependent on ticket sales and donations to continue operating. We really appreciate your support.

This week's harvest heroes are our threshing machines. Threshing is the job of separating the grain from the stalks and ...
08/10/2026

This week's harvest heroes are our threshing machines. Threshing is the job of separating the grain from the stalks and husks, and before machines it was done by hand with a flail, which was slow, back-breaking work.

A hand threshing machine was turned by a handle, and did the work of many flails at once. It suited smaller farms, where there was no steam engine to hand and the whole family could lend a hand.

A stationary threshing machine was a much bigger beast. It was usually driven by a belt from a steam engine, and threshing day was a big event, with neighbours pitching in to get the harvest done.

Swing by the Rural Life Living Museum to see them up close. All photos © Mike Carrington 2026 AFFCC

Address

Reeds Road, Tilford
Farnham
GU102DL

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

01252795571

Website

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