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| Eggscellent - MK Museum is running its annual Easter egg hunt this April half-term holiday. |
Hidden
from the spring sunshine by trees, the Milton Keynes Museum’s entrance is the
front door of a farmyard house. To a first time visitor, it’s not that clear
how big the site is until you step inside.
Parlour
rooms littered with paintings and drawings of the 17th century farm
lead to a period style school classroom, complete with slate to write on and
worn wooden desks. Following on, there is a warm farmhouse kitchen, complete
with real fireplace, before visitors end up in an indoor High Street.
Shops have
been painstakingly recreated, from groceries to medicines, there are objects as
small as matchboxes to 6-foot high signs advertising products. There’s even a
makeshift cinema and a Post Office (all created by the museum’s dedicated team
of volunteers).
All
without stepping foot outside, there’s a large barn dedicated to the area’s
farming history, which leads onto the newest exhibition and activity gallery
about human communication, Connected Earth. Elsewhere there is a transport
gallery that features the world’s largest working phone and an enormous tram.
Needless
to say, Milton Keynes Museum is bursting at the seams with activities for
families, all relating to the history of the area. And following decades of
hard work, it has been awarded a vital boost in funding from the Arts Council
England. If they win the second stage, the council will give them a total of
£7.2 million to renovate the site.
Formed in
1973, the museum was a result of local people who wanted to collect items from
farms and factories that were being closed down to build the new town.
Volunteers bought the Stacey Hill Farm estate in Wolverton, with the long-term
aim of building a museum.
Today’s
museum director, Bill Griffiths, says: “Milton Keynes had everything, but it
didn’t have a museum. There was space here for expansion and changes, and
people wanted to preserve their heritage.
“They had
parents and grandparents who had lived in the area before the city was built.
It’s part of their history and culture.”
After a
fire in 1996 destroyed a lot of the grade II listed barn and cowshed, the past
15 years has focused on rebuilding the museum. Today, schools from the Milton
Keynes area regularly visit the site, which saw nearly 30,000 visitors this
year.
Bill adds:
“The museum itself tells the story of the area’s heritage from the Victorians up
until the start of the city. We all relate to the Victorian period because a
lot of it is mechanical, we can see how it works, and we have a lot about
farming too, although that can be more difficult to explain.”
This year,
it announced plans for further expansion, funded by Milton
Keynes Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Arts Council. They include two
major galleries being added, with special exhibits featuring some of the town’s
biggest success stories, including Red Bull Racing and The Open University. Due
for completion in spring 2018, it would also focus on the area’s early history
dating back to the Bronze Age.
“I think
Milton Keynes is a fantastic city. It has so much green space and wildlife
too,” explains Bill.
And
residents’ stories will play an important part in the transformation.
“There are
many stories that have their roots here and my view is that museums should
reflect the people who visit them.
“We want
people to contact us with stories. Most of the time they won’t have that
opportunity. It’s difficult to get to people and hear everyone’s story, if we
don’t know we can’t do anything about it.”
Bill adds:
“We are here to interest those who are just finding out about the world. If we
are boring we won’t encourage that.”
For more
information on Milton Keynes Museum and the expansion go to miltonkeynesmuseum.org.uk.
Easter activities
Milton
Keynes Museum is putting on its annual Easter egg hunt this half term, with
youngsters invited to hunt for treasure and unlock the way to chocolate prizes.
Everyone wins something in the traditional game, and opening hours will have
been extended ready for the summer. The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday,
11am until 4.30pm, until October. Normal admission prices apply for the Easter
hunt, which lasts from Friday until Monday (April 3rd-6th).
Win a family ticket to Milton
Keynes Museum
Fancy
paying the site a visit? We’ve teamed up with the museum to give away a family
ticket (two adults and up to four children) to visit for a day. All you have to
do is answer this simple question:
What
concrete animals are commonly associated with Milton Keynes?
A. Cats
B. Cows
C.
Chickens
All you have to do is send your answer, name, address and
daytime contact number to competition@phoneboxmagazine.com or MK Museum Competition, Phonebox
Magazine, Unit 2 Stanley Court, Olney, Bucks, MK46 5NH. The closing date is
April 22nd.
