Discover more at The Children's Country House
Find out when The Children's Country House is open, how to get here, the things to see and do and more.
Things to see and do in The Children's Country House Museum
We’ve been busy adding new spaces and experiences for the young and the young at heart, to enjoy at the award winning, The Children’s Country House Museum. You can wander freely through the museum, and explore how each space celebrates the escapades and challenges of childhood across the centuries.
The Pathway to the Museum
Start your journey in The Pathway to the Museum. Here we take curiosity seriously, welcoming you to explore, seek, look and connect with the museum objects and stories.
Work
But it wasn’t all fun and games for children in the past. Experience first-hand, the realities of life for children who were employed through the ages. Venture down a Victorian mine tunnel and get involved with activities to see what life was like for children working in domestic service. Daring young ‘sweeps’ can take on our chimney climb and crawl into the darkness to get a feel for what it would have been like for the real-life chimney sweeps.
Exploriosity
A space for self guided play and discovery. Grow your creativity and look for visual connections with the patterns, shapes and colours in this space.
Use giant 3D jigsaw pieces to create your own connections between different parts of The Children’s Country House. Crawl into the makers station and explore these pictures. Fit them together to make your own creature for others to see.
This is a space that we'll continue to evolve based on your feedback.
Home
This gallery turns home life on its head. Many visitors are fascinated by the doll’s houses, which provide a miniature scale insight into family life of times gone by. Here you can learn about family life and the impact that the Second World War had on children of that era.
School
They say that school days are the best days of your life, but our Victorian school teacher thinks otherwise. From semolina dinners to school uniforms, you’ll need to sit up straight and pay attention for fear of the dreaded dunces hat, when you experience this space.
The Space Station
Astronauts assemble! Blast off in the space station, with a range of space themed toys and games.
Toys
With an amazing array of toys including the Betty Cadbury Collection of Playthings Past, you can take a look at toys through the ages, including many of Betty's treasured mechanical toys.
Betty's collection truly is one of a kind, a culmination of a lifelong passion for toys. During her life she was considered an expert in her field, with one of the finest collections going. Today, we are lucky enough to be able to display her efforts for you to enjoy.
Say cheese
Time for a photo - which character will you be?
We asked some of our Children’s Country House Ambassadors what they want to be when they grow up. Can you guess which jobs they chose? You can ‘say cheese’ and have a photo with your face in the mirror artwork.
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Eating and Shopping at The Children's Country House
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