Bucks &amp; Oxon


<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="689" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/20230429_111429-scaled-1-2-1.jpg" alt="Milton Keynes Museum" class="wp-image-174200" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/20230429_111429-scaled-1-2-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/20230429_111429-scaled-1-2-1-800x551.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/20230429_111429-scaled-1-2-1-400x276.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Did you know that Milton Keynes was a bustling settlement in Roman Britain and home to the largest Roman villa in the country? They clearly had excellent taste in settlements. It’s easy to overlook the charms of this 1960s-built New Town – but the <a href="https://miltonkeynesmuseum.org.uk/?utm_source=online&amp;utm_medium=Muddy&amp;utm_campaign=evergreen" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Milton Keynes Museum</a> is far more than meets the eye. On the site of the old Stacey Hill Farm in the suburb of Wolverton, the museum is housed in a pretty 19<sup>th</sup>century Victorian farmhouse surrounded by five acres of old farmland and barns where energetic kids of all ages can safely let off steam. Unlike other ‘look but don’t touch’ museums, there are plenty of ways to get hands on and interact with the exhibits here, with a chance to play period Victorian games and musical instruments, and to explore a high street from days gone by.</p>



<p>It’s educational too – the museum’s set pieces tell the story of Milton Keynes before the New Town was built (yes, it does have a pre-1960s history!).&nbsp;Head to the Hall of Transport to explore the history of MK&#8217;s transportation from horse-drawn cart to car, including the world&#8217;s largest steam tram (now stationary), which used to run between&nbsp;Stony Stratford and the Railway Works in Wolverton. We reckon it’s a great (and quirky) family day out – here’s our pick of&nbsp;things to do this October half-term.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-channel-the-spirit-of-the-olden-days">Channel the spirit of the olden days</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="665" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/PJK_0717-1.jpg" alt="Milton Keynes Museum" class="wp-image-174203" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/PJK_0717-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/PJK_0717-1-800x532.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/PJK_0717-1-400x266.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>The Victorian Farmhouse looks just like it would have done in Queen Victoria’s reign. To get in the spirit of days gone by, you can tackle the laundry like people did pre-washing machines, play some period musical instruments, and taste a glimpse of life before the invention of the toaster by toasting bread in front of an open fire. You can also play Victorian parlour games – a round of cribbage, anyone? Or come back nearer Christmas when the farmhouse will be decked out in period glory, with a visit from a jolly man in a red suit from 29 Nov to 15 Dec.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-be-bewitched-by-the-street-of-shops">Be bewitched by the Street of Shops</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="660" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/Street-of-Shops.png" alt="Milton Keynes Museum Street of Shops" class="wp-image-174218" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/Street-of-Shops.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/Street-of-Shops-800x528.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/Street-of-Shops-400x264.png 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>The Street of Shops simulates a historical high street with original shopfronts from local high streets (Stony Stratford, Wolverton, Newport Pagnall). You can drop into Stony Stratford’s old Cox &amp; Robinson chemist or buy old-fashioned penny sweets from the old Ridgmont post office. This half-term it will be transformed by local arts group the Black Sheep Collective into a theatrical Halloween experience – so be prepared for a few spine-tingling surprises. Without giving away&nbsp;<em>all</em>&nbsp;the tricks, there may be&nbsp;someone lurking behind the Post Office counter, mixing up potions at the chemist, or baking mysterious pies in the butcher’s shop. Eeek!</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-make-a-trunk-call">Make a trunk call</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="665" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/PJK_6226-1.jpg" alt="Milton Keynes Museum" class="wp-image-174204" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/PJK_6226-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/PJK_6226-1-800x532.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/PJK_6226-1-400x266.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>The Telephone Gallery is a hands-on exhibit that takes a nostalgic look at how telephones have evolved. Have a go at operating switchboards from different periods and show your children how to make (and answer) a dial phone. (Clue, no swiping left or Face ID tech required). There are nearly 100 different telephones on display from across the decades, and you can call each other from across the gallery.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-roam-the-old-farmland">Roam the old farmland</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/mk-museum-25.10.23-small-6-1-1.jpg" alt="Milton Keynes Museum" class="wp-image-174201" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/mk-museum-25.10.23-small-6-1-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/mk-museum-25.10.23-small-6-1-1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/mk-museum-25.10.23-small-6-1-1-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>There are five acres of old farmland to explore, so pick up a nature map from reception and discover hidden spots teeming with wildlife, stop by for an event at the recently restored bandstand (previously at Willen Lake), or head to the farming barn to check out historic agricultural equipment from local farms. They’re proper relics – some of these local farms were forced to close when the land was needed to build the New Town. The museum is also the birthplace of MK’s famous herd of five ‘concrete cows’, created by Canadian artist Liz Leyh. After travelling to pastures new over the years – including a holiday to the Venice Biennale – they returned home to the MK Museum in 2016 and now graze contentedly under a tree.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-time-for-tea">Time for tea</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/mk-museum-small-22-1.jpg" alt="Milton Keynes Museum" class="wp-image-174202" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/mk-museum-small-22-1.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/mk-museum-small-22-1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/bucksoxon/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/mk-museum-small-22-1-400x267.jpg 400w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>After all that, chill out over a cuppa and a homemade cake at the Granary Tearoom, which will be serving some wickedly indulgent treats this half-term. There’s also spooky biscuit decorating (for a small additional fee) and craft activities. Put on your best Halloween costumes and join the fun.&nbsp;Oh, and did we mention that once you&#8217;ve paid for one visit to the museum, you get the rest of the year free?</p>



<p><strong><em>The <a href="https://miltonkeynesmuseum.org.uk/?utm_source=online&amp;utm_medium=Muddy&amp;utm_campaign=evergreen" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Milton Keynes Museum</a> is open every day during standard half-term (Mon 28 Oct to Sun 03 Nov) and from 4 Nov it will be open on Weds, Sat and Sun.&nbsp;</em></strong><a href="https://miltonkeynesmuseum.org.uk/general-admission/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong><em>Click here</em></strong></a><strong><em>&nbsp;for prices and booking.</em></strong></p>


Take a trip back in time at the Milton Keynes Museum

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