AD – Gifted Tickets
I received gifted tickets to visit Milton Keynes Museum for the Easter holidays, but I have visited before and paid for my own tickets
For years I heard great things about Milton Keynes Museum, but never got around to visiting myself. A few months ago we visited for the first time, and since then have visited a few times, including for events such as Christmas and, most recently, Easter. Milton Keynes Museum has now quickly become one of my new favourite days out and things to do in Milton Keynes, and we’ve visited as a family, and with friends and always had a really enjoyable day out.
If you are new here, I moved to Milton Keynes in 2019, and before then I knew little about Milton Keynes – other than where the shopping centre was. So when I heard there was a museum about Milton Keynes and the history of it, I was a little intrigued.
The purpose of Milton Keynes Museum is to share the history of Milton Keynes, particularly the era before the city was planned, using a variety of interactive and hands-on exhibits with different buildings and spaces to explore. You won’t find somewhere more knowledgeable on Milton Keynes than here, and every time we have visited we have spoken to the most passionate and knowledgeable volunteers – it’s very worth a visit!
Outside Space
The museum is set within five acres of the old Stacey Hill farmland, providing plenty of green space for children to run around – which is always a hit for us as parents of a very active 4-year-old!
Bonus visiting tip for you – You can pick up a nature trail from reception to explore the hidden areas of the museum, which is great fun to see what wildlife you can explore here!
Outside you will find the conserved bandstand that was originally at Willen Lake which is used as a stage on events days, and of course, the infamous Milton Keynes concrete cows. There’s also a small play area – probably best suited for under 7’s, that’s great for a run around!
The Victorian Farmhouse
One area of the museum is the Victorian Farmhouse, where you can explore how the old Victorian house would have looked like. In here there are old-fashioned games and musical instruments in the parlour room. Every time we’ve visited there’s always been some very enthusiastic volunteers in these rooms to show you how to use the music boxes, and there’s a room where you can have a go at doing the laundry and make toast on an open fire which is always fun!
We particularly like the room with old toys in (although it makes me feel a little old that some toys I used to have are now in a museum…) My daughter is particularly taken by the gorgeous old rocking horse, and there are some olds games consoles you can play on – we had a rather competitive game of Frogger!
Victorian and Wartime Gardens
Just outside the Victorian Farmhouse, you will find the Victorian and wartime gardens, where you can discover what fruit and vegetables are growing here! There’s also an old war time bunker at the bottom of the garden, which is really cool!
The Street of Shops
The street of shops has to be one of my favourite areas. There’s something nice and nostalgic about seeing the old shop fronts – many of which are the originals that were on the high streets of Newport Pagnell and Stony Stratford! I have bit of a soft spot for the section on the old cinemas of Milton Keynes, I never knew how many independent cinemas Milton Keynes used to have.
A lot of the shops are interactive, volunteers have shown us how the blacksmiths would have worked, and you can also buy sweets from the old Ridgmont Post Office.
There’s also a lovely old Victorian school set up, which Ivy loved. She’s starting school this year, and now is a little confused and thinks this is how it will be!
The Farming Barn
Inside the farming barn you can discover some of the historic farming equipment which has come from the local farms that closed when the land was used to build the new town. This is probably the room that is the least interactive, but there is still some interesting bits in here!
The Telephone Gallery
Every time we visit, we end up spending a long time in the telephone gallery! In here you can explore how telephones have developed, with a mix of old style phones and retro telephones. We love playing with the operating switchboards and using the phones to call each other across the room!
I can honestly say we probably spend most of our visits here, it’s so much fun and there are some lovely novelty phones which are fun to play with!
The Hall of Transport
The hall of transport is the home to the world’s biggest steam tram which used to run between Stony Stratford and the railway works in Wolverton. It’s stationary now but you’re able to go on and see how it would have been – it’s quite steep getting up the spiral staircase!
In here you can also find different interactive methods of transport, there are bikes and cars for children to play on, as well as a canal boat and a wagon to explore!
Milton Keynes Post 1970’s
This is a newer section of the museum with two new galleries, one that is open and still developing. The idea is that these two galleries will tell the story of Milton Keynes becoming a city and its ancient past. There isn’t much to see here yet as they are still preparing the new exhibits, but there is currently a section where children can operate a Niftylift crane which we love doing and some cool models of how Milton Keynes was designed.
Events at Milton Keynes Museum
Milton Keynes Museum runs various events throughout the year and has some great-looking events coming up in 2024 which you can find on their website.
We’ve visited now for their 50th anniversary, Christmas and Easter now and there are always lovely activities happening around the museum to celebrate such as story times, crafts, and biscuit decorating. This year we highly enjoyed the Easter egg hunt and trying to find the eggs hidden around the museum, and we came to Milton Keynes Museum to visit Santa last year, and it was the most magical experience. I highly recommend visiting for Santa if you can!
Visiting Milton Keynes Museum
I think one of the best things about Milton Keynes Museum is that you pay once and can visit again all year – and that includes their events (although there may be an extra charge for these such as visiting Santa). I love that we’ve been several times now, and on each visit we’ve found out new information from the different volunteers. The constant updating of exhibits at Milton Keynes Museum ensures there’s always something new and interesting to see!
It’s recommended that you spend around 2 hours here, which you could easily do or longer. And of course if you can’t fit everything in, you’re able to return all year! We really love visiting Milton Keynes Museum, it’s nice to see some things that used to make up Milton Keynes, and every time we’ve visited the children and adults have had a really enjoyable time, I really think there’s something for everyone here!
How to Find it
You can find Milton Keynes Museum at McConnell Dr, Wolverton, Milton Keynes MK12 5EL – use the map below for directions.
There is plenty of free parking available, and when we’ve visited during busier events, there’s been an overflow carpark available.
Good to Know
- Milton Keynes Museum is open Wednesday – Sunday 10.30am – 4.30pm during the summer months (February – October) and Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays 10.30am – 4.30pm during the winter months
- Milton Keynes Museum is also open every day during half terms and bank holidays
- It costs £15 for adults, £10 for children, and under 5’s are free to visit – your ticket entry is valid for one year after visiting!
- Milton Keynes Museum runs various events throughout the year. You can find out more about them here.
- It may be worth keeping in mind that Milton Keynes Museum is not the most accessible of places – a lot of the buildings are very old, and would be difficult to navigate with a wheelchair or pushchair. I would recommend contacting them to discuss your needs if you need more information.
- There is an onsite cafe serving sandwiches, soups and cake and hot and cold drinks – it’s all freshly baked everyday, and the cakes are fantastic!
