LIFE ON THE FARM

FARMING IN THE AREA

Farming has always been an important part of local life in Milton Keynes. Even today, after so much of the land has been built on, large areas in and around Milton Keynes are still used for all types of farming.

Farming is also significant for the Museum. Our home is Stacey Hill Farm, a Victorian "model" farm built in the 1840s. Many of the original buildings are used for displays. 

But farming has been around for more than 150 years. You can even see the "ridge and furrow" from even earlier times in our field.

WHAT'S ON DISPLAY

The main agricultural displays are housed in the large timber threshing barn. Built in the 1840s, this was one of the largest barns of its type in the area and had become a Grade II listed building before it was destroyed in the fire at the Museum in 1996.

The barn was rebuilt using traditional materials and methods to recreate the atmosphere of the original.

The displays inside tell the story of The Farming Year, from preparing the land through tending the crops to taking in the harvest. The barn is packed with numerous items of agricultural machinery, including examples made by local companies such as Roberts of Deanshanger and Browns of Leighton Buzzard.

There is also a special section on "power on the farm".

DOWN ON THE FARM

When the Museum started in the early 1970s agricultural equipment was a major part of the display. As the number of exhibits has grown, the proportion of farming items has decreased but the importance of agriculture and farming to the area has not been forgotten.

FIND OUT MORE

A number of larger farming implements can be found outside in the farm yard or in the Museum's field. Some are demonstrated from time to time pulled by horse or vintage tractor.

The Farming Year