Photo: Chiltern Open Air Museum by Dorothea Witter-Rieder, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Chiltern Open Air Museum is a historic house in Buckinghamshire, and a member of Historic Houses. Read about its history, architecture and gardens, plus how to visit and what's nearby.
About Chiltern Open Air Museum
Chiltern Open Air Museum was founded by volunteers in 1976 and opened to the public in 1981, on a rural site near Chalfont St Giles in Buckinghamshire.
It is a collection of vernacular buildings, rescued from demolition elsewhere and rebuilt across 45 acres of the Chiltern Hills.
The 38 structures on show range from a reconstructed Iron Age roundhouse to a 1940s prefab bungalow.
The museum is a registered charity and sits just minutes from junction 17 of the M25, making it an easy day trip from London.
Read more on WikipediaHistory of Chiltern Open Air Museum
The museum grew out of a volunteer campaign to save threatened historic buildings from demolition, formally established in 1976 and welcoming visitors from 1981. Rather than preserving buildings on their original sites, its founders chose to dismantle and reconstruct them in one landscape, a method known as structure relocation. It remains a charity in English law, run today with a small paid staff supported by around 200 volunteers.
Architecture of Chiltern Open Air Museum
The collection is entirely vernacular architecture, the ordinary houses, farm buildings and workplaces of people rather than grand estates. Individual buildings include a wood-framed, iron-clad Victorian chapel moved from Henton in Oxfordshire and a post-war prefabricated bungalow of the type mass-produced to ease Britain's housing shortage after 1945.
Gardens & grounds at Chiltern Open Air Museum
The 45-acre site includes a working historic farm with sheep, goats and chickens, alongside traditional gardens, woodland and a wartime-style 'Dig for Victory' allotment.
Facilities
Plan your visit to Chiltern Open Air Museum
Nearest station: Chorleywood Rail Station (1.6 miles)
Open on selected days across most of the year, with additional open days during school holidays; check the official website for current dates.
Admission
Free entry to Historic Houses members (show valid membership card)
Places to visit near Chiltern Open Air Museum
Micklefield Hall
View Micklefield Hall on heritage mapHall Barn
View Hall Barn on heritage mapOxhey Chapel
View Oxhey Chapel on heritage mapDorneywood Garden
View Dorneywood Garden on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Chiltern Open Air Museum there are 3 historic properties, including 3 historic houses.
Within 10 miles of Chiltern Open Air Museum there are 10 historic properties, including 4 historic houses, 3 historic buildings and 2 gardens, across Historic Houses, National Trust and Churches Conservation Trust sites.
Within 20 miles of Chiltern Open Air Museum there are 63 historic properties, including 23 historic buildings, 23 historic houses and 6 churchs, across Historic Houses, National Trust and English Heritage sites.
Facts
Thirty-eight historic buildings saved from the bulldozer and rebuilt together, from an Iron Age roundhouse to a 1940s prefab.
- Type
- historic house
- Location
- Buckinghamshire, England
- Visit duration
- Allow 2.5 hours to a full day
More stories like this, every week
Get Hidden Britain, our free weekly letter from Rob and Ali. Remarkable historic places, the stories behind them, and ideas for your next day out.
Read the latest letter first →