Chiltern Open Air Museum
Encyclopedia
Chiltern Open Air Museum is a museum of vernacular building
s and a tourist attraction located near Chalfont St Peter
and Chalfont St. Giles in the Chiltern
Hills, Buckinghamshire
, England
.
The museum was founded in 1976 and aims to rescue and restore common English buildings from the Chiltern
s, which might otherwise have been destroyed or demolished. The buildings have been relocated to the museum's 45 acres (182,108.7 m²) site, which includes woodland
and parkland
.
The collection has more than 30 buildings on view including barns, other traditional farm buildings and houses.
Buildings of interest include a 1940s' prefab from Amersham
, a reconstruction of an Iron Age
house, a Victorian
toll house from High Wycombe
, a "Tin Chapel" from Henton
and a forge from Garston
. A fine pair of cottages from 57 Compton Avenue at Leagrave
, near Luton
which started out as a weather-board
ed thatched
barn with central double doors in the early 18th century. In the late 18th century the barn was converted into two labourers' cottages.
The museum's collection includes 16 buildings that are in storage and due for re-erection as and when the museum's funds permit.
Chiltern Open Air Museum is a registered charity (No. 272381). Chiltern Open Air Museum has a small number of full time staff and a volunteer workforce of approximately 200.
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
s and a tourist attraction located near Chalfont St Peter
Chalfont St Peter
Chalfont St Peter is a village and civil parish in Chiltern district in south-east Buckinghamshire, England. It is in a group of villages called The Chalfonts which also includes Chalfont St Giles and Little Chalfont. The villages lie between High Wycombe and Rickmansworth. Chalfont St Peter is...
and Chalfont St. Giles in the Chiltern
Chiltern
Chiltern can refer to the following places:In England:* Chiltern Hills, an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, known locally as "the Chilterns"** Chiltern , a local government district in Buckinghamshire named after the hills...
Hills, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The museum was founded in 1976 and aims to rescue and restore common English buildings from the Chiltern
Chiltern
Chiltern can refer to the following places:In England:* Chiltern Hills, an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, known locally as "the Chilterns"** Chiltern , a local government district in Buckinghamshire named after the hills...
s, which might otherwise have been destroyed or demolished. The buildings have been relocated to the museum's 45 acres (182,108.7 m²) site, which includes woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
and parkland
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
.
The collection has more than 30 buildings on view including barns, other traditional farm buildings and houses.
Amersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
, a reconstruction of an Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
house, a Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
toll house from High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
, a "Tin Chapel" from Henton
Henton
Henton is the name of more than one place in England:*Henton in Chinnor civil parish, Oxfordshire*Henton in Wookey civil parish, Somerset...
and a forge from Garston
Garston
-England:*Garston, Hertfordshire*Garston, Merseyside*Garston railway station-New Zealand:*Garston, New Zealand, town in the Southland District...
. A fine pair of cottages from 57 Compton Avenue at Leagrave
Leagrave
For other uses see Leagrave Leagrave is a former village and now a suburb of Luton in Bedfordshire in the northwest of the town. Connected by train from Leagrave station into London and Bedford by First Capital Connect...
, near Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
which started out as a weather-board
Weatherboarding
Weatherboarding is the cladding or ‘siding’ of a house consisting of long thin timber boards that overlap one another, either vertically or horizontally on the outside of the wall. They are usually of rectangular section with parallel sides...
ed thatched
Thatching
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge , rushes, or heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates...
barn with central double doors in the early 18th century. In the late 18th century the barn was converted into two labourers' cottages.
The museum's collection includes 16 buildings that are in storage and due for re-erection as and when the museum's funds permit.
Chiltern Open Air Museum is a registered charity (No. 272381). Chiltern Open Air Museum has a small number of full time staff and a volunteer workforce of approximately 200.