Chiltern Open Air Museum
Source: https://www.coam.org.uk
Archived: 2026-04-23 15:29
Chiltern Open Air Museum
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Roman Gladiators 3 & 4 May
Witness Roman Gladiators battle in the arena and explore the Roman living history encampment
Find out more
Music on the Bandstand
Listen to local groups perform on our vintage bandstand
Find out more
Visit our gardens and wild spaces this spring
See curated cottage gardens, bluebell woodlands and wild flowers this season at the Museum
Discover Our Gardens
Three Ravens Podcast Live Recording- 30 May
Join the team behind myths and legends podcast The Three Ravens for a live recoding and Q & A
Find out more
Group Visits to the Museum
Looking for a unique day out for your group? Visit our historic buildings, learn about the heritage of the Chilterns and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of our traditional gardens.
Find out more
2026 Experience Days
Learn a new skill with our unique
workshops and experience days
at Chiltern Open Air Museum.
Blacksmith Experience Days for 2026 Now Available
Find Out More
-
DISCOVER CHILTERN OPEN AIR MUSEUM
Embark on a journey through time where the past comes to life.
Chiltern Open Air Museum in Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire was founded by volunteers in 1976, and opened to the public in 1981. The Museum is a charity that rescues threatened historic buildings, which would otherwise be demolished, and rebuilds and preserves them in a traditional Chilterns landscape. Just 7 minutes drive from junction 17 of the M25, the Museum is a rural haven within easy reach of London and the home counties. Our Museum is suitable for all ages.
Discover More
Discover More
- DISCOVER OUR HISTORIC BUILDINGS
Discover the Stories from the Iron Age to the Mid-Twentieth Century
The Museum’s collection focuses on vernacular buildings – the past houses and workplaces of ordinary people that are gradually disappearing from the landscape. We have 38 buildings on display covering periods from the Iron Age to the mid-twentieth century.
This building is a prefabricated church - referred to as the ‘little tin church’, although it is made from wood and clad in iron. The building was located in the small hamlet of Henton in the parish of Chinnor, Oxfordshire.
Henton Tin Chapel
The roundhouse was built by the Museum’s buildings team, using evidence from archaeologists. It’s based on archaeological digs at Puddlehill, near Dunstable in Bedfordshire.
Replica Iron Age Roundhouse
Amersham Prefab
There was a housing shortage after the Second World War, and prefabricated temporary bungalows (“prefabs”) were one solution. Prefabs were made using different materials to normal houses.
Discover Our Buildings
Discover Our Buildings
Explore Our Extensive Site
EXPLORE CHILTERN -
Chiltern Open Air Museum offers a multitude of experiences and activities for the kids as well as the rest of the family.
Our site is 45 acres and includes a working historic farm with sheep, goats, and chickens. We have a number of traditional gardens, a ‘Dig for Victory’ allotment and woodlands - so there is plenty of places to discover and explore. We also have an adventure playground where children can let off some steam.
Explore Our Farm
Explore Our Farm
Hands-on Activities
We have 38 historic buildings for you to explore. Our buildings are filled with real objects, so you can find out how people lived and worked in the past.
There are plenty of opportunities to dress up, play with historic toys and games, build models of our barns and lots of space to run around and discover. Have a go at trying on WW1 uniforms, hats and pinnies, Victorian hats, accessories and more. Remember to share your selfies with us on Instagram using #chilternoam
Explore Our Activities
Explore Our Activities
LEARN AT CHIILTERN -
School Visits to Chiltern Open Air Museum
Dive into the past and spark curiosity with a school trip to Chiltern Open Air Museum. Our unique, immersive learning workshops allow students to step back in time and experience history first-hand.
Our award winning, cross-curricula learning programme is aligned with the National Curriculum and EYFS Framework, covering a range of subjects including History, Science, Geography, Art and Citizenship.
Our hands-on activities and expert-led workshops encourage critical thinking, creativity and collaboration. From an Iron Age round-house to a Victorian farmstead, our collection of preserved buildings offers a physical connection to the past.
Book your school trip today and provide your students with an unforgettable educational experience at Chiltern Open Air Museum – where history comes to life!
Learn More
Learn More
-EXPERIENCE CHILTERN
Events and Workshops For All Ages
We have an extensive events programme full of exciting re-enactments, heritage craft demonstrations and family activities.
We offer a wide range of workshops and experience days for those looking to learn more about traditional crafts and/or improve their wellbeing.
Our sessions are led by our seasoned team of experts, each experience is designed to provide a memorable and educational encounter.
Browse through our diverse range of special events and embark on a day filled with exploration and excitement.
View All Events
View All Events
SUPPORT CHILTERN -
Support Chiltern Open Air Museum
For over four decades, Chiltern Open Air Museum has served as a valuable community resource, preserving historic buildings and providing immersive historical experiences. While admissions, shop, and café sales contribute to sustaining daily operations, they fall short of covering essential needs like reconstructing additional buildings, carrying out repairs, supporting community projects and preparing for future challenges.
Donations, regardless of their size, play a crucial role in supporting our mission, enabling us to uphold our conservation efforts and maintain our role as a vital community asset. Your support ensures the continuity of our work and helps us remain an integral part of the community.
Explore ways of supporting below
COAM Friends
Learn More
Corporate Help
Learn More
Donate
Learn More
Join Us
Learn More
Engaging Stories, Fascinating Anecdotes, and Behind the Scenes Glimpses
- LEARN
HRH The Duke of Gloucester Marks 50 Years of Chiltern Open Air Museum
Buildings in Storage: Chesham High Street
Easter Traditions: Historic Customs and Seasonal Celebrations
Buildings in Storage: Kempston Slaughterhouse
Help Find the Celebaarty Sheep This Spring at Chiltern Open Air Museum
Explore our Museum blog posts and news to discover captivating stories that bring history to life. Immerse yourself in tales of rural life, traditional crafts, and remarkable individuals. Whether you love history, culture, or simply enjoy learning, our blogs offer additional insight into our collection of buildings and the social history surrounding them.
View Blogs
View Blogs
- SUPPORT
As an independent charity, our Museum relies on the generosity of individuals like you. Our buildings need continually looking after and all funds raised are invested back into the Museum. Your contribution, whether big or small, ensures the continuous enjoyment of this unique space for everyone. If you're a UK taxpayer, please choose to Gift Aid at the checkout, this will amplify your admission, membership or donation by an additional 25% and will give us us a vital bit of additional income at no extra cost to you.
Thank you for being a vital part of our mission to maintain the Museum's special place in history and community.
Donate
Donate
Don't miss a beat – stay in the loop by signing up for our newsletter.
Be the first to uncover the latest news, exclusive offers, and upcoming events at our Museum.
🡹
0
Roman Gladiators 3 & 4 May
Witness Roman Gladiators battle in the arena and explore the Roman living history encampment
Find out more
Music on the Bandstand
Listen to local groups perform on our vintage bandstand
Find out more
Visit our gardens and wild spaces this spring
See curated cottage gardens, bluebell woodlands and wild flowers this season at the Museum
Discover Our Gardens
Three Ravens Podcast Live Recording- 30 May
Join the team behind myths and legends podcast The Three Ravens for a live recoding and Q & A
Find out more
Group Visits to the Museum
Looking for a unique day out for your group? Visit our historic buildings, learn about the heritage of the Chilterns and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of our traditional gardens.
Find out more
2026 Experience Days
Learn a new skill with our unique
workshops and experience days
at Chiltern Open Air Museum.
Blacksmith Experience Days for 2026 Now Available
Find Out More
-
DISCOVER CHILTERN OPEN AIR MUSEUM
Embark on a journey through time where the past comes to life.
Chiltern Open Air Museum in Chalfont St. Giles, Buckinghamshire was founded by volunteers in 1976, and opened to the public in 1981. The Museum is a charity that rescues threatened historic buildings, which would otherwise be demolished, and rebuilds and preserves them in a traditional Chilterns landscape. Just 7 minutes drive from junction 17 of the M25, the Museum is a rural haven within easy reach of London and the home counties. Our Museum is suitable for all ages.
Discover More
Discover More
- DISCOVER OUR HISTORIC BUILDINGS
Discover the Stories from the Iron Age to the Mid-Twentieth Century
The Museum’s collection focuses on vernacular buildings – the past houses and workplaces of ordinary people that are gradually disappearing from the landscape. We have 38 buildings on display covering periods from the Iron Age to the mid-twentieth century.
This building is a prefabricated church - referred to as the ‘little tin church’, although it is made from wood and clad in iron. The building was located in the small hamlet of Henton in the parish of Chinnor, Oxfordshire.
Henton Tin Chapel
The roundhouse was built by the Museum’s buildings team, using evidence from archaeologists. It’s based on archaeological digs at Puddlehill, near Dunstable in Bedfordshire.
Replica Iron Age Roundhouse
Amersham Prefab
There was a housing shortage after the Second World War, and prefabricated temporary bungalows (“prefabs”) were one solution. Prefabs were made using different materials to normal houses.
Discover Our Buildings
Discover Our Buildings
Explore Our Extensive Site
EXPLORE CHILTERN -
Chiltern Open Air Museum offers a multitude of experiences and activities for the kids as well as the rest of the family.
Our site is 45 acres and includes a working historic farm with sheep, goats, and chickens. We have a number of traditional gardens, a ‘Dig for Victory’ allotment and woodlands - so there is plenty of places to discover and explore. We also have an adventure playground where children can let off some steam.
Explore Our Farm
Explore Our Farm
Hands-on Activities
We have 38 historic buildings for you to explore. Our buildings are filled with real objects, so you can find out how people lived and worked in the past.
There are plenty of opportunities to dress up, play with historic toys and games, build models of our barns and lots of space to run around and discover. Have a go at trying on WW1 uniforms, hats and pinnies, Victorian hats, accessories and more. Remember to share your selfies with us on Instagram using #chilternoam
Explore Our Activities
Explore Our Activities
LEARN AT CHIILTERN -
School Visits to Chiltern Open Air Museum
Dive into the past and spark curiosity with a school trip to Chiltern Open Air Museum. Our unique, immersive learning workshops allow students to step back in time and experience history first-hand.
Our award winning, cross-curricula learning programme is aligned with the National Curriculum and EYFS Framework, covering a range of subjects including History, Science, Geography, Art and Citizenship.
Our hands-on activities and expert-led workshops encourage critical thinking, creativity and collaboration. From an Iron Age round-house to a Victorian farmstead, our collection of preserved buildings offers a physical connection to the past.
Book your school trip today and provide your students with an unforgettable educational experience at Chiltern Open Air Museum – where history comes to life!
Learn More
Learn More
-EXPERIENCE CHILTERN
Events and Workshops For All Ages
We have an extensive events programme full of exciting re-enactments, heritage craft demonstrations and family activities.
We offer a wide range of workshops and experience days for those looking to learn more about traditional crafts and/or improve their wellbeing.
Our sessions are led by our seasoned team of experts, each experience is designed to provide a memorable and educational encounter.
Browse through our diverse range of special events and embark on a day filled with exploration and excitement.
View All Events
View All Events
SUPPORT CHILTERN -
Support Chiltern Open Air Museum
For over four decades, Chiltern Open Air Museum has served as a valuable community resource, preserving historic buildings and providing immersive historical experiences. While admissions, shop, and café sales contribute to sustaining daily operations, they fall short of covering essential needs like reconstructing additional buildings, carrying out repairs, supporting community projects and preparing for future challenges.
Donations, regardless of their size, play a crucial role in supporting our mission, enabling us to uphold our conservation efforts and maintain our role as a vital community asset. Your support ensures the continuity of our work and helps us remain an integral part of the community.
Explore ways of supporting below
COAM Friends
Learn More
Corporate Help
Learn More
Donate
Learn More
Join Us
Learn More
Engaging Stories, Fascinating Anecdotes, and Behind the Scenes Glimpses
- LEARN
HRH The Duke of Gloucester Marks 50 Years of Chiltern Open Air Museum
Buildings in Storage: Chesham High Street
Easter Traditions: Historic Customs and Seasonal Celebrations
Buildings in Storage: Kempston Slaughterhouse
Help Find the Celebaarty Sheep This Spring at Chiltern Open Air Museum
Explore our Museum blog posts and news to discover captivating stories that bring history to life. Immerse yourself in tales of rural life, traditional crafts, and remarkable individuals. Whether you love history, culture, or simply enjoy learning, our blogs offer additional insight into our collection of buildings and the social history surrounding them.
View Blogs
View Blogs
- SUPPORT
As an independent charity, our Museum relies on the generosity of individuals like you. Our buildings need continually looking after and all funds raised are invested back into the Museum. Your contribution, whether big or small, ensures the continuous enjoyment of this unique space for everyone. If you're a UK taxpayer, please choose to Gift Aid at the checkout, this will amplify your admission, membership or donation by an additional 25% and will give us us a vital bit of additional income at no extra cost to you.
Thank you for being a vital part of our mission to maintain the Museum's special place in history and community.
Donate
Donate
Don't miss a beat – stay in the loop by signing up for our newsletter.
Be the first to uncover the latest news, exclusive offers, and upcoming events at our Museum.