Founders Day

‘2023 is a special year for our Museum and marks 50 years since our Founders, Madge and Henry Jackson first opened their Museum to the public. The Old Kiln Museum, as it was then, first opened in April 1973 and tickets cost 10p for a child and 20p for an adult. To celebrate the awesome heritage of our Museum and celebrate our 50th Birthday we are proud to introduce Founders Day as a new annual event. Entry fees on Founders Day will be 10p and 20p (cash only) as it was in 1973 and our staff and volunteers will be pulling out all the bells and whistles to share the story of our Museum, ‘a beautiful ode to the English eccentric’ with visitors.

Founders day will be a truly special day out. We will be joined by volunteers who were here at the opening, they will be on hand around the site to talk to visitors and tell the story of how this wonderful place came to be. In the spirit of Henry Jackson we will be giving arboretum tours to share with visitors the beauty of the hundreds of trees Henry planted around the Museum. Our archive team will have a selection of precious and delicate objects out on display in the village hall and visitors can experience a ride round the site in a trailer behind a steam traction engine.

Come to us for a family day out, relax, wander and explore, bring a picnic and relax in our picnic area (under cover) or pick a spot amongst the trees. Our café also serves a wide range of hot and cold food and drink, our famous sausage rolls and of course treat yourself to a slice of our 50th Birthday cake in the café!’

Book your tickets here