Historic Buildings

At the heart of Chiltern Open Air Museum is our mission to rescue threatened historic buildings from the Chilterns and to preserve them for future generations. We have re-erected 37 rescued buildings to date, spanning 2,000 years of Chilterns architecture and including a reconstructed Iron Age roundhouse, built using data from an archaeological dig near Dunstable, and Medieval and Tudor barns.  The Museum’s Victorian buildings include a working Victorian farm, toll house and forge, a tin chapel, vicarage room and newly-rebuilt wychert cottage.  From more modern times, our collection includes a 1940s Prefab, Nissen Hut and a Furniture Factory from High Wycombe.

15 buildings still remain in store, awaiting funds for their re-erection.  These include a number of medieval timber-framed dwellings as well as Maple Cross Studios, the iconic recording studio owned by Jack Jackson (the ‘Father of DJs’) and used by iconic recording artists including Motorhead, Elton John, Dr Feelgood, Ian Dury and many more. Chiltern Open Air Museum plans to rebuild this unique piece of history alongside the rest of its collection of unique vernacular architecture from the Chilterns.

Victorian Toll House Undergoing Restoration Work

Help Restore the Victorian Toll House at Chiltern Open Air Museum

This Giving Tuesday we hope you will continue to support ...
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Reconstructed well head from Harpenden at Chiltern Open Air Museum

Harpenden Well Head

What is it? It's a building surrounding a well. Wells ...
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Gorehambury Cart Shed at Chiltern Open Air Museum

Gorehambury Cart Shed

What is it? Carts and wagons pulled by horses were ...
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Rossway Granary at Chiltern Open Air Museum

Rossway Granary

What is it? A granary for storing grain such as ...
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High Wycombe Furniture Factory

High Wycombe Furniture Factory

The Chilterns were famous for furniture making High Wycombe was ...
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WW1 Nissen Bow HUt at Chiltern Open Air Museum

WW1 Nissen Bow Hut

World War One military building The Museum reconstructed a WW1 ...
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Blythe Road Pavilion

The Pavilion came from the grounds of the Post Office ...
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Gerrards Cross Hut

A wooden prefabricated building The building was originally located behind ...
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Arborfield Barn

This barn dates from around 1500, although this type of ...
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Skippings Barn

Skippings Barn a Traditional Chilterns Barn The barn is believed ...
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Henton Tin Chapel

Henton Mission Room This building is a prefabricated church. It ...
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Victorian Toll House at Chiltern Open Air Museum

High Wycombe Toll House

Victorian Toll House The toll house was originally built in 1826 ...
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Northolt medieval barn at Chiltern Open Air Museum in Buckinghamshire

Northolt Barn

Tudor Barn from Northolt, Middlesex Formerly Grade II listed barn ...
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Iron Age Roundhouse

 Replica Iron Age Roundhouse The replica Iron Age Roundhouse was constructed ...
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Leagrave Cottages

An 18th-century barn converted into cottages This building started life ...
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Garston Forge

Working historic forge used by our volunteer blacksmiths The forge ...
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Astleham Manor Cottage

Medieval hall house Astleham Manor Cottage was first built in the 1500s ...
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Edwardian Toilets

Caversham Public Convenience

Edwardian public toilets from tramstop The toilet block was originally ...
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Haddenham Croft Cottage

Haddenham Wychert Cottage The cottage was originally built in Haddenham, ...
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Amersham Prefab

Postwar housing There was a housing shortage after the Second ...
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Sewell Nissen Hut

Sewell Nissen Hut

WW2 Nissen Hut Nissen huts were invented during the First ...
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Thame Vicarage

Prefabricated building from Oxfordshire The Vicarage Room was first built ...
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Historic Working Farm

Working farm using traditional techniques and machinery The Museum runs ...
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