Festive Weekend 2024
Even the terrible weather couldn’t dampen the Christmas spirit at our Festive Weekend on 7 and 8 December!
Celebrating Diwali During Terrific Tuesday
During the October half-term, our Terrific Tuesday family activities celebrated Diwali - the Hindu festival of light.
Our Spookily Spectacular Halloween Fundraiser!
Every year the crowds gather at Chiltern Open Air Museum for our Halloween Spectacular fundraising evening and 2024 was no exception!
Heart of Bucks Grant Supports Accompanied Walks for 2025
Heart of Bucks have awarded a £5000 grant to support our accompanied walks in 2025.
COAM Commended in Tourism Awards
Chiltern Open Air Museum has been commended for Accessible and Inclusive Tourism in the Tourism South East Beautiful South Tourism Awards for 2024-2025.
Groundworks Begin for the 1950s Bandstand
Groundworks begin at Chiltern Open Air Museum for the re-erection of a 1950s bandstand, originally from Finsbury Circus Gardens.
Bringing a Traditional Harvest to Life
Every September, COAM bring the smells, sounds and tastes of Harvests past back to life at our annual Traditional Harvest event.
Keeping Heritage Crafts Alive
A look at the heritage crafts that are demonstrated at the Museum.
The Grimwood Museum Adventure
We’re taking part in the Grimwood Museum Adventure this August!
Lady Howe Visits Chiltern Open Air Museum
Our Patron, Countess Howe His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire, hosted a Midsummer Gathering at the Museum in June 2024.
Wellbeing Activities This Spring
To mark Mental Health Awareness week, we look at the wellbeing activities at the Museum this spring.
Jackson Studios
Jackson Studios, the birthplace of many iconic British sounds including Motorhead’s Ace of Spades, is currently in storage at Chiltern Open Air Museum.
Traditional Chilterns Sheep Folding
In the idyllic landscapes of the Chilterns, farmers once employed a distinctive method known as sheep folding. This ingenious practice involved herding sheep into movable temporary pens called folds, and it was particularly effective on poor soils prevalent in the region.
Traditional Chilterns Lambing Fold
A lambing fold is a traditional shelter or pen specifically designed for the lambing season. This practice, rooted in agricultural history, involves creating a space where ewes can give birth and care for their new-born lambs.
Wassailing Through History: A Gift to Bring Good Harvests
Wassailing is an Anglo-Saxon tradition. On January 5th, the Twelfth Night, people would gather to take part. The landowner greeted the guests with the toast waes hael, meaning be well. He then passed around the wassail drink for everyone to have some.
A Victorian Christmas: How Did They Celebrate the Festive Season?
Christmas in the Victorian era started to become a time for family celebrations rather than the large gatherings enjoyed during the Georgian era. We find out how they celebrated.
Christmas in the 1940s: How Did Wartime Families Celebrate the Festive Season?
We discover how families celebrated Christmas in the 1940s - why turkey wasn’t on the menu and what home-made gifts would be under the tree.
Who were the Suffragists and Suffragettes?
Women’s suffrage societies that campaigned for the right to vote began to appear in Britain in the middle of the 19th century. Their members called Suffragists believed in peaceful, constitutional ways to promote votes for women.
The life of country children
Country life for working families before the early 20th century was not at all as some popular paintings portray – roses around a cottage door, and happy and healthy children playing in a well-cared for garden. We discover how country children lived in the past.
What were the Swing Riots?
Find out about The Labourers’ Revolt, commonly known as Swing Riots, which was mainly rooted in the poor living standards and impoverishment of agricultural workers for more than fifty years.
Finding Us
Newland Park, Gorelands Lane
Chalfont St Peter HP8 4AB