Our History
Our History
Milton Keynes Museum was founded in 1973 by a group of local people determined to preserve the rich heritage of the area as farms and industries closed to make way for the new city.
Set within a Victorian farmstead at Stacey Hill, the Museum tells the story of northern Buckinghamshire and southern Northamptonshire from the 1800s to the present, showcasing rural life, industrial heritage and the everyday experiences that shaped the community. Largely run by volunteers and enriched by its collections and interactive displays, the Museum celebrates the past while connecting it meaningfully to today’s Milton Keynes. (en.wikipedia.org)
Community Beginnings
Within six years of the decision to build Milton Keynes in 1967, local residents had formed the Stacey Hill Society and were collecting items that represented their heritage. Many of these items came from farms and factories that were closed down to make way for the new development.
This collection would eventually become the basis of the Museum.
With the support of Milton Keynes Development Corporation, the Collection was stored at Stacey Hill Farm in Wolverton. The farm was part of an estate that already had a strong historical significance – it had been bought by the eminent physician, Dr John Radcliffe, back in 1713, when he became MP for Buckingham.
A Volunteer Effort
During its early years, thousands of items were donated to the Stacey Hill Society, but it was trickier to visit back then; in those days the Stacey Hill Farm site was only open to the public for a few weekends a year!
Then, just as now, volunteer support was key to the Museum’s success, but the Board also appointed a director who would steer the museum into an era of sustainability, and soon Milton Keynes Museum was born.
The Fire
A fire devastated the Museum’s Grade II Listed threshing barn and cowshed, and two smaller buildings, on January 1, 1996. Tragically, the Museum lost many agricultural implements, stationary engines, cameras, radios and domestic items in the blaze. Many more were severely damaged.
Rebuilding was completed by the end of 1997, and in the same year, the land and buildings were passed to the Borough of Milton Keynes by the Commission for New Towns, but the running of the Museum and ownership of the Collection remained with the Museum Trust.
The Museum has continued to evolve over the past two decades, and our visitor numbers increase year on year – people love our warm nature and our hands-on approach, which is very different to that of most museums.
The People's Museum
We firmly believe that, as whenever possible, artefacts shouldn’t remain behind glass but should be available for visitors to reach out and touch.
We think of ourselves as the people’s museum; it isn’t our history, it is your history.
