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Together, the Museum’s collections tell the story of everyday life in and around Milton Keynes, from rural traditions and skilled crafts to industry, transport, and communication. Each collection offers a glimpse into how people lived, worked, and connected with one another across generations. By bringing these objects and stories together, the Museum preserves the area’s rich heritage and helps visitors understand how the past has shaped the community we know today.
Telephone
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Agriculture
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Transportation
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Archaeology
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Printing
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Rural Crafts
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Domestic
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Shopping
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The Telephone Collection
As a member of Connected Earth, the Museums specialises in telephone engineering and switching. It has working examples of hand-operated switchboards from different periods, automatic exchange equipment, including Strowger, Crossbar and Electronic and two mobile exchanges.
Changes in telephone handsets and kiosks help complete the story, and a restored electrophone and a K3 kiosk are rare in museum collections.
The Agricultural Collection
The earliest part of the collection, mostly gathered locally from farms closing as their land was needed to build the New Town. It represents post-war farming generally. Locally manufactured implements and machinery includes that of E& H Roberts of Deanshanger, featuring an elevator, horse gear, wind pump and working water-wheel.
Steam-ploughing machinery developed by William Smith of Woolstone is a particularly important part of the Collection..
We need both the help and the understanding of all Milton Keynes residents, if we are to do justice to Milton Keynes.
The Transport Collection
A tug used on the Thames is an example of boats built by Edward Hayes in Stony Stratford – an unusual place for boating manufacture that included sea-going and boats for export. The Wolverton to Stony Stratford steam tramcar is the largest steam tramcar ever built and one of the last operating in the UK. A replica of James McConnell’s “Bloomer” locomotive lies in the corner of the Museum site.
Smaller artefacts relating to the Wolverton Railway Works include hand-painted crests, used to show those placing a contract what would go on the side of their carriage. Once work was completed, these were given to the Foremen’s Association.
The Archaeological Collection
Milton Keynes has had more archaeology carried out on it than any other similar area in the Country and what was unearthed is stored in the Museum. It will be displayed in one of two new galleries that have been built on the site. Notable finds are Bronze Age torcs found by metal detectorists and, particularly significant to the Museum are mosaics and other artefacts from Bancroft Roman Villa which lay on land that belonged to the farm that is now the Museum.
Printing
The Museum’s Columbian hand press, came from High Wycombe and takes pride of place in the Print Room. Beside it is the similar but much smaller Albion Hand press, bearing the date 1845, that was used in Olney.
The jobbing platen presses range from a small hand fed treadle machines, through belt driven Golding Jobber and Cropper.
The largest machine in the Collection is an 1880’s Wharfedale, stop cylinder manufactured by W. Dawson and Sons, Otley. It has been modified with a flyer delivery added in 1906.
A Proofing Press from McCorquodale’s is the most modern member of the Collection.
Among the wide range of associated artefacts is a Furnival & Co Express guillotine lacks any of the safety features required today.
Rural Crafts
Local examples of straw-plait work and tools, include some last used in Loughton during the 1920s. A complete collection of the cooper’s tools once demonstrated at Olney’s Craft Fair art is mostly on display as is a collection of a Wheelwright who worked locally at Old Stratford.
All the unique tools of these trades are represented as are examples of what they produced.
As well as felloe and shaft patterns, artefacts such as the clack -valve lead weight mould confirm the Wheelwright’s other roles in looking after the village pump.
Domestic
Utensils used during Victorian times and then up until WW2, include local cooking, cleaning and laundry items.
Ways of producing music for the households and guests include a roller organ, a Seraphone, a 19 1/8 ” Symphonion, a Polyphon and an Ediphone and the Museum has a Collection of parlour games, including Puff Billiards.
Shopping
As well as its collection of local shop front, the Museum has a a collection of display cabinets including a Boisellier’s and Cadbury’s dresser, a Jocob’s & Co Biscuit tin unit, and one from Stoney (sic) Stratford’s Cox & Robinson Chemist.
Unusual artefacts in the shops include a 1924 Hoosier Kitchen Unit and a 1934 BTH Beehive refrigerator.