Chiltern Open Air Museum
The Chiltern Open Air Muesum, is essentailly a museum of buildings restored and laid out within a small park. There is an assortment of buildings, including two barns that are suitable for the periods we portray.
Our first two visits were to do The Scene, one for the Stuart period and one for the Tudors. The first was most notible by the snow and the brave souls who visited.
We have taken Tudor farming, 'From field to Table", and we have also brought the local court to the village.
1585 - Tudor Court
August 2013, August 2017, August 2019, August 2023
This year we brought a Tudor Petty Court Session to visit the museum again. We held 2 sessions per day, each hearing 3 cases. Thank you for your support, as every session was filled to capacity.
At the time the cases would have been decided by the Justice of the Peace rather than a jury. For this interpretation, we hope you found it interesting to act as part of the Jury and see how the modern attitudes differ from those over 400 years ago. Jurys were used in the Tudor period, but at higher courts that the Petty session, which dealt with minor local offences, such as watering the ale.
1585 - Field to Table
August 2014, August 2015
We brought farming to life with the title 'from field to table.' The crops were reaped in the fields and collected in to stooks. Then they were threshed and winnowed in the threshing barn, before being milled and baked into bread. While that was going on, there was hay making, food and medicine preparation and various Tudor games. Throughout the visitors helped and had a go at various tasks such as scaring the crows and threshing the corn.
Thank you to Charles Abbott for allowing us to add his photos to our website. His photos are clearly marked with a watermark, so please do not re-use them without his permission.
1693 - An Ambigue
August 2021
Moving to a new century from previous events, we took James Clayton and his wife Mary to eat in the great outdoors to discuss plans for their garden and Estate while entertaining friends and family.
Thank you to Andy smith for allowing us to add his photos to our website. Please do not re-use them without his permission.
