Editor's Review - The Farmland Museum

Off the A10 between Cambridge and Ely, just north of Waterbeach

Tel: 01223 860988

We last visited The Farmland Museum when it opened in 1997 and our three children were all under seven years old. We had a lovely day out and were particularly impressed with the efforts that had been made to engage
and entertain young children. Not complacent about their success, the staff and friends of the museum have continued to work at developing and improving the facilities, focusing particularly on making it accessible and
interesting to a younger generation.

Walnut Tree Cottage was a source of fascination for all of us. It is laod out as the 1940’s home of a typical farming family and for me, it was just like walking into my grandparent’s house. The children were fascinated to
learn that this was how their own grandparents had lived as children - tin baths in front of the fire, chamber pots under the beds and an outside loo, rag rugs, tubs and dollies instead of the wasking machine - and NO television.
They were horrified to discover that an evening’s leisure consisted of listening to the ‘wireless’, sewing and reading!

Next we visited the converted pigsheds, the first of which featured local history and photographs of the surrounding villages. It brought home to me how fast the pace of change is now, when a seven year old playing with a
typewriter asked me what it was for. My ten year old and her friend knew what the dial telephone was but couldn’t work out what to do with the numbers that you couldn’t push. That revelation was classed as ‘amazing’!

Other barns illustrated the lives of many of those who played a vital role in the rural community such as the basketmaker, blacksmith, the dairy and the farm auctioneers. We were particularly interested with the Fen Man’s Hut,
which depicted the Fens as they once were and how they provided a livelihood for people. The children were fascinated to see the boots and ice skates, needed for the times when the marshy fen froze over and the men could
not use their punts.

The Museum also has an intriguing village shop selling all the essentials and even a few luxuries, like ‘nylons’! Candles, nails and pegs were sold loose by weight and the children can use the scales and brass and iron weights
- and as I explained in answer to a question from our seven year old friend, it’s not only gyms that use weights!

A new playshed next to the tearoom has a mystery box of common objects from the 1930’s for children to
investigate as well as the hats of various villagers for them to try on including a trilby, silk top hat, flat cap, sun bonnet and school cap. Puzzles, a toy farm and lots of books all help to occupy the children. There are plenty of
open grassy spaces for playing and for picnics, with an old tractor to play on and a wooden playhouse. Lots of ‘hands-on’ activities are provided for children, both in the Abbey and the Museum, and our particularly liked to
trying to make a mosaic floor with the tiles in the Refectory. Unsupervised children’s activities are usually available in the Education Room and the Museum runs many special events throughout the summer which are listed
on the Kids Calendar pages.

Summer 2005