Acton Scott Farm Museum

The Farmyard at Acton Scott Home Farm

We visited Acton Scott Farm Museum for the first time in over 20 years while we were in Shropshire.  Alan has covered a lot of the story in ‘A Richer Earth’ so I will try not to duplicate.

In addition to the farm and the glorious countryside (we were lucky with the weather), a lot of trouble has been taken to show a glimpse of the life of country people in Victorian times.  The attention to detail is superb.

The kitchen at Home Farm

Yes, the man sitting on the left really is drinking a cup of tea and chatting during a break from his job as a guide and farm worker. The three people in the picture were totally relaxed in their costumes and chatted comfortably with visitors, answering questions and providing information in a friendly way.

Visitors to our house will recognise the airer over the fireplace as identical with one we still use.

The zinc bath, hanging on the wall outside the kitchen is very familiar to me. I was brought up in a small house without a bathroom and we had one which was brought in every Friday night. The water was heated in a large brick built ‘copper’ with a coal fire underneath and transferred by a bucket to the bath.

Such changes in my lifetime. Today we even have a shower and hot water on tap in our caravan.

The estate was the centre of the community. The building above was the school. Built in 1866, the school was in the left of the building and the Schoolmaster lived on the right. Up to 60 children came to this school, some walking 4 miles each way.  The school closed in 1951 and now it is a cafe. A large party of schoolchildren laughing and joking outside. The looked clean, healthy and happy. I’ll bet none of them walked 4 miles to school.

There are more pictures on Picasa, including the requisite baby animals for you to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ over.