Special royal visit marks museum’s 50th anniversary

HRH The Duke of Gloucester toured the Chiltern Open Air Museum in Buckinghamshire, joined by the Lord-Lieutenant and the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, as part of the museum’s ongoing 50th anniversary celebrations.

During the visit, the Duke met pupils from Alder Grove Church of England Primary School taking part in an Anglo-Saxon learning day.

The Duke observed the children, who were engaged in an archaeological dig, learning to analyse and date artefacts.

HRH also explored the museum’s Victorian lambing fold and spoke with farm manager Rachael Maytum about the museum’s Oxford Down sheep and their role in the Chilterns’ farming history.

The Duke continued his tour on the Village Green, viewing a selection of historic buildings, including a 1940s prefab home, wartime Nissen huts and the newly reconstructed 1950s bandstand from Finsbury Circus.

Founded in September 1976 by members of the Historic Buildings Group of the Chiltern Society, the museum preserves threatened buildings that reflect ordinary life in the Chilterns.

Each structure is dismantled, transported and rebuilt at the site in Chalfont St Giles.

It first opened to the public in May 1981 with just four-and-a-half buildings and 95 visitors.

Since then, the museum has grown to welcome more than 50,000 visitors each year.

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the museum is inviting visitors and volunteers to share their photos and memories via its website.