The museum was originally founded in 1973 by Henry and Madge Jackson as a personal collection of rural tools.
Many of the buildings on site were saved from demolition and relocated from locations across Surrey to their current position.
The collection includes a rare 'Old Kiln' which gives the site its historical local name.
The village green layout is designed to simulate a working community hub from the early 20th century.
The museum hosts the largest collection of agricultural implements in the South East of England.
It features a functioning vintage post office and a reconstructed primary school room from the 1900s.
The Rural Life Living Museum in Tilford is an open-air museum dedicated to preserving the social and agricultural history of the West Surrey countryside. It occupies a 10-acre site featuring a collection of re-erected historic buildings including a village hall, chapel, and blacksmith’s forge. The museum exhibits significant industrial heritage artifacts, such as antique tractors, steam engines, and vintage farm machinery. Visitors can walk through reconstructed shop interiors from the Victorian and Edwardian eras that display original trade tools and products. The grounds incorporate woodland trails and a narrow-gauge light railway that operates on select event days. The site documents the transition from manual labor to mechanization in British rural life over the past 200 years. It serves as a repository for regional crafts and historical domestic life, featuring specialized displays on hop farming and local woodworking. The museum layout mimics a traditional village setting to provide context for the preserved structures. It functions as an educational facility focusing on the preservation of vanishing rural trades.
The central village green, which provides a panoramic view of the relocated historic cottages and the church.
Wear sturdy, waterproof footwear as much of the museum consists of gravel paths and open grassy fields.
Check the event calendar before visiting to see if the historic narrow-gauge railway or the vintage tractor demonstrations are active.
Allow extra time to explore the wooded trails at the perimeter of the museum grounds.
Do not attempt to see the entire site in under two hours, as the outdoor nature of the exhibits requires significant walking time.
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays during off-peak seasons; typically closed or limited to events during mid-winter.
Dress for the outdoors; remain on marked paths to protect the heritage landscape.
