The Museum of Kent Life; Preview Opening 1984

The Museum of Kent Rural Life is an exciting new project being set up on 27 acres of land in Cobtree Manor Park, just north of Maidstone. The museum is a joint venture of Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council and will eventually contain buildings for the internal display of agricultural implements, rural crafts and industries, together with outside plantings of crops important to Kent's agricultural history.

The first phase of the museum, the renovation of the oast house and dairy courtyard already on site, has now been completed. Much of the work has been done using old building methods including split laths and peg tiling. Areas will be left open for visitors to view so that they will be able to see, for example, the construction of the roof of an oast kiln. Displays and collections for the museum are gradually being built up and some of these will be housed in the completed building.

The museum is a long-term project and over the next few years more buildings will be moved to the site, the collections built up and outside planting started. It is hoped that the public will watch the gradual progress of the museum and become actively involved with it from an early stage. This is the main reason behind the "preview opening" of the museum this year.

The museum will be open from the Bank Holiday weekend, the 25th August, until mid-October. Admission will be 50p for adults and 25p for children and reduced admissions.