Rural Life Living Museum Project

Bringing the sights, sounds and smells of 1944 Britain to museum, take a trip back through time to see what it was like in a small village in the south of England while troops were massing and preparing to embark on D-Day, the invasion of France.

We’re excited to share our work at the Rural Life Living Museum during the Surrey Hills Spring Fair on April 11th and 12th, and also at their Founders Day event on April 19th. These images, carefully selected by our photographers, are presented in panels –  again chosen by our individual photographers.

The Santa Special event wrapped up our 2025 programme of work at the Rural Life Living Museum. It was a cold and dark couple of weekends, which brought our Year of Photography project to a temporary close. We’ve since kicked off a new year of engagement with the RLLM, and we can’t wait to see how this one develops.

The Big Thank You event is the Museums way of show their appreciation for all the Volunteers who’ve given up their time during the year and put in countless hours of work on site to make the Museum tick.

One of the Museum’s longest-running and most loved events, Land Rover Day brings together a wonderful variety of vehicles – from vintage classics to modern models – all celebrating the iconic Land Rover.

This is a must see event for classic car enthusiasts. The Museum is packed with shining paintwork and gleaming chrome during this very special 1 day event as they welcome classic, veteran and vintage vehicle owners and clubs for the day.

See the Museum come alive with fire engines spanning over a century – from early 1900s classics to modern-day machines.

The Woodyard at the museum is a typical 1950s style working sawmill with various items of equipment powered by belt using petrol or steam engines.

The association conducts beekeeping courses and provides practical assistance and guidance to its members. During our many visits, we had the opportunity to photograph various activities. They actively engage with local schools and societies by delivering talks on bees and beekeeping. Additionally, they are frequently present at special event days at RLLM, often bringing one of their observation hives during the summer season to demonstrate the interior of a typical hive.

The Garden show provides gardeners with that all important retail...

Tilford, a Village at War is one of the premier second world war re-enactment events in the UK. The day begins and ends with the colours ceremony on the village green, visitors explore the military encampments, visit the control room, witness bomb disposal, learn about rationing and the war on the home front and experience the chaos of an air raid.

Each year in April the museum celebrates Founders Day to mark the astonishing achievement of the Museum’s founders, Madge and Henry Jackson who lived on site in Old Kiln Cottage and who built the Museum, with help from their friends, in their garden.

The Surrey Hills Craft Fair on the 5th and 6th April 2025 hosted by the...

The Tractor Rally at the Rural Life Living Museum on March 15th and 16th, 2025. The photographs cover over 50 tractors, including some from the museum’s collection and others from private owners who came along to show off their tractors.