The museum is delighted to announce that as of 31st October 2024 they met their target of £150,000 within the 3-month timescale set out at the beginning of the campaign, launched on 5th August 2024.
Surrey Hills Enterprises is consequently delighted to confirm that the Surrey Hills Spring Fair will take place at the Museum on 5 and 6 April 2025.
The Rural Life Living Museum is unique collection of the discarded buildings, implements and
objects of everyday life, collected by Madge and Henry Jackson since 1968. The couple opened
their back garden to the public in 1973. Tragically, both their children pre-deceased them, and
the Old Kiln Museum Trust (Registered Charity 289150) was formed in 1984 to protect and
continue their legacy.
The museum has been created by many thousands of people who have donated objects and
volunteered their time, support and skills. In 2024, we now have some 20 buildings and a
collection of 40,000 objects.
The Rural Life Living Museum is now owned and operated by the Old Kiln Museum CIO
Registered Charity Number 1200370. (Charitable status transferred to CIO in 2022) The museum
receives no external funding for operational costs and has survived hand-to-mouth through ticket
sales and donations for 50 years. The rising cost of operating the museum meant that
expenditure began to outstrip the income generated through ticket sales and donations.
On August 5th, 2024, a fundraising campaign was launched to raise £150,000 by the end of
October or there was a very strong chance the Museum that Madge and Henry built in their
garden, with the help of hundreds of volunteers, would have been forced to close. The legacy
that Madge and Henry entrusted the museum with, would have been lost.
The support received has been overwhelming. Over 2500 individual donors
answered the call for help and prevented the closure of the museum by donating towards the
campaign.