Acton Scott Heritage Farm

About the museum

The farm lies on the Acton Scott estate in the Shropshire Hills, which the Acton family has owned for nearly 900 years. Its farmyard was rebuilt in brick in 1769 as a model farm, and the Elizabethan Acton Scott Hall, still the family’s private home, dates from 1580. The last resident farmer stopped working the farm in 1978.

The farm was opened as a museum of traditional farming in 1975 by Thomas Acton together with Shropshire Council, and it became widely known when the BBC series Victorian Farm was filmed there in 2008. In 2024 a new charity was formed to secure its future as an independent living-history site, and the farm reopened under charitable stewardship in 2025.

Visitors see farmland worked by heavy horses, rare breed animals and traditional buildings dating from 1780 to 1960, including the forge, wheelwright’s workshop, dairy, stables and threshing barn, where horse-drawn farm machinery is displayed. Costumed volunteers demonstrate crafts and farm tasks, and there are herb and produce gardens, a willow maze and a café.

Highlights

• Land worked by Shire horses and horse-drawn machinery
• Rare breed animals including Shropshire sheep, Dairy Shorthorn cattle and Gloucester Old Spot pigs
• Forge, wheelwright’s workshop, dairy and threshing barn
• Costumed volunteers demonstrating rural crafts and farm tasks
• Setting of the BBC series Victorian Farm

Permanent exhibitions

• Working Victorian farm – Traditional farm buildings from 1780 to 1960, including the forge, wheelwright’s workshop, dairy and stables, with costumed volunteers demonstrating crafts.
• Rare breed animals and heavy horses – Shire horses, Shropshire sheep, Dairy Shorthorn cattle, Gloucester Old Spot pigs and poultry, with horse-drawn farming demonstrations.
• Horse-drawn farm machinery – Preserved horse-drawn agricultural machinery and tools displayed in the threshing barn.

Founded

1975

Operated by

Acton Scott Heritage Farm (registered charity 1206770)

Admission & discounts

Online prices with a voluntary Gift Aid donation of 10% are £17.60 for adults and £8.80 for children. Guided tours and talks are free. Groups of 20 or more adults receive a discount. Season tickets are available on arrival or online.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Main pathways are generally suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs, but the cobbled farmyard is uneven. A wheelchair and a tramper (all-terrain mobility scooter) can be hired if booked in advance. Accessible toilets and quiet spaces are available. Assistance dogs are allowed throughout the farm; other well-behaved dogs may go from the car park to the pond and café garden, but not into the farmyard and livestock areas.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities
• Kids’ birthday parties

Under-6s are free. The farm runs a daily programme of activities and seasonal events such as Autumn Fun on the Farm in the October half-term. Baby changing is in the reception building and the café. Direct petting of animals is not permitted.

Getting there & parking

The farm is off the A49 near Carding Mill Valley, about halfway between Shrewsbury and Ludlow.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

The Acton Scott Farm Café in the Old School House serves light lunches, brunch, tea, coffee and bakes, and is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10:30 to 15:00. There is a gift shop and there are picnic spots on the site.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties

Barns, rooms and outdoor spaces can be hired for half days, full days or regular meetings. The picnic barn and the Black Barn can be booked for children’s parties at weekends.

Plan your visit