Mrs Smith's Cottage

About the museum

Mrs Smith’s Cottage in Navenby, a village south of Lincoln, was the home of Hilda Smith, born Hilda Craven in 1892. She lived there for most of the twentieth century and kept a diary almost every day from 1948 to 1994. The diaries record village life, local families and the changes she saw over the decades, and they are the main thread through which the museum tells her story.

After her death in 1995 villagers worried about the future of the house, and North Kesteven District Council became involved. With a Heritage Lottery grant secured in 1997, the cottage was turned into a small museum with its contents kept as she left them, and it opened to the public in 1999.

The building was closed in 2012 when serious structural problems came to light. A major project of repairs, conservation and new interpretation, again supported by Heritage Lottery funding, ran from September 2016 to July 2020, and the cottage then reopened. Today visitors enter through a small shop and visitor centre, see the rooms and kitchen with their original furnishings, explore the restored cottage garden and can take a 360-degree digital tour of the upstairs rooms. A learning centre hosts school sessions and community activities.

Highlights

• Cottage kept as Hilda Smith left it in 1995
• Her kitchen with the rocking chair by the range, and the best room kept for special occasions
• Diary extracts and oral history recordings about village life
• Restored cottage garden based on her plant list
• 360-degree Digital Cottage tour of the upper rooms

Permanent exhibitions

• Mrs Smith’s Cottage and garden – The rooms, kitchen and restored garden of the cottage, kept with the contents and appearance of Hilda Smith’s last years there.
• Digital Cottage – A 360-degree virtual tour in the visitor centre that includes the upper rooms, which are only reachable by ladder.

Founded

1999

Admission & discounts

Booking online in advance is recommended.

Accessibility

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

The cottage is a historic building. The upper rooms can only be reached by ladders, so visitors who cannot or prefer not to climb can see them on the 360-degree Digital Cottage tour in the visitor centre. An accessible toilet with baby changing and an emergency pull cord is on site, and an accessibility guide is available as a PDF on the website.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Baby changing facilities

Family trails, games and crafts are offered at the cottage, including a cottage history trail and a pattern trail. Activity booklets for Scout and Guide groups lead to a “Be More Hilda” badge. A baby changing facility is in the accessible toilet.

Getting there & parking

The cottage is just off Navenby High Street (A607), about 10 miles south of Lincoln. A bicycle rack is in the block-paved parking area a few metres away.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Entry to the cottage is through the gift shop.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit