The Village Church Farm Museum

About the museum

The museum was founded in 1976 as Church Farm Museum, part of the Museum of Lincolnshire Life run by Lincolnshire County Council. The county council withdrew in 2010, and in 2011 the museum became a registered charity managed by trustees and volunteers under the name The Village Church Farm Museum.

Its core is a farmhouse built in 1760, said to be the oldest house in Skegness. The first recorded tenants were the Enderby family in 1766. In the 1840s Skegness was still a small settlement of about 180 people, and Church Farm was mostly pasture. From 1870 the farm gradually lost land to the growth of the town, and the last baby was born in the farmhouse in 1934.

The site is set in about three acres of gardens and orchards a short distance from the centre of Skegness. Visitors can see life in a Victorian farmhouse, a thatched mud and stud farm labourer's cottage, a Victorian schoolroom, uniform displays from the two world wars and Bob, a traction engine. The museum holds events and changing exhibitions during the year, and has a tea room and a function room.

Highlights

• Georgian and Victorian farmhouse of 1760, the oldest house in Skegness
• Thatched mud and stud farm labourer's cottage
• Bob the traction engine
• Victorian schoolroom and washroom
• Cottage garden and orchard
• Tea room

Permanent exhibitions

• Victorian farmhouse – Rooms of the 1760 farmhouse showing life on a Victorian farm.
• Farm labourer's cottage – A thatched mud and stud cottage showing how a farm labourer's family lived.
• Bob the traction engine – A traction engine on display on the museum grounds.

Founded

1976

Operated by

The Village Church Farm Museum (registered charity)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Entry is by donation. Some events charge a small fee.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• 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 museum offers disabled facilities, but access is limited because the barn house and farmhouse are old buildings. Dogs are welcome but not allowed in the exhibition buildings.

Kids & families

Getting there & parking

The museum is on Church Road South, a short distance from the centre of Skegness.

Amenities & dining

• Café

The Tea Room serves tea and food. Seasonal produce from the orchard and cottage garden is on sale.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

Up to 80 guests.

A function room seats up to 80 people.

Plan your visit