Explore Sudbury's nostalgic Museum of Childhood

Door of the National Trust Museum of Childhood at Sudbury Hall, Derbyshire — Enter a world of imagination

The Museum of Childhood's eight galleries celebrate the escapades and challenges of childhood in a whole new way. You don’t have to be young, only young at heart to enjoy the adventure.

The Outdoor Adventure Gallery

Start the discovery outside and walk through our Victorian street, where you can play jacks and marbles. Jog your own memories by listening to people’s accounts of playing outdoors over the years. Enjoy the games of a bygone era, many long forgotten by the children of today.

Visitors enjoying Victorian street games. — Enjoy games of a bygone era.

The Work Gallery

Experience first-hand the realities of life for children employed through the ages. Venture down a Victorian mine tunnel and uncover what life was like for children working in domestic service. Daring young ‘sweeps’ can take on our chimney climb and crawl into the darkness and get a feel for what it would have been like for the real life chimney sweeps.

A little girl enjoying the Sudbury chimney! — The Sudbury chimney is always a hit.

The Toys Gallery

With an amazing array of toys including the Betty Cadbury Collection of Playthings Past, you can take a look at toys through the ages including many of Betty's treasured mechanical toys. Betty's collection truly is one of a kind, a culmination of a lifelong passion for toys. During her life she was considered an expert in her field with one of the finest collections going, today we are lucky enough to be able to display her efforts.

The Home Gallery

This gallery turns home life on its head, look up to see a bedroom on the ceiling. Many of our visitors are fascinated by our dolls houses, an insight into family life of times gone by on a miniature scale. Learn about family life and the impact that World War 2 had on childhoods of that era.

Home gallery in the Museum of Childhood — Look up and see the unexpected...

The School Gallery

They say that school days are the best days of your life, our Victorian school teacher thinks otherwise! Cast your mind back to semolina dinners and school uniforms, sit up straight and pay attention for fear of the dreaded dunce hat!

A lesson our Victorian school room — Sit up straight and listen...

The Project Gallery

A brand new gallery for 2018 housing the new items in our museum collection. Bridging the gap between old and new we're sure you'll recognise many of the items.

Ken doll — Barbie's lonely days are over thanks to the arrival of this retro gentleman

Exploring childhoods

A five year project to expand the Museum of Childhood's collections. We can't do it alone and are working with the local community to make it possible.

Get involved

The Stories and Imagination Gallery

Enter here and who knows who you’ll meet, walk through outer space into a magical forest. Budding storytellers can create their own characters and stories in our performance area.

Re-discover the toys you played with as a child or those your parents or grandparents loved. Learn about how childhoods have changed over the past decades right through to modern day. It's not just a museum for children, it's a nostalgic journey for all the family.