Discover Bucks Museum Ticket Portal

1pm Thursday 8th May 2025, 1pm Thursday 12 June & 1pm Thursday 10 July.

Treat yourself to an elegant Afternoon Tea in our cafe area. Enjoy delicate finger sandwiches, a scone with jam, clotted cream and a selection of sweet treats along with a varied selection of teas and coffees to choose from when you arrive and a refill after your keeper talk.

Please choose from our classic or vegetarian option.

Admission to the Museum for the day is included in the Afternoon Tea. 

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 Thursday 8 May 2025 In this Tea and Talk join Libby Owen to discover 'Why is there an Egyptian collection at Discover Bucks Museum?'

Libby has recently finished an archaeology and heritage MA at University College London. She has been volunteering at Discover Bucks Museum since February 2024

Today Egyptian antiquities can be found scattered across museum collections worldwide resulting from colonial collecting practices in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Discover Bucks Museum is no exception and holds around 400 objects from ancient Egypt. This Tea & Talk explores how these objects came to be in Buckinghamshire, so far away from their original archaeological context in Egypt. Touching on themes frequently discussed in academic Egyptological research today, the talk will present ways to better understand the modern history of the ancient objects in Bucks Museum’s collection and why this matters.

The talk will last approx. 30 minutes and there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions after as you relax with your cream tea!

Thursday 12 June 2025  "The mysteries of Yewden Roman villa"

Excavated over 100 years ago, this fascinating site near the Thames, produced some very unusual evidence -dozens of writing implements, industrial scale corn processing facilites, and almost 100 newborn burials. Explore the evidence, and ponder the questions with Brett Thorn, Keeper of Archaeology.

The talk will last approx. 30 minutes and there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions after as you relax with your cream tea!

 Thursday 10 July 2025  Join our Keeper of Natural History, Mike Palmer who will be talking about 'Buckinghamshire's Historic and Noteworthy trees.'

 A look at some of our local trees, past and present, that have become treasured individuals in the landscape on account of their great age or links to people and events.

The talk will last approx. 30 minutes and there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions after as you relax with your cream tea!

Festival Of Archaeology 2025 12:00-3:00pm

Announcing The Festival of Archaeology 2025 will take place at Discover Bucks Museum on Sunday 20th July.Join us for this annual festival coordinated by The Council for British Archaeology. Back with a showground of living history, archaeology, fun and crafts!

Have you ever wondered how an archaeologist on TV can look at a tiny, grubby piece of pottery and say, confidently “ah, that’s Roman, its almost 2000 years old!”?

Come along and handle pottery from all periods of history, and find out for yourself!

Meet the Experts!

You will be able to view and handle some exciting objects and learn more about them from Arwen Wood, Finds Liaison Officer for Buckinghamshire.

Thousands of objects over 300 years old or of significant county interest are recorded every year by the Portable Antiquities Scheme, a National Scheme run through the British Museum. This includes objects found by gardeners, walkers and detectorists. The objects recorded are used by researchers so by recording you are personally helping to advance knowledge of the history and archaeology of the county.

Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society – is the county’s lead society for archaeology, history, architecture and heritage and will be in attendance for the day.

The Buckinghamshire Council Archaeology Service maintain the Buckinghamshire Historic Environment Record and provide expert advice and guidance on any scheme, development or proposal which may impact on the county’s rich archaeological resource.  Made up of a team of professional archaeologists, they can share some of the exciting recent discoveries from within the county.

Archaeology Gallery

Continue your exploration of early life in Bucks in the archaeology gallery and find out about the early people from prehistoric times through to Roman, Saxon, Viking and Medieval times. Meet an Anglo-Saxon woman mistakenly called “the Aston Clinton Princess”, and find out why she’s not really royalty…

Explore the amazing Lenborough Hoard display, and the story of the forgotten invasion of England in 1016 by the Viking King Cnut. How do 5000 Anglo-Saxon silver coins, hidden in a field near Buckingham, tell the story of 1000 year old conflict between Vikings and Saxons? Find out about archaeology today and what has been discovered recently. Every object on display was once important to someone. They may have made, used or treasured it – each is a personal window into the past.

Crafts and activities

Entry to the Museum for the day is FREE and there will be lots of crafts for children to take part in including coin rubbing and brooch making as well as taking part in water excavation and a sandpit dig. Children can even make their own cave painting!