Discover Bucks Museum Ticket Portal

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 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!

Day of The Doctors

Saturday 19 July 11-3pm

Discover Bucks Museum has been invaded by Daleks, Robots, and all hordes of Monsters as part of our amazing BEYOND THE STARS Exhibition. So, what we really need is the Doctor or possibly all 15 of them!

We are calling all Sci Fi fans and cosplayers to come dressed up as different incarnations of TV’s Doctor Who! We would love to try and get at least one of each of the 15 Doctors in our Museum garden, From William Hartnell in the Sixties, to Tom Bakers Iconic Doctor in the Seventies right through to Ncuti Gatwa the most recent Time lord! So young or old the challenge is set! How many Doctors will join us at the Museum? Can we get all 15 in one-time and place?

All cosplayers will receive FREE entry to our ‘Beyond the Stars Exhibition’, there will be a parade of Doctors at 14.00pm and a prize will be given to the best children’s and adult Doctor costume! Not a doctor Who fan? No problem please come dressed as your favourite character from any TV or film Sci fi show and join the fun!

Creating Distant Worlds: the art of special effects
Saturday 12 July, 2pm – 3pm
Repeated: Saturday 13 September, 2pm – 3pm

A unique opportunity to hear how special effects were created for classic BBC sci-fi shows including Doctor Who, Red Dwarf and Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. BAFTA award-winning Visual Effects Designer Mike Tucker will share fascinating stories from his career working on these iconic shows and reveal intriguing insights into how special effects transport us to these alien worlds.

Tickets £10, includes entry to Museum and Beyond the Stars exhibition.

Sunday 21st September 12-4pm

Join us at Discover Bucks Museum as we take part in another fantastic year of celebrating Heritage Open Day! 

Join us for Heritage Open Day and enjoy FREE entry, hands-on fossil handling, behind-the-scenes tours, lace-making demos, and a rare look at our iconic Cubitt car. Book a ‘tour ticket’ for exclusive access to hidden parts of the Museum with expert insights from our archaeology and geology teams.

Some Curious Rocks and Fossils

– Mike Palmer, Keeper of Geology and Wildlife will be bringing over a selection of specimens from the Museum’s behind-the-scenes collection for visitors to handle and explore.

How Do They Know It’s Roman?

– If you have ever wondered how an archaeologist on TV can look at a tiny, grubby piece of pottery and say confidently, ”ah, that’s Roman, it’s almost 2000 years old” our Keeper of Archaeology, Brett Thorn will be in attendance to explain how.

We’ll also be opening up the garage doors to give you a closer look at our iconic Cubitt motor car.

Plus, don’t miss our lace makers in action, demonstrating the intricate art of lace making and sharing its rich history.

Plus, the Bucks Archaeology Society will be in attendance to answer any questions and also giving a behind the scenes tour of the Museum building. There will be 2 tours taking place at 12:15pm-1:30pm and again at 2:00pm-3:15pm. Spaces for the tour are strictly limited and must be purchased with a ‘tour ticket’. Accessibility to the basement for a look in the monument room will be via the lift but access to the attic can only be accessed by stairs.

Book your Tour tickets here ➡️. Entry to the Museum is free for the day and you do not need to book, charges for The Roald Dahl Children’s Gallery still apply - add to your basket here.

Entry to the Museum is free for the day, charges for The Roald Dahl Children's Gallery still apply.