Tucked away below the North Downs, in the small village of Brook between Ashford and Wye, is a unique museum. The Grade I listed barn, Grade II listed oast house and associated buildings of the Agricultural Museum Brook, house an impressive collection of Kent related agricultural objects.
The museum is owned and run by the Wye Rural Museum Trust, which was formed in 1996, to take over the ownership of the museum buildings and collections from the then Wye College.We welcome you to explore our site and learn more about our history, buildings, collections and the Wye Rural Museum Trust.
The museum is owned and run by the Wye Rural Museum Trust, which was formed in 1996, to take over the ownership of the museum buildings and collections from the then Wye College.We welcome you to explore our site and learn more about our history, buildings, collections and the Wye Rural Museum Trust.
Services
The origins of the Agricultural Museum at Brook lie in a collection of old Kentish agricultural implements begun in 1931 by N.P.Bagenal of the then East Malling Research Station and G.H.Garrad, Agricultural Organiser for the Kent Education Committee. Both of these had been on the staff of the then South Eastern Agricultural College at Wye, which later became Wye College (University of London).
On the Museum site, in addition to the main buildings of the Barn and the Oast where the exhibits are displayed, there is a large grassed area suitable for picnic meals or for just sitting in the sun. Adjacent to the barn there is a stable block, which has been converted to include a small kitchen, toilets and a meeting room.
The following list gives a range of choices for somewhere to eat within relatively easy reach from the Museum. Staff at the site will be pleased to give you detailed directions if you need them. Between the beginning of June to mid-September, the museum is open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 14:00 to 17:00.
We have grouped a large number of our artefacts into collections, allowing us to document how they were used. If our collection intrigues you, all the artefacts have been audited and documented - please take a look. Between the beginning of June to mid-September, the museum is open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 14:00 to 17:00.
The Honorary Curator, Brian Wimsett, is involved in the general day to day running of the museum. He is also one of the volunteers who open the museum at weekends during the season and generally shows round the parties that have booked to visit the museum. Tom Hill, who is a former Trustee and Secretary of the Wye Rural Museum Trust, is also involved in the day to day running of the museum and assists in showing large parties round.
