Visiting the Museum of Carriages with kids – a day out in Maidstone
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We were having a lovely Saturday in front of us and no plans. I decided to look on the map as we love to travel (I’ve shared our travelling adventures here). I picked a town in which we hadn’t been before: Maidstone. The family didn’t know how to feel about this at first. Then the kids got curious when I told them about the Museum of Carriages (official website here).
The 14th-century stables of the medieval Archbishop’s Palace complex houses the museum. It is home to a unique collection of horse-drawn vehicles and transport curiosities.
When you enter the museum, the ticket office is on your left. That’s where you can also borrow (for free) a torchlight. You will need it to see inside the carriages, like this:
The museum has a ground floor and a first floor.
On the ground floor, there are big carriages. Each of them has a stand with information about it. There is also a small shelf on which are “Did you know” facts and “Look closer” hints (sort of an “I spy” for the kids).
The next photo is of a travelling chariot (carriage of the wealthy) from 1817 London. Back then, one had to pay around £344 for the construction of this type of carriage.
What you see below is a travelling coach (also called the “carriage of the wealthy”) from around 1830. It was built for John, 12th Earl of Moray, to be used for his honeymoon. Six horses were to take him and his bride on their Grand Tour of Europe. The wedding never took place so this coach hasn’t been to Europe.
Below is a photo of a Lonsdale Wagonette from around 1890 from Leicester. It is the only type of wagonette that can be an open or closed vehicle. The owners would have used it for shooting trips and attending country races.
At the Museum of Carriages, you can also see Queen Victoria’s 5th State landau from the late 19th century from London. It is quite impressive and couldn’t fit in a photo. Here are some facts from its information stand:
After studying and looking inside every carriage on the ground floor, we climbed up the stairs to the first floor. There we could see smaller carriages, sledges, carriages for kids which were pulled by dogs, and horse harnesses. It’s an interesting collection of vehicles.
So this was our visit to the Museum of Carriages in Maidstone, with 2 young kids. They enjoyed the visit in their own way. My son (4 years old) was very curious about the vehicles and enjoyed looking, using the torchlight, inside them and imagining how it would have been to travel with those carriages. My daughter (22 months) enjoyed playing with the torchlight and the leaflets and studying the big wheels of the carriages.
If you decide to go and visit the place, come back here and let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Useful information when visiting the Tyrwhitt-Drake Museum of Carriages with children:
- the car park is behind the museum (not free)
- there is no toilet or baby change facility available inside the museum
- we paid £5.00 per ticket for 2 adults and 2 children [2017]
- opening times are 2 May – 2 Sep – Wed-Sun, 12 noon – 4 pm
- behind the museum is a small park with a great tree, perfect for kids to climb in
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Raluca Zagura is a mum of two, based in London, and she is also a Certified Hand in Hand Parenting Instructor.
26 Comments
Stacie
I would love to see that museum! I’m a big history buff, and I’ve always found carriages to be fascinating. I love their look, and they just feel so special.
katie davies
what a fascinating musuem, we love exploring new places and the history thanks for sharing
Samantha
This is so interesting! What a beautiful museum! Looks like such a fun place to visit!
katia
I saw a similar museum in Lisbon, I loved it. It’s takes you back to discovering past life x)
wander women abroad
How cool! I felt like I was ther myself. Thanks for sharing. Will def add this to my list
Sara Welch
What a cool place to see some real historical treasures! It looks awesome!
Mama Maggie's Kitchen
Wow! This museum looks awesome! Can’t wait to visit this place coon.
Calleigh
I love visiting the museum , the exhibits inspire interest in an area of study, time period, or an idea– but there’s more going on in museums in regard to education than one might think.
danielle
History is so amazing to witness, huh? I love it! I am glad that horse and carriage are becoming a thing of the past though, poor horses!
Angie Scheie
I used to struggle with museums as a kid but now I love them! This one looks like it has some great models and is really informative too. Thanks for sharing!
Rhonda Albom
Sounds like a fascinating museum. It’s nice that they let you use torches for free. I definitely would forget to bring one.
Asha Carlos
The museum looks like a really interesting place to visit, so full of history.
Catherine Santiago Jose
I have never been there but that was a nice place to visit and to go back to your history. I will definitely add this to my bucket list, thanks for sharing these guidelines with us.
Melissa Dixon
Wow that looks like a beautiful place to visit. I would love to go there. I love the carriages! I am always interested in learning more about such beautiful parts of history.
Kami | Life with Kami
The museum is pretty impressive. I love going back to history. I will surely add this on my list.
Surekha Busa
It was such an amazing museum, it’s good to know about certain things with histories. I love the pictures that you shared, it’s all beautiful.
kumamonjeng
I love visiting the museum and in fact, when I travel, I would pick an interesting museum and visit. I love the carriages in this museum. A good place to learn about all type of carriages.
Chad
I just checked the web link to the museum, this is amazing, love it. Thank you so much for sharing.
Chelle Dizon
It is always interesting and fun to go to museums like this. I am so glad I can get a glimpse of that place. It must be really exciting for the kids.
Beth Pierce
This would be really fascinating to see in person! Imagine where all those carriages have traveled !
Alexandra Cook
Oh wow, what an amaizng miseum. It is such an honor to visit an historical place like this
Catherine
I’d love to know what it was like to travel by carriage and experience that! What a fun trip to the museum!
Bella and Dawn at Dear Mummy Blog
This looks like a fascinating place to visit and the only carriage I’ve ever seen is Cinderella’s carriage at Disneyland so nice to see some authentic ones x
Jasmine Hewitt
this is a really unique museum. it would be fun to visit
Amy
Love exploring places like this! Takes you right back in time doesn’t it
Nancy
Wow, this is so cool. I am a history buff so I’d definitely enjoy seeing all of these. Thanks for such a great feature, I will keep this in mind when I’m in the area.