Milestones - Hampshire's living history museum
Step back in time and visit this award-winning museum which house a recreation of life from Victorian times through to the 1930s and 1940s.
Thousands of authentic bricks, slates and tiles have been used to create a network of life-size street scenes, complete with period houses and a working pub. Factories and industrial buildings represent important local manufacturers, such as Taskers and Thornycrofts.
A team of collections specialists and designers have transformed the street scenes with around 20,000 individual items. These include a range of vehicles, from large steam engines to commercial vehicles, as well as smaller social history objects, detailing the technology and industry of Hampshire’s vibrant past.
With the help of demonstrators dressed in period costumes, Milestones recreates everyday life for the townspeople in a fun and accessible way.
Milestones receives grant funding from the council.
For information on events and opening times visit Milestones Living History museum website or telephone 0845 603 5635.
Location: Milestones, Leisure Park, Churchill Way West, Basingstoke, RG22 6PG
The Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery
Named after local clock maker George Willis, who established the collection in 1931, the Willis Museum explores the town's history, from its archaeological past to the more modern development experienced during the 1960s and 1970s.
The museum is home to the impressive Sainsbury Gallery, which hosts a range of high-profile exhibitions. The museum also host a year-round programme of family events and community exhibitions.
The Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery receives grant funding from the council.
For information about what's on and opening times visit Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery website or telephone 01256 465902.
Location: Willis Museum and Sainsbury Gallery, Market Place, Basingstoke, RG21 7QD.
Whitchurch Silk Mill
South-west of Basingstoke and situated on Frog Island in the River Test, the small market town of Whitchurch offers a wonderfully unique attraction. Whitchurch Silk Mill is the last working mill of its kind in the south of England and was originally used to produce silk for Burberry raincoats and legal gowns.
It now functions as a working museum, making silks for interiors and costume dramas. Open throughout the year, visitors can watch the working waterwheel, hear the late 19th century looms weaving silk and view the costume exhibitions. The Mill's cafe and riverside garden offers refreshments and a place to rest and you can buy silk produced at the Mill from the gift shop.
Whitchurch Silk Mill receives grant funding from the council.
For information about opening times, admission fees and what's on visit Whitchurch Silk Mill website or contact 01256 892065.
Location: Whitchurch Silk Mill, 28 Winchester Street, Whitchurch, RG28 7AL.
Public Art around the borough
Local history and heritage sites
