Situated outside the village of Tilford, south of Farnham in the southwest corner of the County, the Rural Life Centre contains the biggest countryside collection in the south of England. The private collection, assembled by Mr and Mrs Henry Jackson and run by a charitable trust, comprises a large number of implements and devices marking over 150 years of farming.
Set in over 10 acres of garden and woodland, many aspects of village and rural life are displayed in purpose-built and reconstructed buildings, including a chapel, village hall and cricket pavilion.
Displays show such things as local hop growing and village crafts such as wheelwrighting, of which the centre’s collection is probably the finest in the country.
The Rural Life Centre provides a unique venue for bringing history to life for schoolchildren. An historic village playground provides entertainment for children, as does a preserved narrow gauge light railway that operates on Sundays.
There is also an arboretum with over 100 species of trees from around the world where walks can be enjoyed.