The car park was busy, Grandma and Grandpa repeatedly commented on how they'd never seen it so busy, though Grandpa also repeatedly pointed out that it was half term, and we should have expected it to be busy. We were directed to what appeared to be an almost full overflow car park. As the museum had only opened half an hour earlier, I suspect some people arriving slightly later might not have been able to park.
A five minute walk (including crossing a busyish road) led us to the entrance to the courtyard containing the shop, cafe, toilets, and museum entrance. Sudbury Hall wasn't open the day we visited.
Our first stop was the cafe, but unfortunately the queue was extremely long and there was a distinct lack of tables. Many families had chosen to use the picnic tables outside, but breastfeeding a baby outside on a freezing cold day wasn't particularly appealing. We decided to try a pub round the corner which was advertising hot food, but here again we were out of luck. No free tables and a small queue already.
Back to the courtyard we walked. I reasoned that Baby needed a change and a feed anyway, so whilst I took care of that, Grandma and Grandpa would queue, and we'd see how far they'd got by the time I'd sorted Baby out. We were in luck, as the queue had gone down significantly, so Grandma and Grandpa had been served and found a table when Baby and I joined them.
Suitably nourished, we made our way to the Museum entrance, where there was a queue to get in. There was a buggy park outside, which was very full. An open sided marquee style covering had been erected but I doubt this would have provided much protection in the event of any actual rain, and it was so busy that prams were being left outside its confines anyway.
There were several themed areas, including work, school, babies, stories and toys. The work area included several role play sections, but we skipped these as Baby obviously isn't old enough and there was congestion with all the kids wanting to have a go. The rest of the museum was much less crowded.
On certain days children can experience a lesson in the schoolroom, and there are other interactive features around the museum, including a dress up section and the opportunity to play with various toys. There are also exhibits behind glass. In the baby section there were some toys especially suited to babies, including a Spot the Dog that Baby took a particular shine to.
Grandma has visited before (apparently with Mummy, who has no recollection of the visit) and said it has changed a lot since then, a statement one of the volunteers heartily agreed with. Hopefully next time we visit the Hall will be open too.
Key facts:
Month of visit:
February
Weather for visit:
Sunny and mild.
Is it pushchair friendly?
Yes and no. If your child can walk, and is likely to walk around, you are encouraged to leave pushchairs outside. When the museum gets busy, if everyone were to take a pram round there'd be no space to walk past, as some of the corridors are quite narrow. However, we did take the pram round because Baby can get quite heavy, and found corridors/walkways easy to navigate, plus there was lift access to every floor, albeit with a very small lift.
How are the baby changing facilities?
There is a baby changing room in the courtyard, next to the gents toilets. A slightly strange set up, there is an area with a toilet, sink and a single chair, with rather a lot of spare floor space, with a lockable door. Outside of this, there is a fold down changing table. Once someone is using the changing table it becomes awkward for anyone to get in/out of the toilet however. Whoever designed the space clearly didn't have a baby themselves. Having only one changing table also meant there was constantly a queue. For those keen on cotton wool/water, rather than wipes, note that this is impossible here as the sink is far too far away from the changing table.
What about somewhere to feed?
If you can find a seat in the cafe, there's nothing to stop you feeding in there. There is a mezzanine level which might offer fewer passers by, but sitting there would require leaving pushchairs downstairs. The baby changing facility had a single chair, which I used, however the constant queue made me feel under pressure to hurry baby along, which wasn't ideal.
Is it worth a visit?
Children will appreciate going up the Victorian chimney and working in a scullery, though they may find the exhibits in cases less entertaining. It's not the biggest museum, so won't keep you occupied all day, but the grounds are good for letting off steam and there certainly seemed to be many families enjoying them in addition to visiting the museum. Less worthwhile for babies, who can't partake in the activities and aren't that interested in the static glass cases.
Baby's highlight?
Spot the Dog. The cabinet with various teddy bears in it, including Paddington and Winnie the Pooh, was also a big hit.
National Trust Museum of Childhood
Main Road,
Sudbury,
Ashbourne,
Derbyshire,
DE6 5HT
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sudbury-hall-and-the-national-trust-museum-of-childhood
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