Milestones Living History Museum

Milestones Living History Museum stands on the Leisure Park in Basingstoke, Hampshire. It is made up of recreated streets from Victorian and 1930s Hampshire. The Duke of Edinburgh opened the museum in December 2000. Hampshire County Council and Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council organised the project. The Heritage Lottery Fund supported the work. In 2025 the museum welcomed over 100,000 visitors. Hampshire Cultural Trust took ownership in 2014. The museum is worth the journey for its detailed recreations and collections. Local manufacturers Thornycroft and Taskers produced many of the road vehicles on display. These include human-powered carts, horse-drawn wagons and steam engines. Visitors can see commercial vehicles, private cars and fire engines from different eras. A 1902 Thornycroft steam wagon and a 1935 Thornycroft Lightning coach are highlights. Temporary exhibitions have featured Lego models of extinct and mythical creatures. Inside the recreated streets, visitors find a Victorian public house, railway station and shops. A 1930s town includes a Cooperative Society shop and a toy shop with original items. The museum also displays a 1940s period home and Mr Simpson’s Teddy Bear Museum. Sound tracks play conversations and sound effects in the shops and workshops. Outside, steam engines and fire engines stand alongside railway and tramway stock. The Longmoor Military Railway locomotive and a Portsmouth electric tramcar add to the scene.