Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre

This great little award-winning Museum is aimed at 6 to 12 year olds and their families. Situated in Great Missenden where Roald Dahl lived and wrote for 36 years, it was created as a home for the author’s unique archive. The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre has two fun and fact-packed biographical galleries and a fantabulous interactive Story Centre that inspires creativity. 

The Boy and Solo galleries tell the story of Dahl’s life and work through film, objects and lively interactive displays. Roald Dahl was determined that all his papers - manuscripts, photographs, his ‘Ideas Book’, correspondence (including his earliest letters home to his mother from boarding school) - should stay together. The Museum facilitates unprecedented access to this priceless material via touch-screen monitors in the galleries and through the on-line archive on the website.

The Story Centre gallery houses a replica of Dahl’s famous Writing Hut including the author’s chair (which visitors can try out) and his table, complete with some of his prized possessions. The Hut stands in an orchard of giant Quentin Blake illustrations, where interactive games and bookcases can be discovered amongst the trees. Visitors can make their own stop-frame animation film, record their dreams in a dream bottle, make up Gobblefunk words and dress up as Roald Dahl characters. The Story Centre also features audio and visual displays focusing on other leading contemporary authors such as Benjamin Zephaniah, Philip Pullman, J K Rowling and Jacqueline Wilson.

The Museum offers tailor-made school visit sessions and a packed programme of family events and activities for children and adults. The Museum is open for school and private visits Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm. It is an invaluable educational resource, but also a great family day out and, with a shop and café on site, a stimulating way to spend some time in the wondercrump world of Roald Dahl.

Great Missenden is 40 minutes by train from London Marylebone and the Museum is a short walk from the station. The village is situated off the A413 between Amersham and Aylesbury; the Museum and pay-and-display car park are well sign-posted.

Fact Box

Admission: adults £5.50; children 5-18 £3.95 (under 5s free); concessions £3.95; family ticket £18.00
Annual passes available.

Find out more about the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre www.roalddahlmuseum.org