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BUCKINGHAM OLD GAOL & MUSEUM
Audio Tours of the Old Gaol Exhibits
Press Play to listen to the description at each stop of the tour. Within the Old Gaol there are two smaller exhibits. Follow the links provided for more detailed explanations of the Flora Thompson and Bucks Military Museum exhibits.
The Main Tour
01 Introduction​
About Buckingham Old Gaol
02 From Fossils to Swans
How we can learn about Buckingham's distant past through the fossil record, as well as Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Viking finds.
03 Mints, Angels and Tudors
What we can learn from the coins about Anglo-Saxons through to Richard III and the Tudors that followed them.
04 Civil War
A fateful decision was made in Buckingham on which the Civil War may have hinged.
05 Crowns and Charters
Find out more about the honours bestowed on Buckingham that means we can have fun every October.
06 First World War
The impact the First World War had on Buckingham.
07 In the Cell
What was life like for prisoners in the Old Gaol?
08 Bucks Military Museum
Let's find out more about Buckinghamshire's citizen soldiers
09 Flora Thompson
The only dedicated permanent exhibition to the author of Lark Rise to Candleford.
10 Exercise Yard
Find out what prisoners did when they weren't in their cells and the one that got away.
Bucks Military Museum Exhibit
Welcome to the Bucks Military Museum section of the Old Gaol. Buckinghamshire has a rich and often surprising military history, and this exhibit brings it to life through a remarkable collection of weapons, uniforms, miniatures and personal artefacts. The recordings below guide you through the displays, exploring the stories of the men who served, the regiments they belonged to and the conflicts that shaped the county and the nation.
Citizen Soldiers
A conversation with Ian Beckett from the Bucks Military Museum about the raising of local troops.
Shilkos, Miniatures and Pistols
A closer look at the exhibits in the first cabinet.
Dead Man's Penny
A closer look at the dead man's penny and other exibits in the second cabinet.
Uniforms Through Time
Let's find out more about this hand-made set of miniature figures depicting Bucks uniforms through the ages.
A Drum and Uniform
What the drum and uniform tell us about the remarkable achievements of the Bucks units in the First and Second World Wars
Flora Thompson Exhibit
Welcome to the room dedicated to Flora Thompson, Buckinghamshire's most celebrated rural writer. Best known for her autobiographical trilogy Lark Rise to Candleford, Flora captured the vanishing world of late Victorian country life with extraordinary warmth and precision. The recordings below feature conversations with leading experts who have spent years researching her life, her writing and the real people and places that inspired her characters.
Flora at 150
A conversation with Gillian Lindsay & Christine Bloxham. Gillian is author of Flora Thompson, The story of a Lark Rise Writer among other works. Christine is author of The World of Flora Thompson Revisited - her research notes and genealogies are housed in the Oxfordshire Record Office.
The Real Candleford Green
A conversation with Martin Greenwood, author of The Real Candleford Green. He describes many of the residents of Fringford (Candleford Green) who would have provided inspiration for Flora's characters including Kezia Whitton (Dorcas Lane), the postmistress who gave Flora her first job as an assisant and letter-carrier.
On The Trail of Flora
A conversation with Jo Smith, author of On The Trail of Flora Thompson, about Flora's life after leaving Fringford (Candleford Green) and the people and places that inspired her life of writing.