The first few pictures below illustrate the wartime and immediate postwar period. There was a housing shortage arising from the destruction of property in the cities that had been bombed. Prefabricated houses, knows and prefabs, were brought in for speed of cheapness of construction. To save on copper piping the kitchen sink was on one side of the partition and the bathroom washbasin on the other. They were supposed to be a temporary measure but continued in use for decades. Some people loved them as they were an improvement on previous accommodation but they were poorly insulated. The museum's own website describes the site as follows:
"Step back in time and explore over 30 reconstructed historic buildings, including an Iron Age roundhouse, 1940s prefab, blacksmith’s forge, Victorian toll house, tin chapel, WW1 and WW2 Nissen huts, earthen cottage and working historic farm that is home to goats, sheep, chickens, cows and farm cats. All set in 45 acres of beautiful Chilterns countryside."
1.0 Strict 