Ancient House Museum of Thetford Life

Ancient House is a timber-framed Tudor merchant's house in the centre of Thetford, run by Norfolk Museums Service. Inside, rooms of local collections trace the history of the town and the surrounding Breckland countryside, from prehistoric and Roman finds through to the twentieth century. A recreated Victorian kitchen shows how a household of the past worked, and the Householders' Room looks at four people who once lived or worked in the building. Short films and audio guides introduce two famous local figures, the Maharajah Duleep Singh and the writer Thomas Paine. Families with older children can join in with the museum's history activities, and the building itself, with its crooked walls and old timbers, makes a good talking point for younger visitors. There is a small courtyard garden and a car park across the road, and the town's train station and bus station are a short walk away.