Educational
What’s there
- Café on site
Only facilities we’ve confirmed are listed — anything missing here we simply haven’t checked, rather than know to be absent.
Astaria is a miniature village built up house by house over many years, set in the grounds of the Museum of Power, a former Victorian water pumping station beside the River Chelmer. Young visitors can wander around the tiny streets and look for the fairies, elves and village characters tucked among the buildings. The village was created with children in mind, and school groups often include it as part of their visit to the museum. It is most popular during the October candlelight evenings, when hundreds of lanterns light up the village and there are fairy-themed activities. On the first Sunday of most months the village is open to visitors when the site and tea room are free to enter, while the main museum is charged separately. It suits younger children and families who enjoy imaginative play and close-up detail, and it pairs well with the miniature railway and the steam engines on site.
Stuff to take with you
The things people wish they’d packed for a day out like this one.
- Refillable water bottleMost places will fill it for free.
- Snacks that survive a rucksackCheaper than the café, and buys you twenty minutes.
- Wet wipes
- Small first aid kitPlasters solve more days out than anything else here.
- Sudocrem
- Blister plastersNew shoes and a long walk are a bad pairing.
- Hand warmers
- Hair bobbles
- Travel sickness bands
- Small bin bagCountry parks often have no bins at all.
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