Help me remember / identify somewhere I went on a school trip

[cheeseismyweakness82]

I have what I think is a distinct memory of visiting an Elizabethan style historic attraction on a school trip but no idea what it was called or where it was. I have started to doubt myself and wonder if I imagined it. If anyone recognises it from my upcoming, not especially helpful, description I will be so happy!

A Tudor style beamed house around a central courtyard
There were shutters on the windows with hearts cut out in the middle
I think the building was painted pink or at the very least the shutters were
There were mannekins in period dress scattered about showing "real life"
I visited at some point between 1987-1993 (who knows if it's still operating)
For some reason I thought I went while on a school trip to the Isle of Wight, but a google of local attractions hasn't brought up anything similar, so maybe a red herring.
I grew up in the SE, so if it wasn't on the IoW, I doubt it was anywhere much further away than Essex, Herts, Suffolk, Cambs, Kent.

Love that someone mentioned Ufton court, I went there on a year 6 residential! many many years ago...I still remember being terrified of the upstairs attic room and all the associated ghost stories, plus the bedroom with the crib was creepy as hell!!

(Sorry for the Derail OP... )

Thank you OP for starting this thread (definitely not going to google Brading Wax museum )

DM and I were trying to remember a place we visited many years ago which had an assortment of historical buildings from different eras, and we couldn’t remember the name of it. It was the Singleton museum, thanks Iwanted

I used to go on holiday to the Isle of Wight every year as a child and loved the Brading was museum. I was gutted when I took my kids back and found out it had shut down.

This thread has also reminded me that I need to go back to the Weald and Downland museum as well.

Yes!!! Brading wax museum! I haven't googled yet but that pic looks right. Odd I remember it being it quaint when clearly it was anything but. Maybe I blocked it out? I was quite a morbid child and love historical grimness (went on to do History at university because of this ).

Sorry for any trauma caused... off to google Brading Wax when the DC give me two seconds to do so.

Yes I think it must've been the Brading Wax Museum and the fact it's no longer there explains why nothing came up when I initially looked.

You clever people, thank you! Every now and again I think of it but my only friend from primary I'm still in touch with had no recollection of it, so I really thought I must've made it up. So good to know it was real. Although... maybe not, if it gave people the horrors!

Glad it was the right place.

Though I'm a little worried for you - the wax models representing dying chimney sweeps, stabbed French spies and skeletal organists struck you as representing "real life"! I'm sure there's help available

Thank you for prompting me to revisit this alarming point in my life. I'm actually quite upset to find it's closed down. Now I've remembered it I'd love to go back (if only to check out the fairyland shutters)!

To dispel the unpleasant memories and googling, the Weald and Downland museum is now the location for The Repair Shop, which is the loveliest TV programme.

If you are of a nervous disposition, look away DH is reminiscing of a trip he went to there when he was a child

www.flickr.com/photos/marthasadie/sets/72157615330406487/

Wow! Thanks for that. Has he finished in therapy yet?

It's just as Cheese described, isn't it. A delightful, quaint place with charming shutters and one or two life-like tableaux!

(I want that cat.)

I'm impressed how people recognised it from her description!

The Isle of Wight really could be a nightmarish place for the young tourist.

We followed up at some point with a visit to Blackgang Chine - the horrifying rocking Humpty Dumpty and the utterly creepy Crooked House (I bet someone from Brading had a hand in that) will never quite leave me.

Just back from the IoW but could not persuade anyone to check out the was museum 🤣.

Also humpty appears to have disappeared from Black Gang Chine. Eaten by dinosaurs I imagine.

Haha. Am on the IoW at the moment. We've been coming here multiple times a year for 20 years and I'm still not over that initial trip to the waxworks. Even driving though Brading on the way to Tesco's makes me shudder. I'd close my eyes for the duration if I wasn't actually behind the wheel! I think it's some sort of tea shop/gift shop now. I have no intention of stopping to find out