Discover Bucks Museum’s major exhibition exploring Buckinghamshire’s Saxon past has been extended due to popular demand.
Visitors now have even longer to step back 1,300 years as The SAXONS at Discover Bucks Museum has been extended and will now run until 21 February 2027.
Originally scheduled to close in November, the extension gives families, history enthusiasts, schools and groups more time to experience the major exhibition, which brings together extraordinary archaeological discoveries from across Buckinghamshire and reveals the stories of the people behind them.
The exhibition has already received an enthusiastic response from visitors, with recent reviews including:
“The ‘Saxons’ exhibition was extremely interesting, well displayed without an overload of information, and pertinent to the local area. One of your best.”
“The Saxon exhibition was really well put together using film, interactive video, archaeology finds, and some great animations.”
“Best museum we’ve visited. Every aspect marvelous!”
The exhibition has attracted visitors from both the local area and further afield, with its combination of archaeological discoveries, immersive displays, films, interactive experiences and engaging storytelling helping to bring Saxon Buckinghamshire to life.
Sam Mason, Discover Bucks Museum’s CEO said:
“This has been a flagship exhibition for Discover Bucks Museum – bigger than any exhibition we have mounted before and has shown unprecedented interest from our visitors both local and further afield. In light of its popularity and excellent feedback, we have decided to extend the exhibition to give more people the chance to visit or come back and see it again. We give our gratitude to our exhibition partners that have made this possible”.
The extension also means there is now an opportunity for more schools, community groups, local history societies and other organisations to visit before the exhibition closes in February 2027.
Go deeper with talks and tours
The extension also provides more opportunities to explore the stories behind the exhibition through expert talks and guided tours. Recent visitors to a guided tour led by Brett Thorn, Keeper of Archaeology, praised his knowledge and enthusiasm, with one group describing the experience as: “Your knowledge and enthusiasm brought the exhibits to life… It was fascinating to hear the stories behind the objects and to benefit from your archaeological expertise, and you managed to make everything both wonderfully informative and hugely entertaining.”
The group added that they felt “very privileged to have had such an expert and enthusiastic guide” and came away wishing they could have stayed longer.
Groups interested in arranging an exclusive talk or tour of The SAXONS can get in touch with Discover Bucks Museum to discuss their requirements. This offers local history groups, societies, community organisations and other groups the chance to explore the exhibition with expert insight into the archaeology, people and stories behind the objects.
Bring the Saxons to life for your school
Schools also have the opportunity to experience The SAXONS through dedicated KS2 gallery sessions and workshops.
The Anglo-Saxons Gallery Experience combines an interactive introduction to Saxon Buckinghamshire with exploration of the immersive exhibition and the archaeological process. Pupils can also discover the famous Lenborough Hoard and find out more about the mysterious ‘not-princess’ of Aston Clinton.
Something for the whole family
Families can explore the exhibition through immersive displays, real archaeological objects, digital storytelling and family activities. Throughout the exhibition, three on screen Saxon characters, created in collaboration with re-enactment specialists Wulfheodenas, help bring the people and stories behind the archaeology to life.
