Rural museums

Batemans, Burwash, East Sussex

Rudyard Kipling's home is a homage to the Edwardian British sensibility as well as the literary imagination that gave us The Jungle Book. Treasures from his travels, like an elaborate Indian bridal chest, along with first editions and original illustrations are on display. Outside, delightful gardens, orchards and a watermill await. www.nationaltrust.org.uk, 01435 882302

Bewdley Museum, Bewdley, Worcestershire

Set in a former butchers' shambles and jail in Georgian Bewdley, this museum gives an insight into the crafts of the Wyre Forest past and present, with the aim of passing them on to future generations. There are demonstrations by resident craftspeople, who include a French polisher, cabinetmaker, stained-glass artist and textile worker. Lovely café in the walled gardens. www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk, 01299 403573

Bellaghy Bawn, Bellaghy, Co Derry

This small town off the beaten path has a carefully thought-out free museum, housed in a 17th-century fortified house and bawn (the defensive wall surrounding an Irish tower house). Includes a collection of broadcasts and poetry by Seamus Heaney who grew up nearby. Also exhibitions on local natural history and local history. www.ni-environment.gov.uk/bellaghy, 028 7938 6812

The Brontë Parsonage Museum, Haworth, West Yorkshire

It was here that the Brontë sisters ­(and their reprobate brother, Branwell) created a childhood imaginary world with its own characters, before each writing their own novels. Their Georgian home displays manuscripts, letters, paintings and personal belongings that give a sense of this remarkable and creative family. Displays are rotated annually, so you'll always see something new. www.bronte.org.uk, 01535 642323

Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Burns Cottage, Alloway, South Ayrshire

Scotland's national bard was born during an icy January gale in 1759, in this humble cottage. The clay and thatch home (and the building next door) now form a museum detailing his life and legacy. They are situated in the awe-inspiring natural setting of Burns National Heritage Park, encompassing Alloway Kirk and the bridge of Brig o' Doon. www.burnsmuseum.org.uk, 01292 443700

The Farmland Museum, Denny Abbey, Chittering, Cambridgeshire

Combines the mystery and heritage of a Benedictine monastery with a Farmland Museum that brings the transition from hand tools to mechanisation to life with a fenman's hut, a blacksmith's and a wheelwright's workshops. The Walnut Tree Cottage has been furnished to represent a typical farm labourer's home of the late 1940s. www.dennyfarmlandmuseum.org.uk, 01223 860988

The Museum of East Anglian Life, Stowmarket, Suffolk

This museum is housed in the grounds of the Abbots' Hall, an 18^th-century Queen Anne country house which is gradually being restored. Current displays tell the stories of the market town and local industries: farming, ropemaking, basket weaving, brushmaking - and brewing. Hosts a Beer Festival (last weekend in June) and the East Anglian Music Festival in September. www.eastanglianlife.org.uk, 01449 612229

National Maritime Museum, Falmouth, Cornwall

A waterside museum devoted to the history of small boats and the Cornish communities for whom the sea has been a livelihood. Immersive audio-visuals give you a taste of the fury of full-blown storm and, until December, the exhibition Lighthouses: Life on the Rocks pays tribute to Britain's tradition of brave lighthouse keepers. www.nmmc.co.uk, 01326 313388,

National Wool Museum, Dre-Fach Felindre, Carmarthenshire

This village in the beautiful Teifi Valley was once the centre of a thriving wool industry, with garments exported around Britain and beyond. The site of the old Cambrian Mills is now devoted to explaining the history and process of wool-making, from fleece to fabric. Also regular exhibitions by modern textile artists, reinventing the Welsh tradition. www.museumwales.ac.uk, 01559 370929

Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton, West Sussex

A unique village of rebuilt buildings from the 13th to the 19th century, in 40 acres of beautiful Sussex countryside. The buildings - which would have otherwise crumbled away - can be explored, and include a 16th-century farmstead (with livestock) and a 19th-century school. Watch the 17th-century watermill grind wheat into flour, then head to the lakeside for picnics. www.wealddown.co.uk, 01243 811363

For more information on museums around the country, visit www.culture24.org.uk

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