The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre

About 45 minutes from London you'll find a little town called Great Missenden, which was home to Roald Dahl for more than 30 years. Today The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre reminds visitors of its famous citizen who died in 1990.

Roald Dahl wrote bestsellers like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Boy, George's Marvellous Medicine, Witches and many more. The Roald Dahl Museum took all these books and stories to create a place where children get to know the author, his life and his writing hut - the place where all the literary magic happened. Above that they learn where he got his ideas from, how he created such remarkable characters and - what's even more important - that even a brilliant writer like Roald Dahl sometimes took his first draft and threw it in the bin just to start all over again. On a big tv screen in the Story Centre his colleagues - among them J.K. Rowling - tell the visitors about their creative work, which shows that each writer has a unique approach to her/his own writing.

However, this place is not only about learning, but above all about getting inspired and being creative. Children can dress up and take photos, make a mini movie, draw or just collect ideas to write their very own story (and that even in Roald Dahls very own armchair!). Not in the mood to write? Well, why not get one of the Storysacks? They provide the little reader with a book and some items from the book, e.g. mice, chocolate (sorry, this one can't be eaten, it's made of rubber) and some background information on the book. After that, why not indulge in some more story telling in Miss Honey's classroom? 

When you're finished and are still in discovery mode, you can grab a village trail and explore the museum's surroundings, if the weather is ok that is.

The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre
81-83 High Street
Great Missenden
HP 16 0AL

Direct trains from London-Marylebone to Great Missenden run every 30 minutes.