Kent Life Heritage Farm Park

Kent’s Premier Heritage Farm & Family Attraction

Kent Life Heritage Farm Park stands as Southeast England’s leading heritage farm attraction, celebrating over 100 years of rural Kent history through authentic working farm experiences, vintage machinery displays, and traditional craft demonstrations. Set within 28 acres of beautiful Kentish countryside near Maidstone, this award-winning family destination combines rare breed farm animals, historic hop gardens, Victorian farm buildings, and engaging seasonal events creating unforgettable days out for families, school groups, and heritage enthusiasts. Visitors discover hands-on animal encounters, tractor rides through orchards, adventure playgrounds, and fascinating exhibitions revealing how Kent’s agricultural heritage shaped the Garden of England.

Living Heritage & Rural History

Kent Life preserves and celebrates traditional Kentish farming practices spanning the Victorian era through to the 1950s, showcasing authentic farm buildings rescued from across Kent and painstakingly rebuilt on-site. The museum’s collection includes historic oast houses used for drying hops, traditional Wealden barns featuring distinctive architecture, vintage tractors and farming machinery demonstrating agricultural evolution, and carefully preserved tools revealing rural crafts from blacksmithing to wheelwrighting. Costumed interpreters bring history alive through traditional demonstrations including butter churning, rope making, wool spinning, and seasonal farming activities, while interactive displays allow children to experience rural life as their grandparents knew it.

What to Expect at Kent Life

Experience authentic farm life meeting friendly rare breed animals including Kentish sheep, traditional cattle breeds, heritage pigs, goats, chickens, and ducks in spacious paddocks and traditional farm buildings. The working farm operates seasonal farming activities from spring lambing where families witness newborn lambs taking first steps, through summer haymaking demonstrations, to autumn harvest celebrations featuring vintage machinery in action. Children discover hands-on opportunities feeding animals, collecting eggs from heritage chicken breeds, grooming ponies, and learning traditional farming skills through engaging ranger-led activities creating educational experiences combining fun with agricultural understanding.

Farm Animals & Attractions

• Rare Breed Animals: Traditional Kent sheep, heritage pigs, cattle breeds, goats, and poultry representing historic farming genetics
• Animal Encounters: Daily feeding times, hands-on experiences, pony grooming sessions, and ranger-led animal talks
• Spring Lambing: Witness lambs being born, bottle-feeding opportunities, and learning about sheep farming heritage
• Hop Gardens: Traditional Kentish hop growing displays showcasing Kent’s famous brewing heritage and hop harvesting techniques
• Tractor Rides: Vintage tractor-pulled trailer rides through orchards and farmland offering scenic estate tours
• Adventure Playgrounds: Multiple play areas including indoor barn play, outdoor climbing equipment, and sand play zones
• Vintage Machinery: Historic tractors, steam engines, farming equipment demonstrating agricultural innovation through decades
• Traditional Crafts: Blacksmithing demonstrations, rope making, wool spinning, and rural craft workshops throughout the year
• Heritage Buildings: Rescued and restored oast houses, Wealden barns, Victorian farm buildings showcasing Kentish architecture

Seasonal Events & Celebrations

Kent Life transforms throughout the year with spectacular seasonal events attracting families from across Southeast England. Spring brings lambing weekends with newborn animals and Easter egg trails through orchards, while summer features vintage vehicle rallies, classic tractor displays, and traditional country shows celebrating rural heritage. Autumn delivers harvest festivals with apple pressing demonstrations, scarecrow trails, and Halloween adventures featuring spooky farmyard fun. Winter welcomes Christmas events with festive craft fairs, Santa’s grotto in historic barns, carol singing, and traditional Victorian Christmas celebrations showcasing how rural communities celebrated the festive season.

Educational Programs & School Visits

Kent Life specializes in curriculum-linked educational experiences delivering engaging learning about agriculture, rural history, animal care, and traditional crafts. School groups participate in structured programs exploring life in the past, food production from farm to table, animal lifecycles, and seasonal farming activities. Workshop sessions include hands-on experiences from Victorian washing techniques to bread making, while heritage trails encourage outdoor learning through scavenger hunts and historical investigation. Teachers receive comprehensive resources supporting classroom follow-up, while dedicated education staff ensure age-appropriate content from Early Years through Key Stage 2.

Complete Maidstone Family Experience

Explore magnificent Leeds Castle, England’s loveliest castle with gardens, maze, and grotto just 15 minutes away. Experience treetop adventures at Go Ape Leeds Castle with high ropes and zip wires. Discover watersports at Mote Park Adventure Centre offering kayaking and open water swimming. Visit family-friendly Cobtree Manor Park with extensive play areas and animal park. Explore culture at Maidstone Museum with world-class collections. Enjoy performances at Hazlitt Theatre Maidstone. Complete your heritage tour visiting Rochester Castle and Canterbury Cathedral.

Dining & Visitor Facilities

Farmhouse Kitchen: Traditional tearoom serving homemade cakes, cream teas, hot meals, sandwiches, and children’s favorites in charming farmhouse setting with outdoor courtyard seating.

Refreshment Kiosk: Seasonal outdoor kiosk offering ice cream, cold drinks, snacks, and grab-and-go refreshments near main play areas.

Facilities: Free parking for all visitors, accessible pathways throughout main attractions, wheelchair-friendly routes, baby changing facilities in modern amenities block, pushchair hire available, extensive gift shop featuring local Kent products, indoor picnic barn for wet weather, outdoor picnic areas across estate, and mobility access to ground-floor heritage buildings.

Birthday Parties: Exclusive party packages available including dedicated party room, farm tour, animal encounters, and adventure playground access.

Additional Information

• Estate Size: 28 acres of working farmland, heritage gardens, orchards, and woodland trails
• Established: Museum founded to preserve Kent’s agricultural heritage and traditional farming practices
• Heritage Buildings: 15+ rescued historic structures including oast houses, barns, granaries relocated from across Kent
• Animals: 30+ different species of rare breed farm animals and traditional poultry varieties
• Hop Heritage: Traditional hop gardens showcasing Kent’s historic brewing industry and hop cultivation techniques
• Vintage Collection: 50+ historic tractors, steam engines, and farming machinery from Victorian to 1950s eras
• Craft Demonstrations: Regular displays of blacksmithing, rope making, wool crafts, and traditional rural skills
• Play Areas: Multiple age-appropriate playgrounds including indoor barn play for wet weather enjoyment
• Opening Times: Mid-February to early November, 10am-5pm daily during peak season, weekends only November-February
• Admission: Adults from £11.95, children (3-15) from £9.95, under 3s free, family tickets and annual passes available
• Location: Sandling, Maidstone, excellent M20 Junction 6 access, 5 miles from town center
• Parking: Free parking for all visitors with dedicated accessible spaces near main entrance
• Dogs: Dogs welcome on leads in outdoor areas, not permitted in farm buildings or animal enclosures
• Seasonal Events: Easter trails, lambing weekends, vintage rallies, harvest festivals, Halloween events, Christmas fairs
• Education: Curriculum-linked school programs, heritage workshops, farm skills activities, ranger-led sessions
• Awards: VisitEngland Quality Assured Visitor Attraction, Kent Tourism Award winner, family attraction accolades