Farming Equipment

All the objects on display – which include photographs, machinery, and tools of rural crafts and industries – were made and used by Cambridgeshire people.

Not all of them are attractive – some are a bit rusty – but they are remarkable evidence of a way of life that has almost disappeared. Very few people can recall first-hand how the machines worked or how the tools were used.

We have tried very hard not to give a romanticised view of what life was like in Cambridgeshire. To help us, the displays in the Pig Shed are complemented by oral history soundtracks letting local people tell their own stories in their own words.

Notable farming equipment on display includes an early sail reaper, sugar beet farming equipment, haymaking equipment, ploughs, and potato machinery.