FANTASTIC MR. DAHL

By Graham Young on Oct 21, 09 01:39 PM

THE latest Roald Dahl adaptation - Fantastic Mr. Fox - opens in Birmingham cinemas including the IMAX on Friday.

And I'll be giving it a big, furry thumbs up with separate reviews in both the Birmingham Mail and Birmingham Post.

But I thought it might make fans want to go down to Buckinghamshire to visit the rather splendid Roald Dahl Museum.

It will certainly make you appreciate the scene in the film where Mr. Fox is seen sitting in a chair just like the one that Roald Dahl use to use!

So click below to read my review of the museum from March 17, 2006 when it had only been open for a few months.

Note that I have left the copy more or less as it was written then, but updated the information to include today's entry prices.

To be guaranteed admission it is best to book ahead, especially during next week's half term when the museum will have a very foxy theme to complement the film's release.

GREAT Missenden's Roald Dahl Museum is small but perfectly formed, comprising a selection of rooms off a central courtyard.

Some are Grade II listed, including a 16th century timber framed building and a 19th century brick and flint function hall.

The capital budget was "only" £4.3 million, with the Dahl family contributing 50 per cent.

Half of the Buckinghamshire museum is devoted to exhibits - from Dahl's handwritten misspelt schoolboy letters to movie props - and the rest to stimulating the writing process itself.

You can even sit in an exact copy of Dahl's old chair with a roll of corrugated paper ready to go under your board topped off with green baize - so chosen to be easy on the eye for someone who used to write twice a day in a hut at the end of his garden at Gipsy House, half a mile away.

The Boy and Solo galleries detail his childhood, including his chocolate-tasting days at school.

You can also follow Dahl's exploits as an RAF fighter pilot through to his work for Walt Disney and there are fascinating displays of manuscripts, letters and photographs.

Best of all, children can join in practical workshops.

We'd only been at the museum for ten minutes when our three were thrown into a two-hour Create Your Own Story Theatre session.

Aimed at four-year-olds and above, but equally suitable for 33-month-old Madison, the idea was to paint a giant card in three sections - beginning, middle and end.

Though jaded from the journey following a mild attack of the winter flu virus at half term, Holly and Louie concocted a story about a ladybird growing tired of country life, only to find that London was home to a scary, urban fox.

There are many more themed events planned throughout the year.

Drop-in activities for children and families at weekends and school holidays include chocolate decorating, storytelling and book-marking.

Over-eights may be left unaccompanied at activities, but parents/carers must sign a consent form.

So, how does the museum cope with the mad rush of visitors?

Easy! To guarantee entry you must pre-book and pay in advance by phone on 01494 892192.

The Roald Dahl Museum is so hands-on it's genuinely inspirational. It makes everything simple and it puts children first.

Birmingham and Tolkien, what are you waiting for?

The Roald Dahl Museum & Story Centre, 81-83 High Street, Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, HP16 0AL.
Tel: 01494 892192
Website: www.roalddahlmuseum.org
Links: www.roalddahl.com and www.roalddahlfoundation.org

Prices from 1 April 2009: Adults £6; Children five to 18, £4. Concs £4. Family ticket: £19 (2+3).
Buying tickets on the day of your visit: For general admissions visit the ticket desk in the Museum shop. We always keep tickets available for visitors who turn up on the day. At very busy times we may not be able to guarantee entry, but we will do our best to accommodate everyone.

Book on-line at any time: For general admissions only. If you'd like to book places on special events, activities and workshops please phone our Bookings office, Tuesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 4.30pm.

You can pay using Mastercard,Visa and Switch. Click the button on the right to book Museum tickets on-line.

Book by phone: For general admissions and all of our activities or workshops (additional charges apply) please call 01494 892192.

You can pay using using your credit or debit card. We can take bookings from up to two months in advance until the day before you visit. Booking office opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 10.30am to 4.30pm.

Opening hours: Mondays closed (but open Oct 26, 2009); Tue-Fri, 10am-5pm; weekends 11am-5pm.
Christmas and New Year opening for 2009 to 2010: shop only open Dec 24; museum open Dec 29/30 and Jan 2.

Food: Café Twit welcomes the public and Museum visitors from 9.30am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm on Sunday.

How to get there: By car, the museum is off the A413 - reached via the M40. By rail, Great Missenden is 40 minutes north of London Marylebone, which is on the Chiltern Line from Birmingham's Snow Hill. Or you can go Snow Hill-High Wycombe. Change to Aylesbury and change again to Great Missenden, walking easily from the museum to the station. Visit www.chilternrailways.co.uk