Puss In Boots and Dick Whittington’s Cat are just two famous felines. From being worshipped in Ancient Egypt to being vilified as witches’ familiars in Europe, cats have long been associated with the supernatural. They also appear in countless stories throughout history. Author Charlie Creed joins Jo Durrant to talk about some magical, mysterious, and majestic cats.

Books available to buy and have signed (discounted price for ticket holders).

Book online here or call 01453 763394.

Tickets £7.50 / £6 / £5 Museum Members - Membership is free to join

Tea & Coffee included

This interview-style event is part of Jo Durrant’s ‘Our Beautiful Universe’ Saturday afternoon series in the Museum’s Garden Pavilion. Jo is the award-winning presenter of the independent arts and science podcast ‘Jo Durrant’s Beautiful Universe’. She’s a highly respected and accomplished interviewer and event chair, and a familiar face at literature, history, and science festivals. Jo is freelance but for over 20 years was a presenter, producer & reporter with BBC radio and interviewed hundreds of people, from Melanie C to Tim Peake.

The conversation will be followed by a chance to ask questions and chat over tea and coffee if you wish, or explore the museum and walled garden.

Join illustrator Rachel Oldfield for a hands-on workshop exploring the creative possibilities of risograph printing. Designed for ages 14 and above, for adults and for young people, this session enables you to create a two-layer print inspired by the things that matter most to you, your interests, memories, or personal symbols.

Rachel will guide you through the process of developing your ideas using drawing and collage, to create layers ready for print. After the workshop, she will take your designs back to her studio to print your final risographs. You’ll be able to collect your finished prints the following week from the Museum in the Park.

No prior experience is needed, just bring your ideas and a willingness to experiment.

For adults, and for young people aged 14+. Under 18s need to be accompanied by a parent, grandparent or suitable adult.

Cost: £5 per person to help pay for paper and materials.

Booking required: book online here, or call 01453 763394.

This workshop runs alongside Rachel’s solo exhibition which shows in the Museum’s Art Gallery from 4 to 26 July.

Your Museum Needs You - can you suggest a name for our new dinosaur?

This Megalosaurus has made itself at home in the museum’s Geology gallery, where it’s keeping a beady eye on our real-life dinosaur remains. We think it might be related to Dennis - who older visitors will remember graced the walls of the original Stroud Museum at Lansdown (and is still there).

Come along to the Museum stall at Stroud Show on Saturday 18 July between 11am - 3pm to make your suggestion. Win a bundle of dinosaur goodies if your name is chosen by our judges! The winning name will be announced by the end of July.

Meanwhile, visit the Museum to come face-to-face with our new addition, see our collection of real dinosaur bones, and find out about the extraordinary adventures of explorer Christina Dodwell, who made the model. Also on 18 July, you can visit a real-life pop up Science Lab and meet scientists who are studying the creatures of today!

Are you interested in wildlife and conservation? Want to be a wildlife scientist when you grow up? Would you like to meet real-life scientists and find out how they work in the field?

For one day only, this is your chance to Meet the Experts and discover what it’s really like to be a wildlife scientist! Children of all ages are invited to come along to The Museum in the Park and help celebrate 50 Years of the National Wildlife Management Centre at Woodchester. See the inspiring photographic exhibition outside the Museum, then head to the Meeting Room where you can explore an amazing pop-up Woodland Science Lab.

Ask scientists what they do and have a go at hands-on activities exploring wildlife forensics, tracking and health. See models and equipment you may have seen in TV documentaries, like wildlife-tracking technology and giant DNA models. Learn about the similarities and connections between your own health, and that of wildlife, farming and the environment.

Today, studying wildlife requires sophisticated technology. Discover the equipment used: from camera-traps enabling wild animals to take their own selfies, to GPS collars tracking where they go and who they meet.

Can you solve a Wildlife Whodunnit? Help the scientists crack the case! From just a few hairs left behind as evidence, scientists use DNA forensics to identify wildlife. From a line-up of suspects, become a wildlife detective, learn how the science works and identify the mystery animal

All ages welcome - come and discover the amazing world of Wildlife Science!

Admission free, donations welcome.

Also on offer: ‘Wildlife Wows!’ Explorer Trail, a family trail exploring the Museum and garden - ask at reception for your free copy. And don’t forget to meet our new Dinosaur on display in the Geology Gallery!

Have fun making colourful and imaginative printed cards to take home and display, or give to a loved one, with the wonderful artist-illustrator-writer Tracy Spiers (she’s also known as Dr Fun!).

Be inspired by the Museum’s beautiful walled garden, known fondly by many as ‘Stroud’s secret garden’. Or make a design inspired by one of your favourite museum objects or something you love about this special place. Get ideas from Rachel Oldfield’s colourful ‘Stroud Folk Prints’ exhibition in the Gallery, or simply let your imaginations guide you.

All ages welcome, come with all your family and enjoy being creative. Help us celebrate 10 years of the Garden, and 25 years of the Museum, with your creations. Maybe some of you can help make the museum and garden a special Birthday card?

Drop in between 10.30am - 3.30pm (recommended last entry 3pm or so)

In the Garden Pavilion at the top of the Walled Garden

FREE thanks to the generous support of Arts Society Painswick

The delightful Jenny Wren’s are returning to our Walled Garden with their brand new production – Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Governor’s Nose …

Extra! Extra! Painting stolen from distinguished art gallery!

Everyone’s favourite detective duo (no, not Shaggy and Scooby) are given the Jenny Wren treatment.

Holmes and Watson are called upon to investigate the disappearance of a legendary painting, The Governor’s Nose. But all is not as elementary as it seems.

As mysterious forces – and an assortment of shady characters – work to undermine our heroes, they need all the wit, guile, and deduction capabilities in their arsenal, along with the help of the steadfast Mrs Hudson and Detective “Always-One-Step-Behind” Lestrade.

The hour grows late. The paint has dried. The game is afoot.

Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Governor’s Nose is a comic new play, based on The Naval Treaty and The Man with the Twisted Lip, with apologies to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Jenny Wren Productions is a Gloucestershire-based professional theatre company, formed in 2004. In the summer they can be found performing classic plays under the stars at open-air venues around the county, including Berkeley Castle, Cowley Manor and Highnam Court near Gloucester. The autumn usually takes us on another tour, often with a new play, to small theatres and rural venues. We have strong links with the Cheltenham Everyman Theatre and perform there regularly. We have toured schools, libraries and care homes with Theatre in Education projects and incorporating educational workshops.

The company comprises a pool of actors, musicians, designers, stage managers, producer and director. Many of our projects have been funded by Arts Council England and with others we have raised money for charities including the Pied Piper Appeal at Gloucester Hospital and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. 

“One of the funniest, quirkiest bundles of talent ever to lighten Gloucestershire’s doorstep” – Cotswold Life

Snap up your tickets now!

To book call the Everyman Theatre Box Office on 01242 572573.

£15 (£10 for under 16s).

Show starts at 6.30pm, gates open for picnics at 5.30pm.

Outdoor show - bring your own seating (rugs or camping chairs) and clothing to suit all weathers. Picnics welcome. Sorry, no dogs allowed (only service dogs).

The delightful Jenny Wren’s are returning to our Walled Garden with their brand new production – Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Governor’s Nose …

Extra! Extra! Painting stolen from distinguished art gallery!

Everyone’s favourite detective duo (no, not Shaggy and Scooby) are given the Jenny Wren treatment.

Holmes and Watson are called upon to investigate the disappearance of a legendary painting, The Governor’s Nose. But all is not as elementary as it seems.

As mysterious forces – and an assortment of shady characters – work to undermine our heroes, they need all the wit, guile, and deduction capabilities in their arsenal, along with the help of the steadfast Mrs Hudson and Detective “Always-One-Step-Behind” Lestrade.

The hour grows late. The paint has dried. The game is afoot.

Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Governor’s Nose is a comic new play, based on The Naval Treaty and The Man with the Twisted Lip, with apologies to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Jenny Wren Productions is a Gloucestershire-based professional theatre company, formed in 2004. In the summer they can be found performing classic plays under the stars at open-air venues around the county, including Berkeley Castle, Cowley Manor and Highnam Court near Gloucester. The autumn usually takes us on another tour, often with a new play, to small theatres and rural venues. We have strong links with the Cheltenham Everyman Theatre and perform there regularly. We have toured schools, libraries and care homes with Theatre in Education projects and incorporating educational workshops.

The company comprises a pool of actors, musicians, designers, stage managers, producer and director. Many of our projects have been funded by Arts Council England and with others we have raised money for charities including the Pied Piper Appeal at Gloucester Hospital and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. 

“One of the funniest, quirkiest bundles of talent ever to lighten Gloucestershire’s doorstep” – Cotswold Life

Snap up your tickets now!

To book call the Everyman Theatre Box Office on 01242 572573.

£15 (£10 for under 16s).

Show starts at 6.30pm, gates open for picnics at 5.30pm.

Outdoor show - bring your own seating (rugs or camping chairs) and clothing to suit all weathers. Picnics welcome. Sorry, no dogs allowed (only service dogs).

We continue our pre-bookable sessions aimed at families with neurodivergent children who and children with additional access requirements who need a relaxed environment to enjoy these activities.

Who is this for?

Designed for families with children over 5 years old who need a more relaxed experience. We ask other visitors to please understand that tickets for this session are reserved for families with children with this need.

What will we be doing?

Discover some fossils with our mini fossil dig and get up close with some of real fossils to learn about the type of marine fossils discovered in the Stroud District. Think about what an ichthyosaur ate by creating a food chain mobile to take home. Explore our sensory exploration tray and create some dinosaur tracks to make a dinosaur highway piece of art. Create a dinosaur toy or ammonite puppet to take home.

This session is a great way to join in the Gloucestershire Library Challenge 2026. Visit The Library Challenge website to find out more: Welcome to The Library Challenge! | Gloucestershire Libraries

How have you adapted this session?

Our learning staff will support families taking part in the activities as much or as little as they choose. There’s a range of activities that children can choose to take part in, all activities are optional and we can move activities around if you need us to. We have limited the number of tickets available to 12 child tickets to support a relaxed environment and, following feedback from visitors, we’ve moved this session to a morning slot. There’ll be a chill out zone available and you can come and go as you please during the time slot.

Where and when is this?

The session will take place between 10am and 11am in the Pavilion at Museum in the Park.

How do I book?

To support a relaxed environment, there are 12 child tickets available to pre-book. Children must be accompanied, although accompanying adults do not need a ticket. £1 per child. Please prebook online (click here) or call 01453 763394.

Where can I find more information to help me plan?

We have a Visual Story for Museum in the Park — Museum in the Park to help plan your visit, and an easy read version too: Easy+Read+Visual+Story+for+Museum+in+the+Park.pdf

Travel through time and learn about life in Stroud before people!

Discover some fossils with our mini fossil dig and get up close with some of real fossils to learn about the type of marine fossils discovered in the Stroud District. Think about what an ichthyosaur ate by creating a food chain mobile to take home. Explore our sensory exploration tray and create some dinosaur tracks to make a dinosaur highway piece of art. Create a dinosaur toy or ammonite puppet to take home.

A great way to join in the Gloucestershire Library Challenge 2026. Visit The Library Challenge website to find out more: Welcome to The Library Challenge! | Gloucestershire Libraries

Designed for families with children over 5 years old to explore together, though little ones can join in too with support from grown-ups.

Drop in between 11:30am and 3:30pm. £1 per child. Please pay on the day.

Meet a Roman and an Iron Age Briton and find out what life was like in Roman times. Relax and make a Roman-inspired paper mosaic to take home, or a mini clay pot. You can even learn how to fight like a Roman soldier. For families with children aged 5+, come dressed up as a Roman or Ancient Briton if you wish!

10.30am – 3.30pm: Drop in and meet characters from Roman Britain: FREE

10.30am – 3.30pm: Drop-in craft activity: £1 per child, pay on the door

11am & 2pm: Roman Sword School! Max. 20 children per session, booking required - book on the day. £1 per child.

Activities based in the Garden Pavilion at the top of the Walled Garden (entry/exit via Museum Reception). Sword School outdoors on the Walled Garden lawn (weather permitting). For families with children aged 5+. Children must be accompanied by a parent or carer but grown ups can join in too.

With historical reenactors Keith Errington and Nimue Brown and members of the Museum team. Keith Errington has worked as a historical interpreter for History’s Maid, and Time Tarts, performing at sites around the country. He has also played many historical roles in TV series. Nimue Brown is a storyteller and musician with a great enthusiasm for local history and folklore. She is also blind, and can share insight into disability and medicine throughout history. 

Look at the beautiful butterflies on display in the ‘cabinet of curiosities’ in the Museum’s Collectors’ Room. Then head to the Garden Pavilion where you can create a paper butterfly to take home, with Tamsin from Stroud Valleys Project. You can also take part in the Big Butterfly Count – collect your spotter’s sheet from Museum Reception then see how many different species you can spot in the sensory garden or your favourite place in Stratford Park.

A drop-in workshop for families with ages 5+, organised in collaboration with Stroud Valleys Project. Space for around 10 children at a time, so if its busy you can choose to enjoy a Museum Explorer trail instead.

Cost: £1.50 per child (to help pay for materials), accompanying adults free.

Drop-in and pay in the door.

Enjoy an evening of outdoor entertainment in the Museum's enchanting Walled Garden.

Set in the Greek city of Ephesus, The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins who were accidentally separated at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful beatings, a near-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and false accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic possession.

The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick, mistaken identity as well as puns and word play. Perfect for a relaxed summer's eve with friends and family!

Tickets £18 (£16 concs & under 17s)

Booking recommended: book online here or call 01453 763394

Gates open at 6pm, show starts at 7pm (enter & exit via museum reception)

Please bring your own rugs or picnic chairs to sit on (no seating provided) and clothes to suit all weathers (warm layers and waterproofs).

Picnics welcome, hot and cold drinks, snacks and ice creams available to buy.

Sorry - no dogs allowed (only access dogs).
​The car park is a short walk away - please call us ​if you require accessible parking or have any access queries (01453 763394).

The Festival Players Theatre Company is well established as a professional company delivering the best in open-air Shakespeare.  It continues to grow in reputation internationally.  The company now tours as an all-male rep company staging shows featuring the same team of performers.

The Festival Players' s patron is Dame Judi Dench, and the company is committed to presenting the very best in touring theatre, providing an accessible and enjoyable evening for all types of audiences.

Can you imagine having to hide in a tiny space, cleverly concealed in the fabric of a building, and not knowing when you’d get to escape? That’s what a number of Catholic priests in Elizabethan England did, as it was illegal for them to set foot in the country from 1585. The consequences of being found by a priest hunter were often harrowing.

Harvington Hall in Kidderminster has the UK’s finest collection of priest hides, including under the stairs and above a bread oven. Manager Phil Downing has spent years researching these hiding places, and has also spent time locked inside them! He joins Jo Durrant to reveal some surprising stories from the building known as the house of secrets.

Book online here or call 01453 763394.

Tickets £7.50 / £6 / £5 Museum Members - Membership is free to join

Tea & Coffee included

This interview-style event is part of Jo Durrant’s ‘Our Beautiful Universe’ Saturday afternoon series in the Museum’s Garden Pavilion. Jo is the award-winning presenter of the independent arts and science podcast ‘Jo Durrant’s Beautiful Universe’. She’s a highly respected and accomplished interviewer and event chair, and a familiar face at literature, history, and science festivals. Jo is freelance but for over 20 years was a presenter, producer & reporter with BBC radio and interviewed hundreds of people, from Melanie C to Tim Peake.

The conversation will be followed by a chance to ask questions and chat over tea and coffee if you wish, or explore the museum and walled garden.

We continue our pre-bookable sessions aimed at families with neurodivergent children who and children with additional access requirements who need a relaxed environment to enjoy these activities.

Who is this for?

Designed for families with children over 5 years old who need a more relaxed experience. We ask other visitors to please understand that tickets for this session are reserved for families with children with this need.

What will we be doing?

Try mark making and sketching with charcoal and chalk. Create a self-portrait sculpture to take home and use scrap paper to create a landscape collage. Try printing some cool patterns inspired by the museum and design a paper plate inspired by traditional willow patterns from long ago.

 This session is a great way to join in the Gloucestershire Library Challenge 2026. Visit The Library Challenge website to find out more: Welcome to The Library Challenge! | Gloucestershire Libraries

How have you adapted this session?

Our learning staff will support families taking part in the activities as much or as little as they choose. There’s a range of activities that children can choose to take part in, all activities are optional and we can move activities around if you need us to. We have limited the number of tickets available to 12 child tickets to support a relaxed environment and, following feedback from visitors, we’ve moved this session to a morning slot. There’ll be a chill out zone available and you can come and go as you please during the time slot.

Where and when is this?

The session will take place between 10am and 11am in the Pavilion at Museum in the Park.

How do I book?

To support a relaxed environment, there are 12 child tickets available to pre-book. Children must be accompanied, although accompanying adults do not need a ticket. £1 per child. Please prebook online (click here) or call 01453 763394.

Where can I find more information to help me plan?

We have a Visual Story for Museum in the Park — Museum in the Park to help plan your visit, and an easy read version too: Easy+Read+Visual+Story+for+Museum+in+the+Park.pdf

Be inspired by artworks of the past and try making art in lots of different ways!

Try mark making and sketching with charcoal and chalk. Create a self-portrait sculpture to take home and use scrap paper to create a landscape collage. Try printing some cool patterns inspired by the museum and design a paper plate inspired by traditional willow patterns from long ago.

A great way to join in the Gloucestershire Library Challenge 2026. Visit The Library Challenge website to find out more: Welcome to The Library Challenge! | Gloucestershire Libraries

Designed for families with children over 5 years old to explore together, though little ones can join in too with support from grown-ups.

Drop in between 11:30am and 3:30pm. £1 per child. Please pay on the day.

A great way to join in the Gloucestershire Library Challenge 2026. Visit The Library Challenge website to find out more: Welcome to The Library Challenge! | Gloucestershire Libraries

Designed for families with children over 5 years old to explore together, though little ones can join in too with support from grown-ups.

Drop in between 11:30am and 3:30pm. £1 per child. Please pay on the day.

Travel back in time and meet two Saxon characters, chat to them and hear their stories. Learn about life in the Saxon period, try out Saxon fighting styles, or make a decorated brooch to wear or take home - be inspired by the amazing Saxon saucer brooch on display in the Archaeology gallery. For families with children aged 5+, come dressed up as a Saxon if you wish.

10.30am – 3.30pm: Drop in and meet characters from Saxon Britain: FREE

10.30am – 3.30pm: Drop-in craft activity: £1 per child, pay on the door

11am & 2pm: Saxon Sword School! Max. 20 children per session, booking required - book on the day. £1 per child.

Activities based in the Meeting Room (up the ramp from reception, next door to the Art Gallery). Sword School outside on the Walled Garden lawn (weather permitting). For families with children aged 5+. Children must be accompanied by a parent or carer but grown ups can join in too.

With historical reenactors Keith Errington and Nimue Brown and members of the Museum team. Keith Errington has worked as a historical interpreter for History’s Maid, and Time Tarts, performing at sites around the country. He has also played many historical roles in TV series. Nimue Brown is a storyteller and musician with a great enthusiasm for local history and folklore. She is also blind, and can share insight into disability and medicine throughout history. 

Be inspired by the creatures who live in Stratford Park and its Secret Garden and make a colourful collage. What creature will you choose – perhaps a humble hedgehog, feisty fox or magical moth?

A drop-in workshop for families with ages 5+.

Cost: £1.50 per child (to help pay for materials), accompanying adults free.

Drop-in and pay in the door.

Switch off your smartphones and digital devices and find out what games our great-great-grandparents played. Explore and play together as you try out the oldest toys in the world, play traditional games or try out some toys from the past. Hands-on fun for all ages – outside the Museum (weather permitting!). Anyone for a game of hopscotch?

Drop-in, all ages welcome, free, donations appreciated.

Part of the Big Summer Picnics and Play in the Park programme - loads on offer for all ages at Active Lifestyles and Stratford Park! Further details here.

Following its sell-out success, IKP’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz returns for another “bonkers” theatre adventure in Summer 2026, in a family comedy adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s classic book.

Join Dorothy, the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion and Toto as they encounter munchkins, witches, winged monkeys, enchanted slippers and a Wonderful Wizard! Expect the unexpected in this comedy for all the family, featuring physical humour, fast-paced multi-roling and plenty of laughs for all ages.

Outdoor theatre show - bring rugs or camping chairs to sit on and clothing to suit all weathers!

Tickets £12 adult, £10 child/conc, £40 family ticket (admits 4)

Early Bird ticket £9! Book online here

Following its sell-out success, IKP’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz returns for another “bonkers” theatre adventure in Summer 2026, in a family comedy adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s classic book.

Join Dorothy, the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion and Toto as they encounter munchkins, witches, winged monkeys, enchanted slippers and a Wonderful Wizard! Expect the unexpected in this comedy for all the family, featuring physical humour, fast-paced multi-roling and plenty of laughs for all ages.

Outdoor theatre show - bring rugs or camping chairs to sit on and clothing to suit all weathers!

Tickets £12 adult, £10 child/conc, £40 family ticket (admits 4)

Early Bird ticket £9! Book online here

We continue our pre-bookable sessions aimed at families with neurodivergent children who and children with additional access requirements who need a relaxed environment to enjoy these activities.

Who is this for?

Designed for families with children over 5 years old who need a more relaxed experience. We ask other visitors to please understand that tickets for this session are reserved for families with children with this need.

What will we be doing?

Try out some of the washday and cleaning tasks people did in Victorian times - wash some laundry, and hang the clothes out to dry, clean some carpets and try rag rugging. Think about what going to school was like in Victorian times by writing on a slate and try some handwriting practice with a dip pen. Play with some Victorian toys and games and make an optical illusion toy and a peg doll to take home.

This session is a great way to join in the Gloucestershire Library Challenge 2026. Visit The Library Challenge website to find out more: Welcome to The Library Challenge! | Gloucestershire Libraries

How have you adapted this session?

Our learning staff will support families taking part in the activities as much or as little as they choose. There’s a range of activities that children can choose to take part in, all activities are optional and we can move activities around if you need us to. We have limited the number of tickets available to 12 child tickets to support a relaxed environment and, following feedback from visitors, we’ve moved this session to a morning slot. There’ll be a chill out zone available and you can come and go as you please during the time slot.

Where and when is this?

The session will take place between 10am and 11am in the Pavilion at Museum in the Park.

How do I book?

To support a relaxed environment, there are 12 child tickets available to pre-book. Children must be accompanied, although accompanying adults do not need a ticket. £1 per child. Please prebook online (click here) or call 01453 763394.

Where can I find more information to help me plan?

We have a Visual Story for Museum in the Park — Museum in the Park to help plan your visit, and an easy read version too: Easy+Read+Visual+Story+for+Museum+in+the+Park.pdf

Travel through time and learn about life in Stroud in Victorian times!

Try out some of the washday and cleaning tasks people did in Victorian times - wash some laundry, and hang the clothes out to dry, clean some carpets and try rag rugging. Think about what going to school was like in Victorian times by writing on a slate and try some handwriting practice with a dip pen. Play with some Victorian toys and games and make an optical illusion toy and a peg doll to take home.

A great way to join in the Gloucestershire Library Challenge 2026. Visit The Library Challenge website to find out more: Welcome to The Library Challenge! | Gloucestershire Libraries

Designed for families with children over 5 years old to explore together, though little ones can join in too with support from grown-ups.

Drop in between 11:30am and 3:30pm. £1 per child. Please pay on the day.

Meet characters from medieval Britain, design your own family coat of arms or pennant flag, or learn how to fight like a knight! For families with children aged 5+, come dressed up as a knight, prince, princess or other medieval character if you wish.

10.30am – 3.30pm: Drop in and meet characters from Medieval Britain: FREE

10.30am – 3.30pm: Drop-in craft activity: £1 per child, pay on the door

11am & 2pm: Sword School! Max. 20 children per session, booking required - book on the day. £1 per child.

Activities based in the Garden Pavilion at the top of the Walled Garden (entry/exit via Museum Reception). Sword School outside on the Walled Garden lawn (weather permitting). For families with children aged 5+. Children must be accompanied by a parent or carer bur grown ups can join in too.

With historical reenactors Keith Errington and Nimue Brown and members of the Museum team. Keith Errington has worked as a historical interpreter for History’s Maid, and Time Tarts, performing at sites around the country. He has also played many historical roles in TV series. Nimue Brown is a storyteller and musician with a great enthusiasm for local history and folklore. She is also blind, and can share insight into disability and medicine throughout history. 

Do you ever think about the earth beneath your feet? The soil is teeming with millions of diverse and wonderful tiny animals that we don't usually see! Come and have fun drawing with colourful inks and crayons to create amazing creatures inspired by the microscopic life-forms that keep the soil healthy.

A drop-in workshop for families with ages 5+, led by amazing community artist Alison Cockcroft.

Cost: £1.50 per child (to help pay for materials), accompanying adults free.

Drop-in and pay in the door.

Switch off your smartphones and digital devices and find out what games our great-great-grandparents played. Explore and play together as you try out the oldest toys in the world, play traditional games or try out some toys from the past. Hands-on fun for all ages – outside the Museum (weather permitting!). Anyone for a game of hopscotch?

Drop-in, all ages welcome, free, donations appreciated.

We continue our pre-bookable sessions aimed at families with neurodivergent children who and children with additional access requirements who need a relaxed environment to enjoy these activities.

Who is this for?

Designed for families with children over 5 years old who need a more relaxed experience. We ask other visitors to please understand that tickets for this session are reserved for families with children with this need.

What will we be doing?

Turn yourself into a Roman by trying on a tunic and belt as you dress up like a Roman and give yourself a Roman name. Find out about Roman coins as you design your own and challenge yourself to learn some Roman numerals. Think about life in a Roman villa by making a paper mosaic inspired Roman mosaic floor patterns and think about Roman religion and belief as you make a Roman-style votive offering to take away with you. Then find out what it feels like to be an archaeologist by digging up some Roman objects in our mini archaeological dig and excavating some Roman ‘poo’ to find out what food Roman people ate.

This session is a great way to join in the Gloucestershire Library Challenge 2026. Visit The Library Challenge website to find out more: Welcome to The Library Challenge! | Gloucestershire Libraries

How have you adapted this session?

Our learning staff will support families taking part in the activities as much or as little as they choose. There’s a range of activities that children can choose to take part in, all activities are optional, and we can move activities around if you need us to. We have limited the number of tickets available to 12 child tickets to support a relaxed environment and, following feedback from visitors, we’ve moved this session to a morning slot. There’ll be a chill out zone available and you can come and go as you please during the time slot.

Where and when is this?

The session will take place between 10am and 11am in the Pavilion at Museum in the Park. How do I book?:

To support a relaxed environment, there are 12 child tickets available to pre-book. Children must be accompanied, although accompanying adults do not need a ticket. £1 per child. Please prebook online (click here) or call 01453 763394.

Where can I find more information to help me plan?

We have a Visual Story for Museum in the Park — Museum in the Park to help plan your visit, and an easy read version too: Easy+Read+Visual+Story+for+Museum+in+the+Park.pdf

Travel through time and learn about Roman life in the Stroud Valleys!

Turn yourself into a Roman by trying on a tunic and belt as you dress up like a Roman and give yourself a Roman name. Find out about Roman coins as you design your own and challenge yourself to learn some Roman numerals. Think about life in a Roman villa by making a paper mosaic inspired Roman mosaic floor patterns and think about Roman religion and belief as you make a Roman-style votive offering to take away with you. Then find out what it feels like to be an archaeologist by digging up some Roman objects in our mini archaeological dig and excavating some Roman ‘poo’ to find out what food Roman people ate.

A great way to join in the Gloucestershire Library Challenge 2026. Visit The Library Challenge website to find out more: Welcome to The Library Challenge! | Gloucestershire Libraries

Designed for families with children over 5 years old to explore together, though little ones can join in too with support from grown-ups.

Drop in between 11:30am and 3:30pm. £1 per child. Please pay on the day.

Listen to traditional songs and stories, learn about fairy folklore, or try your hand at Peter Pan Sword School! You can also make a magic wand to take home. For families with children aged 5+, come dressed as a fairytale character if you so wish.

10.30am – 3.30pm: Drop in and meet characters from fairy lands, listen to stories and songs FREE

10.30am – 3.30pm: Drop-in craft activity: £1 per child, pay on the door

11am & 2pm: Peter Pan Sword School! Max. 20 children per session, booking required - book on the day. £1 per child.

Activities based in the Garden Pavilion at the top of the Walled Garden (entry/exit via Museum Reception). Sword School on the Walled Garden lawn (weather permitting). For families with children aged 5+. Children must be accompanied by a parent or carer but grown ups can join in too.

With historical reenactors Keith Errington and Nimue Brown and members of the Museum team. Keith Errington has worked as a historical interpreter for History’s Maid, and Time Tarts, performing at sites around the country. He has also played many historical roles in TV series. Nimue Brown is a storyteller and musician with a great enthusiasm for local history and folklore. She is also blind, and can share insight into disability and medicine throughout history. 

Create colourful patterns and designs with rubbings and stencils using the many and varied shapes of leaves from the incredible variety of trees in Stratford Park.

A drop-in workshop for families with ages 5+, led by amazing community artist Alison Cockcroft.

Cost: £1.50 per child (to help pay for materials), accompanying adults free.

Drop-in and pay in the door.

Switch off your smartphones and digital devices and find out what games our great-great-grandparents played. Explore and play together as you try out the oldest toys in the world, play traditional games or try out some toys from the past. Hands-on fun for all ages – outside the Museum (weather permitting!). Anyone for a game of hopscotch?

Drop-in, all ages welcome, free, donations appreciated.

We continue our pre-bookable sessions aimed at families with neurodivergent children who and children with additional access requirements who need a relaxed environment to enjoy these activities.

Who is this for?

Designed for families with children over 5 years old who need a more relaxed experience. We ask other visitors to please understand that tickets for this session are reserved for families with children with this need.

What will we be doing?

Explore things that twist, roll and spin, and create some wheel prints using some toy vehicles. Explore old fashioned toys and games that slide and push and create a pull-a-long toy. Experiment to find out which objects float and sink and play with gears that turn. Push the trains around our toy trainset. Make a dancing toy or a climbing toy to defy gravity.

This session is a great way to join in the Gloucestershire Library Challenge 2026. Visit The Library Challenge website to find out more: Welcome to The Library Challenge! | Gloucestershire Libraries

How have you adapted this session?

Our learning staff will support families taking part in the activities as much or as little as they choose. There’s a range of activities that children can choose to take part in, all activities are optional and we can move activities around if you need us to. We have limited the number of tickets available to 12 child tickets to support a relaxed environment and, following feedback from visitors, we’ve moved this session to a morning slot. There’ll be a chill out zone available and you can come and go as you please during the time slot.

Where and when is this?

The session will take place between 10am and 11am in the Pavilion at Museum in the Park.

How do I book?

To support a relaxed environment, there are 12 child tickets available to pre-book. Children must be accompanied, although accompanying adults do not need a ticket. £1 per child. Please prebook online (click here) or call 01453 763394.

Where can I find more information to help me plan?

We have a Visual Story for Museum in the Park — Museum in the Park to help plan your visit, and an easy read version too: Easy+Read+Visual+Story+for+Museum+in+the+Park.pdf

Think about how things move and work!

Explore things that twist, roll and spin, and create some wheel prints using some toy vehicles. Explore old fashioned toys and games that slide and push and create a pull-a-long toy. Experiment to find out which objects float and sink and play with gears that turn. Push the trains around our toy trainset. Make a dancing toy or a climbing toy to defy gravity.

A great way to join in the Gloucestershire Library Challenge 2026. Visit The Library Challenge website to find out more: Welcome to The Library Challenge! | Gloucestershire Libraries

Designed for families with children over 5 years old to explore together, though little ones can join in too with support from grown-ups.

Drop in between 11:30am and 3:30pm. £1 per child. Please pay on the day.

Come and collect your free mini sketchbook from our welcome table in the courtyard, then enjoy drawing, sketching or doodling in the wonderful grounds of Stratford Park. Be inspired by the Park Life art exhibition, or simply draw your favourite feature in the beautiful park grounds - perhaps a towering tree, or a tiny leaf, mini beast or flower.

Bring your own outdoor art kit, or borrow pencils and crayons from the Museum.

FREE, all ages welcome, huge thanks to Bookbinder Ursula Jeakins for making and donating sketchbooks using offcuts from her work.

Be inspired by the Victorians and make a pressed-flower bookmark to take home or give away as a gift. If the weather is sunny, we’ll also try cyanotypes – the magical art of printing with sunlight!

A drop-in workshop for families with ages 5+, organised in collaboration with Stroud Valleys Project. Space for around 10 children at a time, so if its busy when you arrive do enjoy a Museum Explorer trail while you wait.

Cost: £1.50 per child (to help pay for materials), accompanying adults free.

Drop-in and pay in the door.

Switch off your smartphones and digital devices and find out what games our great-great-grandparents played. Explore and play together as you try out the oldest toys in the world, play traditional games or try out some toys from the past. Hands-on fun for all ages – outside the Museum (weather permitting!). Anyone for a game of hopscotch?

Drop-in, all ages welcome, free, donations appreciated.

The 15th century Wars of the Roses were among England’s most bitter civil conflicts, which saw the houses of York and Lancaster fight bloodily for the crown. The wars divided both the nation and its most powerful families, setting brother against brother, cousin against cousin.

But who were the women at the heart of the conflict? And what was their role? Greatest among them was Cecily Neville. For the final event in the 2026 Our Beautiful Universe series, Annie joins Jo Durrant to shine a spotlight on an incredible figure – mother, fighter, survivor.

Book online here or call 01453 763394.

Tickets £7.50 / £6 / £5 Museum Members - Membership is free to join

Tea & Coffee included

This interview-style event is part of Jo Durrant’s ‘Our Beautiful Universe’ Saturday afternoon series in the Museum’s Garden Pavilion. Jo is the award-winning presenter of the independent arts and science podcast ‘Jo Durrant’s Beautiful Universe’. She’s a highly respected and accomplished interviewer and event chair, and a familiar face at literature, history, and science festivals. Jo is freelance but for over 20 years was a presenter, producer & reporter with BBC radio and interviewed hundreds of people, from Melanie C to Tim Peake.

The conversation will be followed by a chance to ask questions and chat over tea and coffee if you wish, or explore the museum and walled garden.