From the fabulous company who brought you The Little Mermaid, Hercules, Beauty and the Beast and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the classic fairytale of magic, true love and custom-made shoes is brought to life in this brand new show for all ages.

Embark on the most magical adventure as Cinderella comes to the Museum in the Park’s Walled Garden this Summer. Expect magic, madness and plenty of silliness for all the family to enjoy!

Please bring rugs or picnic chairs to sit on and clothing to suit the weather - sunhats and suncream, or warm layers and waterproofs! Refreshments and ice creams on sale in the Museum’s foyer café.

Tickets £13, £11, family ticket £44 - for full details and to book online click here

Drop in and meet artist-inventor Tara Downs, one half of The Miniature Museum, and enjoy a ‘sneak peek’ of a special new interactive artwork designed to bring the Museum’s iconic ‘A View of Wallbridge’ painting to life. Commissioned by the Cotswold Canals Connected project, this intriguing re-creation of the painting invites you to imagine stepping into the picture and discover what’s happening there.

For more information about The Miniature Museum see their website.

Drop in between 11am and 3pm, free entry but donations welcome.

Imagine a future of thriving nature, lush forests, flowery meadows and green hills. Join professional artist Alison Cockcroft to create a 3D scene from simple but effective paper cut-out techniques and inhabit it with fun animal characters. All materials provided in this fun creative workshop. 

For young artists aged 7 to 13. 
Children can be unaccompanied, or stay with an adult if preferred. 
Max. 12 places.

Booking necessary - book online or call 01453 763394.

Get cutting and sticking at our family activity table where you’ll find an array of colourful papers to play with. Relax and have fun playing with colours and shapes, and make a collage or card to take home with you. A family activity for all ages, but ideal for ages 5+. For adults and children to enjoy together.

We are delighted to announce that guest illustrators Gizem Gözde Uçar and Emma Evans will be joining us this Thursday. Do come along and meet them, and make butterflies and badges!

Gizem is an inspiring children’s book author and illustrator based in London, from Istanbul, Turkey, and one of the emerging/established artists featured in the ‘Future Forecasts’ exhibition. Her picture ‘The City of No Sky’ is a story of a future where grown-ups, consumed by daily routines, forget to look up and dream. But one day a girl called Sky sneaks in, and paints the sky blue. The blue overflows, raining down, awakening the adults to dream again.

Emma Evans is an inspiring illustrator and maker of many things, based in Cheltenham. She is also one of the organisers of the annual Cheltenham Illustration Awards (see the ‘Future Forecasts’ exhibition in our art gallery). With a focus on colour and textures, she is drawn to flora and fauna subjects as well as a touch of the surreal in ‘slice of life’ stories.

Come and meet these inspiring artists and join in with creative and fun activities. For families with children aged 5+, suggested donation £1 per child. No need to book, just drop in.

Come and relax in our meeting room where you’ll find a selection of Museum-inspired drawings by Tracy Spiers to colour in and take home. You can also create a wax crayon rubbing from our fabulous fossil and dinosaur tiles. All ages welcome but children must be accompanied by a parent or carer. Free but donations welcome.

Sorry, this event has been cancelled: the Museum will have to close on the afternoon of 5th August due to lack of power. Apologies for any disappointment.

We are trialling 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.

We invite you to discover and explore together through this range of family-friendly activities designed to help bring the theme of gemstones alive.

Get up close with some of real gems and minerals, try panning for ‘gold’ and sort the sparkly gemstones. Paint a colourful gemstone artwork, think about patterns and colour in nature and play our rock puzzle. Make a crown decorated with ‘gemstones’ and help us create a gemstone garland, before exploring the museum, if you would like.

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.

The session will run between 2pm and 3pm in the Meeting Room at Museum in the Park. All activities are optional, and we will support families taking part in the activities as much or as little as they choose. To support a relaxed environment, there are 10 child tickets available to pre-book. Children must be accompanied, although accompanying adults do not need a ticket.

£1 per child.

We invite you to discover and explore together through this range of family-friendly activities designed to help bring the theme of gemstones alive.

Get up close with some of real gems and minerals, try panning for ‘gold’ and sort the sparkly gemstones. Paint a colourful gemstone artwork, think about patterns and colour in nature and play our rock puzzle. Make a crown decorated with ‘gemstones’ and help us create a gemstone garland before exploring the museum.

Designed for families with children over 5 years old to explore together. Drop in between 11am and 1pm.

£1 per child. Please pay on the day.

Step back in time and discover stories and memories of the war years in Stroud District and enjoy watching the film ‘Working for Victory’. We’ll be showing this charming documentary on a loop in the Meeting Room, where you can also view displays by our local history societies. To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War 2.

Call in between 11am and 4pm.

Free, donations welcome, hot and cold drinks available to purchase from our mini foyer café.

She’s one of England’s most famous monarchs, but queenship was by no means certain for Elizabeth I. Before she was three years old she had been a princess and then declared illegitimate following the brutal execution of her mother, Anne Boleyn. Many dangers and tragedies plagued her early life and by the time she did succeed to the throne in November 1558, she’d experienced more drama than most at the age of just 25.

Dr Nicola Tallis explores all of this turbulence and more in her book ‘Young Elizabeth’. Nicola is a historian and author who has also written about the lives of Lady Jane Grey and Margaret Beaufort. She joins Jo Durrant to talk about the longest reigning Tudor and some other incredible women from history.

Dr Nicola Tallis is an independent author and historian, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She has worked as a curator, researcher, and lecturer, and specialises in the use of jewels in late medieval and Tudor England. Nicola has spoken at many prestigious events and venues including the Emirates Festival of Literature, the Tower of London, Hampton Court, and the National Archives. She has made numerous television and radio appearances, including on BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are?, Channel 5’s The Vikings and The Gunpowder Plot, and Channel 4’s Frankie Boyle’s Farewell to the Monarchy. Nicola is the author of five books, and her latest, Young Elizabeth: Princess. Prisoner. Queen. was Book of the Week in The Times.

This event is part of Jo Durrant’s ‘Our Beautiful Universe’ series and takes place in the Pavilion in the Museum's beautiful Walled Garden. Tea and coffee included and there will be a chance to ask questions or share ideas after the talk if you so wish. 

Tickets £7 / £5 including tea and coffee. Museum Members can bring a guest for free - look out for our ‘2 for 1’ ticket offer. Book online or call 01453 763394.

‘As You Like It’ is probably Shakespeare’s most entrancing romantic comedy. Rosalind, the daughter of a displaced Duke, is banished from the court by her Father’s brother. Along with her cousin Celia, she escapes to the Forest of Arden and disguises herself as a man. She teases Orlando, a young man, who does not recognise her as the girl he loved at a distance. The pastoral world of the Forest is inhabited with a colourful array of folk, looking for love, and woven into this delightful tale, full of comedy and music.

An outdoor performance in the Museum’s beautiful Walled Garden. Please bring warm layers and weather-appropriate clothing, and rugs or low-backed camping chairs to sit on. Gates open at 6pm for picnics, show starts at 7pm.

Advance booking highly recommended to secure your tickets!

Tickets £16, Concs & children (5 - 17 year olds) £15 (under 5s free)

Book online or call 01453 763394

Get cutting and sticking at our family activity table where you’ll find an array of colourful papers to play with. Relax and have fun playing with colours and shapes, and make a collage or card to take home with you. A family activity for all ages, but ideal for ages 5+. For adults and children to enjoy together.

Join the wonderful Stroud-based illustrator Martha Lightfoot for a fun-filled art and drawing session exploring what our future could look like. Think positive, dream big, get doodling and create a fabulous ‘future forecast’ for yourself, your friends and your community. For all ages but great for 5+ .. for families to enjoy together.

£1 per child suggested donation - no need to book, just come along!

We are trialling 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.

We invite you to discover and explore together through this range of family-friendly activities designed to help bring the theme of archaeology alive.

Think like an archaeologist by testing your skills at recognising different materials and identifying some objects from the past. Dig up some finds in our mini archaeological dig, and record what you find.  Make a paper skeleton and think about how burials help us learn about people from the past. Step back in time and create mosaic patterns inspired by the Romans, write on a Victorian slate and create your own Anglo-Saxon style brooch to take away before exploring the museum, if you would like.

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.

The session will run between 2pm and 3pm in the Pavilion at Museum in the Park. All activities are optional, and we will support families taking part in the activities as much or as little as they choose. To support a relaxed environment, there are 10 child tickets available to pre-book. Children must be accompanied, although accompanying adults do not need a ticket.

£1 per child. Please prebook online or call 01453 763394.

We invite you to discover and explore together through this range of family-friendly activities designed to help bring the theme of archaeology alive.

Think like an archaeologist by testing your skills at recognising different materials and identifying some objects from the past. Dig up some finds in our mini archaeological dig, and record what you find.  Make a paper skeleton and think about how burials help us learn about people from the past. Step back in time and create mosaic patterns inspired by the Romans, write on a Victorian slate and create your own Anglo-Saxon style brooch to take away before exploring the museum.

 Designed for families with children over 5 years old to explore together.

Drop in between 11am and 1pm.

£1 per child. Please pay on the day.

Join in to create a giant collage inspired by the beautiful museum garden borders. You'll be given a little viewfinder to choose an inspirational section of the garden, looking at colours and patterns. Collectively we will create a joyful new collaged border for the garden. 

All materials provided. Ages 3 up. For families to enjoy together. Creativity and summer holiday fun!

FREE but donations very welcome - suggested donation £1 per child. No need to book, just come along … we look forward to seeing you!

Illustrator Jenny Bowers will be painting the windows of the Pavilion in the Walled Garden, inspired by the beautiful borders and gorgeous garden. Over a day the window will fill with colour, shapes and forms inspired by the plants and flowers in this special place. Pop in and take a look!

Find out more about Jenny’s work on Instagram: @jennykbowers

Stroud-based poet Adam Horovitz launches his new book of poetry with readings in the Walled Garden Pavilion. ‘Slow Migrations’ explores the deep history of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire, through the lenses of Corinium Museum’s Neolithic gallery and the Roman baths at Bath. An exploration of England before it became England and English. A delving into and re-imagining of the connections between ancient times and now, and how this country was built - indeed as all countries are - from the migratory pathways of people and animals over many millennia.

Free entry, books for sale (RRP £10), with support from guest poets Kate Potts and Elvis McGonagall and musician music Chris Cundy. No need to book, just come and enjoy.

Join Mikron on their latest musical adventure to the Great British Seaside! 

Wouldn’t you trade anything for a trip to the beach? A centuries old tradition, full to the brim with nostalgia and escapism! But as history ticks on, some places get left behind…

When Holly arrives in the quaint seaside town of Fiddling-On-Sea, she expects a quiet break from the din of the big city. However, she soon finds herself plunged into a whole new world of coastal chaos. ‘Fiddling-On-Sea’s Best Beach Hut Competition’ is in full swing, and the summer heat is rising…

As the competition deadline draws closer, the deep history of the seaside floats to the surface, washing up a host of characters and stories from centuries gone by. It doesn’t take Holly long to realise there is far more at stake than just a prize for best beach hut.

Outdoor performance in the Walled Garden. Please bring rugs or chairs to sit on and clothing to suit the weather. Gates open at 6.30pm for picnics.

Tickets £16 (£14 concs), family ticket £45. Book online or call 01453 763394.

Come and join us in the Walled Garden Pavilion for just over an hour of poetry from four poets. Readings by James Dick, JLM Morton, Kate Potts and John Sewell.

Books and drinks available to buy, doors open at 7.30pm for an 8pm start, all welcome and no need to book. Please bring cash for the bar.

James Dick is familiar to many people in Stroud as the front man and lyricist of the Red Propellers. He has had two pamphlets of lyrics published, but Keeping Time is a collection of poems covering all manner of things and written in a direct and attentive style.

JLM Morton's recent pamphlet-long poem Forest is both a performance for the ear and a delight to the eye. Her poems have been widely published nationally and deserve close reading. Her first book of poems, Red Handed, which has its feet firmly on Stroud ground has become highly regarded and deservedly so.

Kate Potts is a poet, teacher, mentor and editor. She is published by Bloodaxe and her new book, Pretenders, explores 'imposter syndrome', the feeling of fraudulence that persists despite evidence of success. 'The book's varied, hesitant, questing voices
build to create a bold and innovative chorus.'

John Sewell was born in South Yorkshire and educated in Scotland; he now lives in Shropshire and is a member of Border Poets.John has had several poetry collections published, the most recent being Woods River Road from Fair Acre Press which was praised by John Burnside. His poem for St Lucy's Day begins, 'This dark year’s end /is a short night’s passage / for the veteran oak.'

Fancy a whistle stop history tour, taking in all the big moments from the Romans to the two World Wars? But featuring individuals you might not have met before?

Award-winning history teacher, writer and historian Shalina Patel is the creator of the sensational Instagram account @thehistorycorridor, which posts bite sized history lessons. In her book ‘The History Lessons’ she invites you to reclaim your history education, by celebrating stories and people that are less familiar but no less fascinating.

Shalina Patel has over 15 years of experience in the classroom and is Head of Teaching and Learning at Claremont High School Academy in London. In 2018 she won the Silver Pearson Teaching Award for Outstanding Teacher of the Year. She has been featured in publications from the Guardian to The Times and on programmes like BBC Woman’s Hour, BBC’s Teach Me a Lesson and Newscast. Shalina’s first book ‘The History Lessons’ was released in May 2024 and was heralded by the Guardian as aiming to ‘show adults their historical blind spots’ by ‘highlighting stories traditionally left out of the textbooks.

Tickets £7 / £5 including tea and coffee. Museum Members can bring a guest for free - look out for our ‘2 for 1’ ticket offer. Book online or call 01453 763394.

Pop up stall at Stroud Pride in Bank Gardens, Stroud.

Please come and visit us at our stand at this year’s Stroud Pride.

We will be inviting everyone to share their thoughts on themes of Family and Belonging. From Rainbow Families to Chosen Families, we are inviting everyone to draw a portrait of what family means to them for a new display at the museum. We want to showcase the diverse configurations, shapes, and meanings of families within our community. Come along to hear more and share your own experiences.

Come and meet Bob the Moth and find out about how moths differ from butterflies, and why they are so important. You may even get to see some amazing moths up close!

For adults and for children, free but donations welcome, come for all or part of the time and become a Bee Guardian. Based in the Walled Garden Pavilion. No need to book, just come along.

Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour – just three of the six wives of Henry VIII. But behind every Tudor Queen were her ladies-in-waiting.

They were her confidantes and her chaperones. They had the right to enter her most private chambers, dressing and undressing her and listening to her secrets. But they had unique power too – and political agency.

In her book ‘The Waiting Game: The Untold Story of the Women Who Served the Tudor Queens’ lecturer and author Dr Nicola Clark explores their daily lives and why they had to make choices about loyalty that simply didn’t exist before.

Nicola will be sharing some of the stories of these remarkable women when she joins Jo Durrant in conversation. Dr Nicola Clark is a Senior Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Chichester and writes about women in the Tudor period. Her first book, Gender, Family, and Politics: The Howard Women, 1485-1558, was published by Oxford University Press in 2018. She also writes for public audiences, with work featured in History Today and History Extra, and has appeared on television as part of the BBC's The Boleyns: A Scandalous Family, and More4's Royal Scandals. 

This event is part of Jo Durrant’s ‘Our Beautiful Universe’ series and takes place in the Pavilion in the Museum's beautiful Walled Garden. Tea and coffee included and there will be a chance to ask questions or share ideas after the talk if you so wish. 

'The Waiting Game' book will be available to buy and have signed - 20% discount for ticket holders (RRP £12.99)

Tickets £7 / £5 including tea and coffee. Museum Members can bring a guest for free - look out for our ‘2 for 1’ ticket offer. Book online or call 01453 763394.

In this talk local historian Chas Townley explores the construction in 1837 of Stroud Workhouse, in response to the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, when individual parish responsibility for paupers was handed to poor law unions. As well as providing basic shelter for destitute workers and their families, it also provided institutionalised care for disabled people and the sick and infirm for just over a century.

In 1937 the majority of occupants were chronically sick, infirm or disabled and the building also served as Stroud's maternity ward. Many workhouses of this period were soon to be incorporated into the NHS, but the fear and stigma of the workhouse often remained in the minds of the older generation. In the case of Stroud, in 1939, after a decade of indecision with no replacement in sight, it was declared unsafe and closed.

Part of the At The Margins exhibition programme.

FREE but booking recommended as spaces are limited - book online or call 01453 763394.

Explore the history of former workhouse Prindsen, Oslo, through two very different perspectives. This session offers moving and thought provoking insights into workhouse history, and how contemporary artists respond to this history with compassion and respect.

Part of the At The Margins exhibition programme. There will be a break with tea and coffee provided.

Session 1: ‘The Norwegian workhouse Prindsen: history from an inmate’s perspective’ with Caroline Juterud, Historian, Oslo City Archives

The history of the workhouse Prindsen located in Oslo, Norway, is complex and powerful. In this talk historian Caroline Juterud will explore the space between the formal and legal part of Prindsens history and the practical daily life of the inmates of this institution. Juterud is a historian at the Oslo City Archives, where she works as a photo and video archivist. Her Master’s degree thesis was based on research into the poor relief system in Oslo in the mid-19th century and she has published widely on the history of the Prindsen workhouse. She has conducted extensive work cataloguing the institution’s archive.

Session 2: ‘Prindsen - Approaching a workhouse history through weaving’ with Dr Franz Petter Schmidt, Prof. Oslo National Academy of the Arts

In this talk textile artist Franz Petter Schmidt will explore the varying degrees of connection with the history of the workhouse which has been ongoing negotiation and unfolding since he first began working with the history of the weaving workshop at Prindsen nearly ten years ago. His entry point is a search for resonance between the workshop and aspects of his own story, as a weaver and tailor, but also in relation to mental health and queer perspectives. Schmidt is a textile artist, a men’s tailor and a weaver. For 20 years, he has worked with the archives and the historic production facilities at Sjølingstad Woollen Mill in Lindesnes and Prindsen workhouse in Oslo as his main sources. 

Free but booking recommended. Book online or call 01453 763394.

Image: Prinds Christian Augusts Minde exterior © Fin Serck-Hanssen

“Breakin rocks in the hot sun... I fought the law and the law won”, the opening lines of Sonny Curtis’ 1958 hit song, epitomize the hard manual labour historically associated with incarceration. But softer forms of penal labour also occur inside prisons. When undertaken in contexts of such sensory extremes, carceral craft has the potential to act as a tool of further oppression, or offer an outlet for expression. Through colonial and contemporary examples such as needlework in South African prisons and batik production in Indonesia, this lecture attempts to offer a reminder of the fundamental ambiguity that underpins the labour of textile craft.

A talk with Professor Jessica Hemmings, HDK-Valand, Academy of Art and Design, University of Gothenburg, part of the At The Margins exhibition programme.  The themes in this talk link to the deeply thoughtful, poetic work of Franz Petter Schmidt who has been responding to the history of the former workhouse in Oslo where his studio has been based.

This is a hybrid event - Jessica will be speaking live online via Zoom from Sweden, with some audience members gathering at the Museum, and others joining online.

If you wish to attend online, here is the Zoom invite:

Time:   15:00 BST (GMT + 1 hour)

Topic: Beyond Heritage

https://uib.zoom.us/j/66132100696?pwd=U1VEbTA5R3JGaGdVNnZydDMvRWp0dz09

Meeting ID: 661 3210 0696

Password: Vbw9xm5C

If you’d like to attend in person, please book online or call 01453 763394.

Join Liz Taylor, Volunteer Facilitator and Embroiderer at Fine Cell Work, to hear about the work of this ground-breaking UK charity. Established in 1997, it focuses on rehabilitation through stitch. The mission is to enable people in prisons to redefine themselves through the power of creativity and craftsmanship. Through high-quality, paid needlework projects, Fine Cell Work provides incarcerated individuals a chance to build new identities—offering not only skills and income, but a renewed sense of purpose and hope for the future.

This talk is part of the At The Margins exhibition programme. It will be followed at 3pm by a talk (live online) with Jessica Hemmings, Professor, HDK-Valand, Academy of Art and Design, University of Gothenburg.

 Free but booking recommended. Book online or call 01453 763394.

An al fresco farce for all the family!

When fashionable 18th century London society comes to take the waters in the spa-town of Bath, comic confusion, daring duels and romantic entanglements abound. At the centre of it all is heiress Lydia Languish, who is determined to elope with the penniless Ensign Beverly rather than marry the eligible Jack Absolute.

Come and sample the sparkling wit and whirlwind plot of ‘The Rivals’, a Restoration Comedy which has delighted audiences for over 250 years with its collection of comic characters, including the formidable Mrs Malaprop, a creation so famous for the way she mangles the English language that her name is now immortalised in the dictionary.

This brand new adaptation combines Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s masterpiece with Rain or Shine’s fast and furious comic flair.

Outdoor performance in the Walled Garden. Please bring rugs or camping chairs to sit on and warm layers and clothing to suit the weather. Gates open at 5pm for picnics. Teas, coffees and ice creams available to buy from the Museum’s foyer café.

Tickets £16 / £8 children aged 5 to 15 (booking fees apply)

Book online if you possibly can, if not call us on 01453 763394

With Tim Parry-Williams, Professor of Art: Textiles, Faculty of Fine Art, Music and Design, University of Bergen and Kari-Anne Pedersen, Curator of Textiles and Dress (Retired), Norsk Folkemuseum.

Emerging from the research project Beyond Heritage: Material Making Meaning, this session will explore the apparent use of imported British woollen cloth in pre-1900 Norwegian raudtrøyer folk dress. Whilst ornamental detailing and colour shaped identity within Norwegian Romantic Nationalism, they also point to a largely unknown global movement of materials. Unfolding tantalising links to the textile histories of Stroud, the session will reveal how local cloth making traditions and trade may have influenced the distinct visual language of this Scandinavian dress culture. 

Free but booking recommended.

Book online or call 01453 763394.

Image: TP-W 2 - NF.1992-1581 Women’s folk dress (inside-outside detail) T.Parry-Williams © Norsk Folkemuseet