RETRO PLAY DAYS

To tie in with the Our Freedom and Yours exhibition, step back in time and have a go with our retro toys and games.

FREE ACTIVITY
Normal museum entry fees apply

1940s THEMED CRAFT ACTIVITIES

To tie in with the Our Freedom and Yours exhibition, drop in and join us with our 1940s themed craft ‘make do and mend’ activities.

PER CHILD £1.00
Normal museum entry fees apply

CREATE BUILD LEARN LEGO WORKSHOPS: MINECRAFT

Come and get creative on the theme of Minecraft with the ‘Create Build Learn’ team.

We ask that any child under 8 is accompanied by an adult for the duration of the workshop although please only book a place for the participating child.

PER CHILD £6.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

OUTDOOR EXPLORERS: SUMMER HOLIDAY SPECIALS

We’re opening up the Forest School area over the Summer holiday for three special  ‘Outdoor Explorers’ sessions. Explore the outdoor world through free play in our Forest School area with your little one. 

We recommend this activity for 3 and 4 year olds, but younger ones are welcome also and there is no charge for younger accompanying siblings.

Please ensure clothing is suitable for the weather, and please have legs covered in all weathers. Wear waterproofs if needed, and wellies/sturdy footware.

PER CHILD £4.50

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

CREATE BUILD LEARN LEGO WORKSHOPS: LEGO CITY

Come and get creative on the theme of Lego City with the ‘Create Build Learn’ team.

We ask that any child under 8 is accompanied by an adult for the duration of the workshop although please only book a place for the participating child.

PER CHILD £6.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

1940s AFTERNOON TEA

Enjoy 1940s songs from Helen Pearson whilst enjoying an afternoon tea of delicious cakes, homemade scones and sandwiches in our covered Cloisters area.

This event will include and opportunity to visit the Our Freedom and Yours exhibition. Please arrive from 4.00pm to visit the exhibition.

If not purchasing as a group, please contact the museum on 01527 62509 or via the booking system messaging service to let us know how many are in your group so we can seat everyone accordingly.

ALL TICKETS £30.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

BAT WALK

Join us on a walk around the Abbey Meadows and Museum site with experts from Brum Bats.

Wear strong shoes, dress warmly and bring a torch.

ADULTS £6.00, CHILDREN £3.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

OUTDOOR THEATRE: TREASURE ISLAND

It’s pirate ships, pieces of eight and salty old sea dogs for Summer 2026 in Quantum Theatre’s swashbuckling new adaptation of the classic pirate adventure, Treasure Island.

Bursting with buccaneers, brouhaha and dastardly double dealings this lively new adaptation delivers an action-packed adventure for the whole family.

Gates open at 4.30pm. The performance begins at 5.00pm. Please bring your own picnics, blankets and seats to enjoy this performance in the beautiful, natural surroundings of Forge Mill.

Ice creams and light refreshments will be available from the coffee bar.

ADULTS £15.00, CHILDREN £7.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

TEXTILE WORKSHOP: FANTASY FLOWER STITCHED DOODLE

Enjoy the soothing rhythm of hand embroidery as you create a Fantasy Flower stitched Doodle with Ruth Parkinson-Johns. Begin by creating a fabric flower motif from hand dyed fabrics. Attach this to the fabric base and add hand embroidery patterns in the background space to complete your artwork.

You may wish to finish off the work at home and display the completed piece in the mini embroidery hoop supplied.

A textile workshop inspired by our Wandering Threads Exhibition.

PER PERSON £22.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

TEXTILE WORKSHOP: KATAGAMI STENCIL CUTTING

Katagami is a Japanese technique of hand cutting stencils traditionally using a washi based stencil paper. The stencils can be used to print with a resist onto fabric or paper as well as printing using pigments directly through the stencil.

On this workshop we will look at traditional Japanese Katagami stencils as inspiration, discussing the different techniques of stencil cutting before planning out your own small design and cutting it out with a scalpel.

We will test the stencil using indigo pigment on to paper and you’ll be able to take your stencil home to use for further experimentation.

A textile workshop inspired by our Wandering Threads Exhibition.

PER PERSON £22.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

TEXTILE WORKSHOP: STITCH-SCAPES

Join Liske for a short collage and stitch workshop. Dip into our hand dyed & printed fabrics to create your own landscape or seascape. We will then enjoy some slow stitching to add details and character to your piece.

Finished landscape will be approx 12cm square and can be mounted onto a wooden block.

A textile workshop inspired by our Wandering Threads Exhibition.

PER PERSON £22.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

TEXTILE WORKSHOP: LAYERED LANDSCAPE – PRINT AND STITCH

Enjoy a taste of working in mixed media, as you create a textile layered landscape with Ruth. Begin by adding a flourish of print to your pre-painted fabric,  creating a background texture of grasses. Then embellish  the foreground area further, with hand embroidery stitches representing grasses and flowers.

You may wish to complete your Artwork at home and display it in the mini 11cm hoop supplied.

A textile workshop inspired by our Wandering Threads Exhibition.

PER PERSON £22.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

TEXTILE WORKSHOP: TIDELINE MINI EMBROIDERY

Capture the essence of the coast as you create a stitched doodle inspired by the Tideline with Ruth. Begin by stitching shells onto a fabric background (Use those provided or bring some of your own) Be guided as you create hand embroidered patterns and textures in the background space, to capture the essence of time by the sea. You may wish to complete the artwork at home and display it in the mini 11cm embroidery hoop supplied.

All materials provided (bring your own shells if you have some special ones that you would like to use).

A textile workshop inspired by our Wandering Threads Exhibition.

PER PERSON £22.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

INSPIRATION AND RECREATION: SEWING 17C STYLE CLOTHES

A talk from Caroline Vincent

Caroline Vincent joined the Sealed Knot as a student and met lovely people and had great fun, but from the start she felt the kit she wore could be improved.

Since then, she has spent time researching, ,visiting museums, going to lectures and reading books to learn how to draft patterns and sew 17th century style clothes. It has sent her down many rabbit holes of exploration and in this fascinating talk she will show you what she has learnt with examples of what she has created.

Part of Visit Worcestershire’s ‘Sew Civil War’ project.

ADULTS £7.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

COMMONWEALTH LACE

A talk from Mary Coleman

What lace did the Puritans wear between the Stuart reigns? A fascinating talk illustrated with examples of lace from the Lace Guild Museum Collection.

This talk is presented by Mary Coleman, Honorary Assistant Curator from The Lace Guild Museum.

Part of Visit Worcestershire’s ‘Sew Civil War’ project.

ADULTS £7.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

PORTRAITS, PURITANS AND PETTICOATS

A talk from Stuart Orme

Fashion in the mid-1600s. A talk by Stuart Orme, Curator of the Oliver Cromwell Museum.

The mid-1600s saw changes in fashion, forced by not only by continental influences but the impact of the Civil Wars and the Republic. What were these changes and how did people of this period dress? Did all Puritans wear black and Cavaliers wear lace? What do the portraits of the period tell us and in what way are they misleading?

Part of Visit Worcestershire’s ‘Sew Civil War’ project.

ADULTS £7.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

INSPIRED BY 17th CENTURY CASKET EMBROIDERY WORKSHOP

A workshop with Heather Lewis

As part of research for a book, Heather studied historical embroidered caskets from the V & A. The embroidery in this workshop was designed alongside a casket she made for the book and features scrolling stems of couched gold thread, a three-dimensional needlelace leaf, silk shaded strawberry and embellished with gold spangles.

Part of Visit Worcestershire’s ‘Sew Civil War’ project.

ADULTS £80.00 (including £30 class kit)

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

BLACKWORK EMBROIDERY WORKSHOP

A workshop with Leon Conrad

Ups and Downs: Reversible ‘Spanish Stitch’ embroidery based on Civil War period samplers.

Learn to stitch like it’s 1640: where every ending is a new beginning, and the path you map out reveals a masterpiece.

Part of Visit Worcestershire’s ‘Sew Civil War’ project.

ADULTS £65.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

GOLDWORK EMBROIDERY WORKSHOP

A workshop with Leon Conrad

A Gorgeous Glimpse of Gold. Bring more bling and work more ‘wow’ into your needlework as you engage with the magnificence, glamour, and magic of embroidering with gold thread, just as stitchers did in the 16th and 17th Centuries.

Part of Visit Worcestershire’s ‘Sew Civil War’ project.

ADULTS £30.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below:

A VEIL OF MYSTERY

A talk from Leon Conrad

English 16th and 17th Century Embroidered and Woven Textile Bookbindings.

This engaging talk reveals the often hidden and secret stories behind richly decorated textile bookbindings produced in England in the 16th and 17th centuries. Are the flowers, figures, and fastenings purely decorative — or do they hint at something more? Come and decide for yourself!

Part of Visit Worcestershire’s ‘Sew Civil War’ project.

ADULTS £7.00

Bookings should be made in advance using the link below: