Thursdays in term time, 10.30am to 11.30am

Calling all little explorers! Get ready for a weekly dose of discovery, creativity, and giggles at Mini Museum - our playful, hands-on sessions specially designed for families with children under 5.

The stories of the places where we live are a rich tapestry woven from moment in time, the people who lived there and the things they used, wore, and made. This project unravels some of the individual threads which make up our history, highlighting seven objects which shine a light on local industry and everyday life, and celebrate the area we call home.

Step into a world of wonder and nostalgia as you explore how children played across the decades!

Friday 7 November, 7pm

The creators of The 17th Century Show bring you, The Amazing Exploding Girlfriend and Other Tales of Mad Science: A Professor Edvard von Goosechaser Comedy History Lecture. The year is 1669, and it’s time for the annual Professor Edvard von Goosechaser lecture. This time the subject is mad scientists, fool hardy inventors and heroic herbalists. Find out which Royalist super soldier liked to dabble in science and how a hole in his head lead to a spectacular innovation in fashion.

Thursday 13 November, 7pm

This talk by Michael Rayner, chair of the Battlefields Trust's Battlefield Panel, will look at how landscape is crucial to understanding why and how battles were fought

Saturday 6 December, 10am–4pm

Make a stuart-inspired Christmas wreath for your door, using local greenery. Bring and Bling station- bring a t short or jumper and turn it into your Christmas outfit!

Friday 12 December, 7pm

Back by popular demand, A Merry Noyse will be regaling us with a feast of music from Christmas past . A joyful mix of history, poetry and musical performance, the perfect cosy historical start to your Christmas season!

Saturday 31 January 2026, 7pm

Visible for miles around, the spire of St Mary’s church was a beacon, vantage point and source of local pride. Learn more about the central role played by St Mary’s Church in local life during the British Civil Wars with renowned local historian Stuart Jennings. 

Wednesday 4 February 2026, 7pm

Celebrate music and mining heritage with this free event at Bilsthorpe Heritage Museum!

Friday 13 February 2026, 7pm

In 1642, when Charles I raised his standard in Nottingham, he ruled not just England, Ireland, and Scotland, but also “the dominions thereunto belonging”. These distant settlement, most small and new, were drawn into events at home, and the English Atlantic was shaped by the civil wars, regicide, and experiments in new forms of government over the next two decades. 

Friday 27 March 2026, 7pm

This fine example of a Gallo Roman dodecahedron was found in the summer of 2023 when archaeologists excavated a Roman site at Norton Disney, close to a Roman villa and the Fosse Way Roman road.

Friday 17 April 2026, 7pm

Dr Samantha Tipper, Senior Lecturer at Anglia Ruskin will share her fascinating analysis of human skeletons from the Battle of Stoke Field and the stories hidden in their bones. 

Saturday 2 May 2026, 4.30pm

Shake a leg Stuart style as we learn about the country dances of market squares and village greens as  recorded in John Playford’s 1651 ‘The English Dancing Master’.