History

Devon

Torridge

Join Julian Humphrys of the Battlefields Trust on a walk designed to take a closer look at one of the most important and dramatic battles in English history.

The Battle of Torrington was one of the last battles of the Civil War of 1642-46. It's chiefly remembered today for the fact that Torrington Church (which was being used as a gunpowder store during the battle) blew up, killing Royalists and Roundheads alike and showering the combatants with debris.

This event has been graded as moderate access as there will be plenty of walking with limited resting points and no seating.

Not suitable for under-16s.

Members' Event:

Herd your family together for a baaa-rilliant Christmas trail at Wrest Park this festive season. Grab a trail map and track down twelve super-sized sculptures of Shaun the Sheep designed by different artists.

The trail runs from Wednesday - Sunday. On weekends until 23 December, you can also get hands-on with Christmas crafts and toast marshmallows around the fire once ewe’ve found the flock.

Please note that temporary parking on the field opposite Wrest Park is currently in place for the Christmas season. Please be aware that the area may be muddy at times.

On select dates, enjoy live music in the staircase hall of the mansion:

Saturday 29 November: Moonshots Jazz Band, 2pm

Wednesday 3 December: Luton Sixth Form College Brass Quartet, 1.30pm

Sunday 7 December: Rock Choir Bedford, 12.30pm & 2pm

Saturday 13 December: Alive & Singing Choir, 11.30am, Ampthill Town Band, 12.30pm & 2.30pm and Barton Community Choir, 1.30pm

Sunday 14 December: Ivel Handbell Ringers, 12.30pm & 2pm

Wednesday 17 December: The Flitwick Singers, 11.30am & 1.30pm

Thursday 18 December: The Pulloxhill Singers, 11.30am & 1.30pm

Friday 19 December: Sara Davies, 11.30am & 1.30pm

Saturday 20 December: Classical Chorus Choir (Hertfordshire), 11.30am & 12.30pm, The Collaboration Choir (Bedford, Woburn Sands & Milton Keynes), 1.30pm and Choral Nova (Milton Keynes), 2.30pm

Sunday 21 December: Sherrie Buchanan (Former Luton College), 11.30am & 13.30pm, The Lime Stones (Former Luton College), 12.30pm & 2.30pm

Shaun the Sheep Workshops

Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 November: Shaun the Sheep Model Making  - take part in a workshop run by an expert model maker from Aardman.

Saturday 6, Sunday 7, Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 December: Paint your own Shaun the Sheep ceramic figures.

Fleece Navidad!

Book early and save 15%.

Make your day even more magical with a visit to Father Christmas. There’s a separate charge, and you’ll need to book ahead.

Add on a Festive Afternoon Tea experience with your admission and share festive fayre with a selection of sandwiches, cakes and canapés. Available from Saturday 22 November - Sunday 21 December 2025, Wednesday through to Sunday.

Download the trail map, (PDF, 8.9MB).

Find the Flock is a collaboration with Wild in Art and Aardman.

© Aardman Animations Ltd 2025

Find The Flock At Wrest Park

Double Vision brings together two paintings both known as The Guitar Player. One painting, a treasure from Kenwood’s Iveagh Bequest, is signed by the great Johannes Vermeer (1632-75). The origin of the other, on loan from the John G. Johnson Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, USA, remains a mystery.

Philadelphia’s painting depicts the same young woman playing a guitar, but with a number of small differences. Thought to be by Vermeer by John G. Johnson who bought the picture and eventually gave it to the city of Philadelphia, the question of who painted it and when has been the subject of intense debate for the past 100 years.

This new display, marking the 350th anniversary of Vermeer’s death aged 43 in 1675, sees the paintings side by side for the first time in over 300 years.

Double Vision:

The Romans settled these shores in AD 43. Within 10 years they'd established a new administrative capital of the province they called Britannia. They named this settlement Londinium, and it grew to become the metropolis we know today.

The legions once marched around its streets, gladiators fought in its amphitheatre, and citizens bathed in the numerous bathhouses. Join Nick Collinson for a walk around these very same places and re-live the splendour of the classical age in our very own London town.

This tour is graded as moderate access, due to it being a walking tour covering 1.5-2 miles over busy and uneven streets, with few places to stop and rest. Access to and from the train at Tower Hill Station is via a boarding ramp. For more information, please see https://tfl.gov.uk/transport-accessibility.

Not suitable for under-16s.

Herd your family together for a baaa-rilliant Christmas trail at Belsay Hall this festive season. Grab a trail map and track down twelve super-sized sculptures of Shaun the Sheep designed by different artists.

The trail runs from Wednesday - Sunday. On weekends until 23 December, you can also get hands-on with nature inspired Christmas crafts, and toast marshmallows around the fire once ewe’ve found the flock.

Shaun the Sheep Workshops

Sat 13 and Sun 14 December: Shaun the Sheep Model Making - take part in a workshop run by an expert model maker from Aardman.

Sun 7, Sat 20 and Sun 21 December: Paint your own Shaun the Sheep ceramic figures.

Fleece Navidad!

Book early and save 15%.

Make your day even more magical with a visit to Father Christmas. There’s a separate charge, and you’ll need to book ahead.

Add on a Festive Afternoon Tea experience with your admission and share festive fayre with a selection of sandwiches, cakes and canapés. Available from Saturday 29 November - Sunday 21 December 2025, Saturdays and Sundays (including 22 and 23 December).

Download the trail map (PDF, 8.7MB).

Find the Flock is a collaboration with Wild in Art and Aardman.

© Aardman Animations Ltd 2025

Find The Flock At Belsay Hall

Herd your family together for a baaa-rilliant Christmas trail at Belsay Hall this festive season. Grab a trail map and track down twelve super-sized sculptures of Shaun the Sheep designed by different artists.

The trail runs from Wednesday-Sunday. On weekends until 23 December, you can also get hands-on with Christmas crafts and toast marshmallows around the fire once ewe’ve found the flock.

Fleece Navidad!

Book early and save 15%.

Make your day even more magical with a visit to Father Christmas. There’s a separate charge, and you’ll need to book ahead.

Add on a Festive Afternoon Tea experience with your admission and share festive fayre with a selection of sandwiches, cakes and canapés. Available from Saturday 29 November - Sunday 21 December 2025, Saturdays and Sundays (including 22 and 23 December).

Find the Flock is a collaboration with Wild in Art and Aardman.

© Aardman Animations Ltd 2025/2026

Join Christina Pascoe, English Heritage's National Venue Hire Manager for a peek behind the scenes at film projects at Eltham Palace. From The Crown to Wonka and Brideshead Revisited, learn why English Heritage allows these projects to take place, the challenges they pose and the measures taken to protect the building and its artefacts in order to allow our fantastic heritage to appear on screen.

This talk is graded as Moderate access as it will require navigating stairs. Please dress appropriately for the weather and wear suitable footwear.

Gain a rare insight into Stonehenge, the famous World Heritage Site, with an exclusive tour around the monument led by one of English Heritage’s experts. Learn all about the stones and discover the fascinating details on the sarsens and bluestones that are only visible up close.

This event will include exclusive early morning access to the stone circle accompanied by our expert and a light breakfast served after.

Please note this event is graded as moderate access as it will involve some walking with limited places to rest, and uneven terrain. The event will take place outside, so please wear suitable footwear and dress appropriately for the weather.

Join Blue Badge Guide Emma Fox for tales of historic and contemporary art and entertainment.

Discover a theatre pioneer, an immigrant orchestra, the UK's longest-running soap, filming locations, global superstars and cult classics on this walk through Manchester's entertainment centre.

This tour is graded as moderate access due to it being a walking tour covering up to 2.5 miles with few places to stop and sit down.

Not suitable for under-16s.

Bolsover Castle was the Cavendish family’s aristocratic retreat: a place for entertaining, aristocratic pursuits and indulging in life’s pleasures. On this tour with Dr Megan Leyland (English Heritage Senior Curator of History), uncover how this ‘pleasure palace’ was used in the 17th century and hear about the lavish festivities laid on for the visit of King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria in 1634.

Immerse yourself in stories of the Cavendish family and their royal guests, and discover what life was like for those who served them, including investigating one of the remarkable surviving 17th-century kitchens. Drawing on poetry, prose and surviving records from the time, this tour will invite you to imagine the smells, sounds and sights of the 17th century - from delicate pastries cooked in the ovens, to the music that would've filled the air.

This tour is graded as moderate access as it may involve navigating some stairs and narrow spaces, with few places to stop and sit down.

Join historian Dr Susan Skedd on a guided walk around the streets of Westminster and discover where some of its most notable former inhabitants lived and worked. Find out about the lives of the politicians, reformers, writers and sports figures who lived and worked here.

This event is graded as moderate access as it's a walking tour covering up to three miles with few places to stop and sit down.

This event isn't suitable for under-16s.

Join Blue Badge Guide John McFerran for an introduction to the Cultural Quarter of Liverpool.

Visit St John's Gardens and St George's Hall and have a tour of the Walker Art Gallery, reputedly the finest art gallery outside of London.

This tour is graded as moderate access as it's a walking tour covering up to two miles with few places to stop and sit down.

Not suitable for under-16s.

Join us for an exclusive tour inside Framlingham Workhouse. Learn more about the history of this 18th-century workhouse and the conditions inside, including diet and work. Hear stories of some of the inmates' lives, which have been uncovered by our team of research volunteers.

This event is graded moderate access, due to some parts of the tour requiring the climbing of stairs, navigating uneven ground, as well as minimal rest stops. Some of this tour may take place outside, so please wear suitable footwear and dress appropriately for the weather.

English Heritage

English Heritage cares for over 400 historic buildings, monuments and sites - from world-famous prehistoric sites to grand medieval castles, from Roman forts on the edges of the empire to a Cold War bunker. 

Through these, we bring the story of England to life for over 10 million people each year. 

Members' Event:

English Heritage

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