Seasonal Activities

Picnic

Games

Arts & Crafts

Nottinghamshire

Bassetlaw

Join us at Gainsborough Old Hall for a Teddy Bear's Picnic on Sunday 16 August!

You are welcome to bring your own refreshments (or you can purchase lunch or cakes from our cafe). Bring a blanket, your child's favourite teddy and sit out on the lawn for a summer picnic.

There will be games to play and crafts to make, and if the weather is poor we can move into our Education Room for shelter.

This event is free to attend, and there is no need to book. Normal admission applies for entry to the Hall, which is optional. If you would like to explore the Hall, please click here to book admission. Members get free entry.

Photograph by Jess Codd.

Teddy Bear's Picnic At Gainsborough Old Hall

Step into the fascinating story of Audley End and discover the people and events that helped shape this wonderful house.

To mark the 400th anniversary of the death of Thomas Howard, an exhibition of five paintings tells the story of three generations of a family who played a significant part in the development of Audley End. Two of the paintings have never previously been displayed at Audley End.

Alongside the exhibition, our volunteers invite you to enjoy a special performance, ‘Monasteries, Mansions, Marriage and Mayhem’. Hear the stories of the characters behind the house and discover how each played their part over the years.

Performance dates:

9 September at 11.30am

14 October at 11.30am and 1.30pm

21 October at 11.30am and 1.30pm

22 October at 11.30am and 1.30pm

Sign up at the Visitor Information Centre on the day of your visit. You will need admission to Audley End House and Gardens which you can purchase here. Members go free.

Monasteries, Mansions, Marriage And Mayhem

Join us on Saturday 10 October with Saraband featuring Timothy Roberts playing chamber organ, Sarah Bealby-Wright and Henrietta Wayne playing violins and Jacob Garside playing cello.

This event is free thanks to the generous support of The Continuo Foundation.

Donations to Kenwood are welcome.

Organs And Strings Concert By Saraband At Kenwood

Gather your little monsters for a ghoulishly good day out at Halloween half-term at Pendennis Castle this half-term.

Join the Great Pumpkin Party as we celebrate the season with family activities and entertainment. There'll be interactive storytelling, spooky games and devilish disco fun, as well as themed trails and seasonal selfie spots around the site.

And it wouldn't be Halloween without costumes, so don't forget to come dressed for the occasion. Join in the daily fancy dress competition and you might just win a prize.

Keep your eye on the website for more details.

The event is included in the standard entry price, book in advance and save 15%. English Heritage members get free entry.

Halloween Half-Term At Pendennis Castle

Gather your little monsters for a ghoulishly good day out at Brodsworth Hall and Gardens this October half-term. 

Join the Great Pumpkin Party as we celebrate the season with family activities and entertainment. There'll be interactive storytelling, spooky games and devilish disco fun, as well as themed trails and seasonal selfie spots around the site.

And it wouldn't be Halloween without costumes, so don't forget to come dressed for the occasion. Join in the daily fancy dress competition and you might just win a prize.

Keep your eye on the website for more details.

The event is included in the standard entry price, book in advance and save 15%. English Heritage members get free entry.

Halloween Half-Term At Brodsworth Hall And Gardens

Gather your little monsters for a ghoulishly good day out at Audley End House and Gardens this October half-term. 

Join the Great Pumpkin Party as we celebrate the season with family activities and entertainment. There'll be interactive storytelling, spooky games and devilish disco fun, as well as themed trails and seasonal selfie spots around the site.

And it wouldn't be Halloween without costumes, so don't forget to come dressed for the occasion. Join in the daily fancy dress competition and you might just win a prize.

Keep your eye on the website for more details.

The event is included in the standard entry price, book in advance and save 15%. English Heritage members get free entry.

Halloween Half-Term At Audley End House And Gardens

Gather your little monsters for a ghoulishly good day out at Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens this October half-term. 

Join the Great Pumpkin Party as we celebrate the season with family activities and entertainment. There'll be interactive storytelling, spooky games and devilish disco fun, as well as themed trails and seasonal selfie spots around the site.

And it wouldn't be Halloween without costumes, so don't forget to come dressed for the occasion. Join in the daily fancy dress competition and you might just win a prize.

Keep your eye on the website for more details.

The event is included in the standard entry price, book in advance and save 15%. English Heritage members get free entry.

Halloween Half-Term At Belsay Hall, Castle And Gardens

Gather your little monsters for a ghoulishly good day out at Dover Castle this October half-term. 

Join the Great Pumpkin Party as we celebrate the season with family activities and entertainment. There'll be interactive storytelling, spooky games and devilish disco fun, as well as themed trails and seasonal selfie spots around the site.

And it wouldn't be Halloween without costumes, so don't forget to come dressed for the occasion. Join in the daily fancy dress competition and you might just win a prize.

Keep your eye on the website for more details.

The event is included in the standard entry price, book in advance and save 15%. English Heritage members get free entry.

Halloween Half-Term At Dover Castle

Gather your little monsters for a ghoulishly good day out at Eltham Palace and Gardens this October half-term. 

Join the Great Pumpkin Party as we celebrate the season with family activities and entertainment. There'll be interactive storytelling, spooky games and devilish disco fun, as well as themed trails and seasonal selfie spots around the site.

And it wouldn't be Halloween without costumes, so don't forget to come dressed for the occasion. Join in the daily fancy dress competition and you might just win a prize.

Keep your eye on the website for more details.

The event is included in the standard entry price, book in advance and save 15%. English Heritage members get free entry.

Halloween Half-Term At Eltham Palace And Gardens

Gather your little monsters for a ghoulishly good day out at Bolsover Castle this half-term.

Join the Great Pumpkin Party as we celebrate the season with family activities and entertainment. There'll be interactive storytelling, spooky games and devilish disco fun, as well as themed trails and seasonal selfie spots around the site.

And it wouldn't be Halloween without costumes, so don't forget to come dressed for the occasion. Join in the daily fancy dress competition and you might just win a prize.

Keep your eye on the website for more details.

The event is included in the standard entry price, book in advance and save 15%. English Heritage members get free entry.

Halloween Half-Term At Bolsover Castle

Gather your little monsters for a ghoulishly good day out at Framlingham Castle this half-term.

Join the Great Pumpkin Party as we celebrate the season with family activities and entertainment. There'll be interactive storytelling, spooky games and devilish disco fun, as well as themed trails and seasonal selfie spots around the site.

And it wouldn't be Halloween without costumes, so don't forget to come dressed for the occasion. Join in the daily fancy dress competition and you might just win a prize.

Keep your eye on the website for more details.

The event is included in the standard entry price, book in advance and save 15%. English Heritage members get free entry.

Halloween Half-Term At Framlingham Castle

Gather your little monsters for a ghoulishly good day out at Halloween half-term at Wrest Park this half-term.

Join the Great Pumpkin Party as we celebrate the season with family activities and entertainment. There'll be interactive storytelling, spooky games and devilish disco fun, as well as themed trails and seasonal selfie spots around the site.

And it wouldn't be Halloween without costumes, so don't forget to come dressed for the occasion. Join in the daily fancy dress competition and you might just win a prize.

Keep your eye on the website for more details.

The event is included in the standard entry price, book in advance and save 15%. English Heritage members get free entry.

Halloween Half-Term At Wrest Park

Gather your little monsters for a ghoulishly good day out at Halloween half-term at Whitby Abbey this half-term.

Join the Great Pumpkin Party as we celebrate the season with family activities and entertainment. There'll be interactive storytelling, spooky games and devilish disco fun, as well as themed trails and seasonal selfie spots around the site.

And it wouldn't be Halloween without costumes, so don't forget to come dressed for the occasion. Join in the daily fancy dress competition and you might just win a prize.

Keep your eye on the website for more details.

The event is included in the standard entry price, book in advance and save 15%. English Heritage members get free entry.

Halloween Half-Term At Whitby Abbey

Gather your little monsters for a ghoulishly good day out at Halloween half-term at Scarborough Castle this half-term.

Join the Great Pumpkin Party as we celebrate the season with family activities and entertainment. There'll be interactive storytelling, spooky games and devilish disco fun, as well as themed trails and seasonal selfie spots around the site.

And it wouldn't be Halloween without costumes, so don't forget to come dressed for the occasion. Join in the daily fancy dress competition and you might just win a prize.

Keep your eye on the website for more details.

The event is included in the standard entry price, book in advance and save 15%. English Heritage members get free entry.

Halloween Half-Term At Scarborough Castle

Gather your little monsters for a ghoulishly good day out at Halloween half-term at Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden this half-term.

Join the Great Pumpkin Party as we celebrate the season with family activities and entertainment. There'll be interactive storytelling, spooky games and devilish disco fun, as well as themed trails and seasonal selfie spots around the site.

And it wouldn't be Halloween without costumes, so don't forget to come dressed for the occasion. Join in the daily fancy dress competition and you might just win a prize.

Keep your eye on the website for more details.

The event is included in the standard entry price, book in advance and save 15%. English Heritage members get free entry.

Halloween Half-Term At Kenilworth Castle And Elizabethan Garden

960 years since the Battle of Hastings took place, the one and only re-enactment returns.

On the very spot where King Harold and Duke William fought in 1066, over 500 reenactors will recreate the drama and intensity of this legendary conflict.

Battle Of Hastings At Battle Abbey

Audley End is celebrated for its magnificence: beautifully furnished rooms and fine objects, carefully arranged and presented for visitors. Yet above these showpiece interiors lies another, lesser-known world.

Running from May to November 2026, Behind Closed Doors is a new exhibition that offers a rare glimpse into the hidden second-floor rooms, long closed to the public. Once guest bedrooms and servants’ quarters, they now function as store rooms, revealing a quieter side of life within the house.

Through the photographs of Lachlan French and Clive Downes, these interiors evoke a faded splendour, carefully preserved as if a moment frozen in time.

In contrast to the rooms below, they offer a more subtle beauty, shaped by memory, atmosphere, and the traces of lives once lived behind closed doors.

This event is included with general admission. Book in advance to save 15%. Members go free.

Behind Closed Doors:

Join our resident ghost afficionado Vicky, as she takes you round Gainsborough Old Hall with tales of its ghostly happenings...

Join us on the below dates:

Wednesday 4 October at 2.30pm

Wednesday 11 October at 2.30pm

Friday 25 October at 3pm

Saturday 31 October at 3pm

Sunday 1 November at 3pm

This event is not suitable for children under the age of 12. This event involves walking up a flight of stairs. Unfortunatley there is no lift to the first floor so this event is not accessible for people with limited mobility.

Ghost Tours At Gainsborough Old Hall

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. 

Teddy Bear's Picnic At Gainsborough Old Hall

English Heritage

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