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Events

Our events programme has something for everyone.

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Walks & Tours
Portrait of Elinor Godsalve, a Quaker woman in simple but elegant white clothing in a georgian style, with the slogan 'Story Tours, Everyone has a story...' underneath..
STORY TOURS

Everyone has a story...  Our unique Story Tours let you discover our local history in a brand new way, through the personal stories of the people who lived it. 

Join our expert tour guides and knowledgeable museum team to explore the city of Lancaster, its museums, and the stories of Lancastrians through the centuries - from Roman warriors to lighthouse keepers, transported female convicts to a 70s gay commune which fought for a better world.

With a variety of tours running between March and October, indoors and out, there's something for everyone. Many of our tours are family friendly too!

Advance booking is recommended to guarantee your place:

Read on for details of the next few tours...

Between the Land and the Sea
poster with black and white photo of lighthouse keeper Janet Raby. She's quite old in this picture, dressed in a warm coat and tam o'shanter hat, holding a basket and small fishing net made from a forked stick with netting attached.

Tour the Maritime Museum galleries and hear about those who lived on the edge between land and sea: the female lighthouse keepers, those who dared to cross the sands, some of Lancaster’s wealthiest 18th century merchants, and more. These tours begin before the Maritime Museum opens to the public on a Saturday, so you'll have exclusive access.

Indoor tour, 1 hour.

Dates

  • Saturday 5 July @ 11am & 11:30am  (Please note this date is misprinted as the 6th in some leaflets - apologies, the correct date is Saturday 5th July.)
  • Saturday 6 September @ 11am & 11:30am

Tickets 

Location & Accessibilty

This tour takes place inside Lancaster Maritime Museum. All areas included in the tour are accessible via the lift, and there's a blue badge parking space in front of the museum. There are two gender-neutral toilets on the ground floor, one of which is fully accessible, with a button activated door and emergency cord as well as baby-changing facilities.

Historical Women of Lancaster: Lives in Writing
poster with same info as this page and photo of black or mixed-race woman in an elaborate Victorian outfit.

This city centre tour with expert guide Eleanor Levin focuses on women's words and writing about women, including a nurse writing postcards home from WW1 France, an upcycling artist, a loom-breaking luddite, an anti-slavery campaigner, a child - much discussed but little understood, a nun, a duke, and a poet.

Outdoor tour, 1.5 hours.

Dates

  • Tuesday 15 July @ 11am

Tickets 

Location & Accessibilty

Starting from Lancaster City Museum, this outdoor walking tour will take you around the city centre. Please get in touch with any questions about the accessibility of the route: lancastercitymuseum@lancaster.gov.uk. 

Family Friendly Georgian Walking Tour
Poster with same info as this page and photo of man in georgian style coat and top hat.

Introducing your tour guide, 'Johnny', a Lancaster Coachman with a questionable history! You'll be captivated by his tales as he shares stories of the eccentric characters and dreadful events from the past. 

A family-friendly experience, ideal for ages 6+.

Outdoor tour, 1.5 hours.

Dates

  • Saturday 26 July @ 11am & 2pm
  • Tuesday 12 August @ 11am & 2pm

Tickets 

Location & Accessibilty

Starting from Lancaster City Museum, this outdoor walking tour will take you around the city centre. Please get in touch with any questions about the accessibility of the route: lancastercitymuseum@lancaster.gov.uk. 

Roman Lancaster: Family Friendly Tour
poster with image of roman armour and weapons and the same info as this page.

Join the City Museum team for a fun guided tour of our summer exhibition, Insus Unearthed: a journey through Roman Lancaster. Hear about how the Romans lived, worked and built the fort in our city. We will answer questions like: Why did they use sponges on long sticks? What did they eat? What games would children have played?

Indoor tour, 1 hour.

Dates

  • Saturday 26 July @ 11am, 1pm, 2pm
  • Saturday 23 August @ 11am, 1pm, 2pm

Tickets 

Location & Accessibilty

This tour takes place inside Lancaster City Museum. The Insus Unearthed exhibition is in the ground floor gallery, which is accessible via a ramp to the right of the main entrance. The tour will also include the Insus tombstone itself which is part of our permanent displays upstairs. A stairlift is available for wheelchairs or anyone with limited mobility. 

Exhibition

The Insus Unearthed exhibition will be on display at the City Museum from 17 May to 10 November 2025. Find out more on our Exhibitions page.

Finds Days
Photo of a gold ring with decorative scrollwork on the outside and an inscription running round the inside including the words 'my affection'.
Whittington Poesy Ring

Did you know that thousands of archaeological objects are discovered by ordinary people every year? 

Have you found something while metal detecting, beach-combing, mudlarking, or just gardening or walking the dog? 

Finds Liaison Officer Theo Muscillo will be visiting Lancaster City Museum several times this year:

  • Friday 18 April
  • Friday 20 June
  • Friday 15 August
  • Friday 31 October 

Bring your finds and see if you can uncover more information! If you are bringing an object with you, please email theo.muscillo@lancashire.gov.uk to arrange a time. Appointments will be in the Education Room, with access from New Street, behind the Museum.

Theo will also be upstairs in the museum from 12:30 to 2:15pm. You can drop in to handle some finds, learn how to look up objects found in the local area, and pick up activity sheets for kids. 

This event is part of the Portable Antiquities Scheme. You can find out more at finds.org.uk.  

Public Talks
Richard Owen Lectures
Graphic with photo of a bust of Richard Owen on a green backgroud, and the same info as this page.
  • Saturday 19 July, 10am
  • In the Lecture Theatre at The Storey, Meeting House Lane, Lancaster, LA1 1TH.

Presented by the Friends of Lancaster City Museum and the Regional Heritage Centre, these inaugural lectures include:

  • Richard Owen and the politics and practice of surgery in Victorian Britain - Dr Michael Brown, Lecturer in Modern History, Lancaster University.
  • A matter of perspective: An alternate theory of Richard Owen's personality - Leah George Demetriou FLS, Independent Historical Researcher Specialising in Victorian Life Sciences & Richard Owen. 

Click here to BOOK ONLINE

  • Lecture Tickets - £5 each
  • Lecture Ticket + 12 months Friends Membership - Only £10, including free entry to the City Museum, access to Friends talks & activities, plus 10% discount at the City Museum shop.

Who was Richard Owen?

Sir Richard Owen (1804-1892), born in Brock Street and educated at Lancaster Royal Grammar School, was a distinguished English biologist, anatomist, and paleontologist.
He coined the term "dinosaur" in 1842 after identifying shared traits in fossil reptiles like Iguanodon and Megalosaurus.
Owen helped establish London's Natural History Museum, which opened in 1881. A prolific writer on living and extinct animals, he opposed Darwin's theory of natural selection, favouring a divinely guided view of evolution.

You can learn more about Richard Owen and his famous reconstruction of the iguanodon in the new dinosaur display at Lancaster City Museum.

Photo of a small crab on a sea anemone
Marine Conservation Society

September - June.

Come along to Lancaster Maritime Museum on the second Wednesday of every month for fascinating talks from the Marine Conservation Society. Everyone is welcome and there’s no need to book, just drop in.

  • £4 requested cash donation to the society. (No card payments.*)
  • All talks begin at 7:30pm.

The society is taking a break for the summer, but we expect talks to resume in September. Check back here for updates, or visit the MCS Lancashire Facebook Page or the MCS Lancashire website.

*The Maritime Museum Shop is open during these talks and you are very welcome to make purchases using either cash or cards. However the £4 donation goes directly to the MCS and can only be accepted in cash.

Friends group logo.
Friends of Lancaster City Museum

Drop in to Lancaster City Museum for regular lunchtime lectures organised by the Friends of Lancaster City Museum. Everyone is welcome and there’s no need to book.

  • £2 charge for non-members.
  • All talks are held at 1pm in the City Museum’s education room. The entrance is on New Street at the back of the museum. (If you can’t find it, just ask at the front desk.)

Visit the Friends of Lancaster City Museum Facebook page for details of upcoming talks.

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