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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...

Behind the Exhibition: Insus Unearthed - a journey through Roman Lancaster
poster with photo of tombstone depicting roman warrior on horseback

Join our team for a twilight guided tour of our summer exhibition looking at Roman Lancaster. How did they decide what to exhibit and what stories to tell, and what insights do we get from archaeological excavations of Roman Lancaster?

Indoor tour, 1 hour.

Dates

  • Thursday 5 June @ 7pm

Tickets 

Location & Accessibilty

This tour takes place inside Lancaster City Museum. The Insus Unearthed exhibition is in the ground floor gallery which is fully accessible via a ramp to the left of the main entrance. However the tour will also include the Insus tombstone itself which is part of our permanent exhibits upstairs. Our stairlift is currently out of order so this part of the tour is only accessible to those able to climb two flights of stairs. We're sorry for any disappoinment this may cause, and we're working to get a new lift installed as soon as possible.

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.

LGBTQ+ Lancaster
Poster with rainbow flag made up of parts of different coloured museum objects.

Discover some of the people and places from Lancaster's LGBT History from 1751 to the present day on this city centre walking tour with Eleanor Levin. Including prisoners at Lancaster Castle, Lancaster's gay MPs, a pioneering trans activist, and a 1970s gay commune which fought for a better world.

Outdoor tour, 1.5 hours.

Dates

  • Saturday 14 June @ 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. 

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, and some of Lancaster’s wealthiest 18th century merchants. These tours take place when the Maritime Museum would normally be closed on a Wednesday or before it opens on a Saturday, so you'll have exclusive access.

Indoor tour, 1 hour.

Dates

  • Wednesday 18 June @ 11am, 11:30am, 1:30pm & 2pm
  • 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.

In Sickness and in Health
poster with same info as this page and a photo of a nurse in an edwardian style uniform: long skirt and stiff white apron and hat.

Covering over 800 years of treating the sick, this city centre walking tour with local historian Naomi Parsons explores the locations of Lancaster's earliest hospitals, dispensaries and chemists. Along the way you'll hear stories of anaesthesia, amputations and grim discoveries in the name of medical science.

Outdoor tour, 1.5 hours.

Dates

  • Tuesday 1 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. 

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 left of the main entrance. The tour will also include the Insus tombstone itself which is part of our permanent exhibits upstairs. We hope to have a new stairlift installed by the date of these tours so the upper floor will also be fully acessible.

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
Poster with same info as this page.
Marine Conservation Society

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.

Upcoming Talks:

  • Wednesday 11th June: Blackpool and Fylde College Student Dissertations (Linda Martin)

You can also click here to download the full list of talks and other events (PDF, 110KB).

Check back here for updates on future talks, 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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