Walks & Talks
Our museums host regular talks by various local groups, as well as our own programme of Story Tours and Talks.
Jump to: Story Tours & Talks | UPRISING | Friends Group Talks | Marine Conservation Society Talks | Your Event - Room Hire
A compelling programme brimming with tales of joy and resilience, along with themes of murder, scandal, crime, and punishment. These guided walks and museum talks highlight the individuals and locations that have uniquely influenced, and been influenced by, our city.
Designed for adults but suitable for enquiring minds aged 12+.
Tickets £10. Advance booking recommended.
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BOOK ONLINE: Follow the links in the drop-down lists below to book for each individual walk or talk.
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BOOK IN PERSON: Get your advance tickets at either Lancaster City Museum or the Maritime Museum.
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Please email historydetectives@lancaster.gov.uk with any questions, or to join our mailing list and receive email updates on all our events.
2026 is the bicentenary of the 1826 Lancashire Rising, when thousands of desperate handloom weavers from across Pennine Lancashire took to the roads demanding help in the face of starvation.
Their pleas were not met with support, but with sabres, bullets and bayonets—a defining moment in the history of protest and resistance.
To mark the 200th anniversary, the Weavers' Uprising Bicentennial Committee have planned a touring exhibition and lecture series. Each talk explores a different aspect of the uprising, encouraging audiences to learn locally and travel to other events across the region.
The exhibition will be displayed at Lancaster City Museum from 18 August to 14 September, and we're hosting one of the talks too:
Protest, Punishment and Legal Repression: State Responses to Popular Dissent in the 1800s, with Dr David Gordon Scott & Kate Hurst.
Wednesday 2 September - 2pm
Discover how the government responded to the 1826 uprising. Situating this first within the wider strategy of policing economic crisis and popular dissent through a ‘law and order’ ideology, the discussion then turns to specific response to the protestors convicted at the Lancaster Assize in 1826. Several stories of people who were either imprisoned or transported will be covered in the talk.
The talk is FREE but advance booking is required: BOOK NOW on the County Council's website
The talk will be held in the City Museum's Education Room - please use the entrance on New Street, opposite the Journey Social cafe. (The museum is not open on Wednesdays so the front doors will be closed.)
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.
- £3 charge for non-members (cash only please). Free to Friends group members - Click here to find out how to join.
- Talks are held at 1pm in the City Museum’s education room: entrance on New Street at the back of the museum, opposite the Journey Social cafe.
Visit the Friends of Lancaster City Museum Facebook page for details of future talks and other events.
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 from talks for the summer. 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.
If you'd like to hold your own talk, meeting, or event in one of our museums, visit our Room Hire page to see how we can help.
