STORY TOURS & TALKS : Tickets £10 | Book in advance | Various Locations
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 ages 12+.
Tickets £10 - Advance booking recommended.
BOOK ONLINE:
Follow the links in the drop-down lists below to book for each event.
This year's programme of expertly guided walking tours around Lancaster's historic city centre will feature brand new topics as well as some favourites from last season.
Tours take about 1.5 hours.
Please dress for the weather and wear sturdy and comfortable footwear. Lancaster is hilly. Some routes will involve walking on cobbles.
Dogs on leads are welcome provided owners are mindful that other people may not be comfortable around them. A few tours include visits to buildings which may not allow dogs inside.
Tree Tales, with Eleanor Levin
Tuesday 6 October - 11am - Start from City Museum
Step into Lancaster’s past on a unique walking tour where trees tell the story. Discover conservation battles, railway connections, and captivating tales from history, mythology, and botany — all rooted in these streets around you.
Historical Women of Lancaster 2 - Lives in Writing, with Eleanor Levin
Saturday 17 October - 11am - Start from City Museum
Focusing 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.
Getting Your Head Down: Lodging Houses of Lancaster, with Naomi Parsons
Tuesday 20 October - 11am - Start from Henry Street
Lancaster's lodging houses gained notoriety for their horrendous conditions and the infamous families that ran them. Circling the city centre, we visit the sites of common and corporation lodging houses for stories of prejudice, poverty and crime.
This tour starts from Henry Street, in the paved area outside the German Doner Kebab restaurant. View on Google Maps.
New for 2026! This year our guides will be presenting some of the same topics in the form of indoor talks at the museums, while our own museum staff and other local historians will be speaking on different aspects of local history. Take the weight off your feet and enjoy some expert insights from the comfort of our lecture rooms.
Talks last about 1 hour, plus 30 minutes of relaxed Q&A.
Ticket price includes refreshments.
The Lancashire Riots of 1826, with Colin Penny
Saturday 26 September - 11am - City Museum
In 1826, desperate weavers in East Lancashire destroyed over 1,100 power looms in just four days. This talk explores the riots, their causes, and the trials that followed.
What's in a Name? Place Names of North Lancashire, with Carolyn Dalton
Friday 2 October - 11am - Maritime MuseumCity Museum
Carolyn Dalton shares her interest in the meanings of place names with you. Every local name has a story behind it and every time you use these names you make a connection to the history of the area around you.
This talk was previously advertised as taking place at the Maritime Museum. Please note the new location is the City Museum.
'The stones of Lancaster do sometimes whisper' (Dickens). Explore writing inspired by this ancient city, featuring authors like William Wordsworth, Charles Dickens, and Carol Ann Duffy. Discover the dark, Gothic side of Lancaster’s literary heritage, shaped by its past as a site of execution and a slave port.
Historical Women of Lancaster 3 - Changing Times, with Eleanor Levin
Tuesday 24 November - 11am - City Museum
A botanical illustrator, a prison reformer, a murder suspect, a cotton spinner, and a music hall star! Each woman's story is a window onto the changing times in which she lived.
PUBLIC TALKS by the Friends of Lancaster City Museum : Tickets £3 | No booking required | Lancaster City Museum
Everyone is welcome at these talks, but Friends group members get in FREE! - Join the FOLCM now.
Lord Reay of Clan Mackay: Insights of a Hereditary Peer Inside the Palace of Westminster
Monday 21 September - 1pm - City Museum Education Room
FOLCM is delighted to welcome Lord Aeneas Reay, President of the British Association of Friends of Museums(BAFM), our parent organisation. Lord Reay will share his experiences as a hereditary peer in the House of Lords, offering a unique perspective on a major constitutional change at the heart of British government. He will also explore the remarkable history of his family, Clan Mackay, taking us from the Scottish Highlands to the family seat at Whittington Hall and bringing a compelling local dimension to the clan’s global story.
Lord Reay, Karel Klic, Garden by Thomas Mawson.
KAREL KLIČ
Monday 19 October - 1pm - City Museum Education Room
A talk by Dr David Steel, Author of Karel Klič, Lancaster and the Democratisation of Art.
This now little-known artist and inventor was the first person to mechanise and democratise the means of fine art reproduction. His Lancashire-invented intaglio rotogravure – a photo-mechanical process for accurate copying and multi-copying -revolutionised the printing of pictures in the press, in books and for home decoration. Intaglio rotogravure was devised with the encouragement of the Storey Bros & Co of Lancaster.
Thomas Mawson Talk (Repeated)
Saturday 7 November - 1pm - City Museum Education Room
Following the overwhelming response to Liz Howard-Thornton’s oversubscribed talk on Thomas Mawson, we are delighted to announce a repeat presentation.
This talk will be followed by the FOLCM Annual General Meeting at 2pm.
TICKETS
£3 guest ticket (cash only please). Pay on the day - no need to book.
*The Maritime Museum Shop is open during these talks and you are welcome to make card purchases. However the £4 donation goes directly to the MCS, who can only accept cash.
Your Events
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.
