Christmas Wreath Making (ages 16+)
Saturday 28 November 2026, 10.30am – 12.30pm | The Commandery
Settle in for a cosy morning at Worcester’s Commandery as you create a rustic wreath to decorate your door this Christmas.
You’ll use natural materials from the surrounding gardens to create your wreath – either following an example or creating your own design, supported by staff and volunteers.
Sip a tea, enjoy a coffee, and munch mince pies as you craft your wreath.
£27.50. All resources supplied. Ages 16+ years.
I thoroughly enjoyed making my Christmas wreath. It was very relaxing and therapeutic. Everyone was able to “put their own spin” on their decoration, so was really inclusive. Wreath-making attendee.
Book your spot. If you’d like to look around The Commandery, you can get half-price general admission from the shop on the day of the workshop.
Talk | Ghosts and Apparitions in the English Civil War – with Professor Darren Oldridge
Saturday 24 October 2026, 2 – 3pm | The Commandery
The English Civil War was haunted by spirits. This presentation considers some of the spookiest episodes in the conflict, including reports of “fearful visions” and spectral armies in the sky.
Professor Darren Oldridge will place these tales in the larger context of supernatural beliefs in the age.
£10. Book your place below. If you’d like to look around The Commandery, you can get half-price general admission from the shop on the day of the workshop.
This talk is part of a commemorative programme of events for the 375th anniversary of the Battle of Worcester, 1651.
Autumn Wreath Making (ages 16+)
Saturday 3 October 2026, 10.30am – 12.30pm | The Commandery
Make yourself an autumnal wreath to adorn your door at home in a cosy and relaxing workshop welcoming in the month of October.
In the beautiful wooden-beamed room upstairs at The Commandery, you’ll use natural materials from the surrounding gardens to create your wreath – either following an example or creating your own design.
Sip a tea, enjoy a coffee and some biscuits as you craft your wreath.
£27.50. All resources supplied. Ages 16+ years.
Amazing! I was so excited to find this. It did not disappoint! The atmosphere was awesome, venue beautiful, staff and volunteers were wonderful – I am so happy with my creation! – Wreath-making attendee, 2024.
Book your spot. If you’d like to look around The Commandery, you can get half-price general admission from the shop on the day of the workshop.
The Last Battle: 375th Anniversary
Saturday 5 September 2026, 10am – 4pm | The Commandery
Commemorate the final battle of the English Civil War – the Battle of Worcester – with an exciting day of talks, displays and crafts, in the former Royalist headquarters.
Discover Civil War weaponry, with musket and pike drills from Worcester Reenactors, delve into the brutal world of 17th-century battlefield surgery with medical historian Kevin Goodman, and hear from the Battle of Worcester Society.
Younger visitors can decorate their very own wooden standard (flag) to take home!
Plan your visit
General admission applies (children’s crafts included); free admission to those with a season or residents’ pass. Find out more.
Book day tickets to The Commandery. Advance booking is not essential, you can just turn up, pay in the shop, and get stuck in!
Talk | English Civil War fiction – with author Charles Cordell
Sunday 30 August 2026, 1 – 2pm | The Commandery
Author Charles Cordell will be talking about writing historical fiction and Divided Kingdom book #2 – The Keys of Hell and Death. He will describe his journey from ‘Army to Author’ and writing historical fiction set within the English Civil War. The talk will discuss how and why 17th Century historical fiction can feel so relevant today. Q&A and a book signing will follow the talk.
Charles Cordell is the author of English Civil War historical fiction series Divided Kingdom. His writing has received media praise and editorial reviews, including in The Times. His novels have been endorsed by the likes of Ben Kane (bestselling author), David Gilman (award winning author), Professor Ronald Hutton CBE (TV historian) and others.
£10. Book your place below. If you’d like to look around The Commandery, you can get half-price general admission from the shop on the day of the workshop.
This talk is part of a commemorative programme of events for the 375th anniversary of the Battle of Worcester, 1651.
Talk | The Civil Wars in 100 Objects – with Professor Andrew Hopper
Sunday 12 July 2026, 1 – 2pm | The Commandery
The civil wars between 1638 and 1651 were the most destabilising conflicts that the British and Irish peoples have ever endured. During these turbulent times ordinary people experienced a dizzying world of change. This book brings a history of objects approach to access this world of impoverishment, bereavement and suffering alongside exciting changes in religion, science, and politics. From propaganda newsbooks to household goods, through the personal possessions and weapons of the famous, to the architecture that defined religious and military change, these objects offer intimate connections with the past and shed new light on these tumultuous times.
Andrew Hopper is a historian of religion, politics and society in early modern England with research expertise on the British and Irish Civil Wars. He has two monographs ‘Black Tom’: Sir Thomas Fairfax and the English Revolution (Manchester University Press, 2007) and Turncoats and Renegadoes: Changing Sides in the English Civil Wars (Oxford University Press, 2012). He is currently working on his third monograph Widowhood and Bereavement in the English Civil Wars under contract with Oxford University Press, which is based on the AHRC-funded Civil War Petitions Project (2017-2022) for which he is Principal Investigator. Andrew is also the chair of the editorial board of Midland History, a patron of the Naseby Battlefield Project, and Academic Director of the National Civil War Centre, where he was co-curator of the Battle-Scarred exhibition.
£10. Book your place below. If you’d like to look around The Commandery, you can get half-price general admission from the shop on the day of the workshop.
This talk is part of a commemorative programme of events for the 375th anniversary of the Battle of Worcester, 1651.
Talk | Battle wound treatment during the English Civil War – with Kevin Goodman
Saturday 20 June 2026, 4 – 5pm | The Commandery
“I dressed his wound and God healed it.”
Terrible wounds were inflicted upon Royalist and Parliamentarian soldiers during the English Civil War, from swords, muskets and pikes.
Medical historian Kevin Goodman will demonstrate how surgeons treated wounds before antiseptics and antibiotics were available, with the aid of surgical instruments from the period.
£10. Book your place below.
This talk is part of a commemorative programme of events for the 375th anniversary of the Battle of Worcester, 1651.
Oak Apple Day 2026
Bank Holiday Monday 25 May, 10am – 4pm | The Commandery
Oak Apple Day returns to The Commandery! 🌳
Step back in time to 1660 and celebrate the restoration of the crown on Bank Holiday Monday in a fantastic day bringing history to life in Worcester.
Oak Apple Day marks the historic moment when King Charles II returned to the throne following the English Civil War.
Where better to commemorate this historic moment than at The Commandery, the Royalist Headquarters in the final battle of the Civil War?
Delve into an exciting day of living history for all the family – there’ll be:
- Fantastic reenactors to encounter as you make your way around The Commandery
- Musket firing in the gardens
- Pike and cannon drills for children (and grown-ups!) to get hands-on with
- History talks about Oak Apple Day and the English Civil War from Worcester Reenactors and The Battle of Worcester Society
- Wonderful refreshments available at Little Al’s Kitchen at The Commandery
Enjoy fun family activities: can you find all of the beautifully decorated royal carriages around the building? Then, create your own Oak Apple mobile in the craft room (general admission + £3.50 for trail and activities).
Oak Apple Day family craft
Oak Apple Day 2026 is part of a commemorative programme of events for the 375th anniversary of the Battle of Worcester, 1651.
Plan your visit
General admission applies (+ £3.50 for the carriage trail and craft activities); free admission to those with a season or residents’ pass. Find out more.
Book day tickets to The Commandery. Advance booking is not essential, you can just turn up, pay in the shop, and get stuck in!
What is Oak Apple Day?
The Commandery is one of the only places in the UK to still celebrate Oak Apple Day, also known as Restoration Day.
This spring tradition marks the anniversary of the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 following the English Civil War – and has a special connection to the city of Worcester, the scene of the deciding battle in 1651.
Nine years after Charles II hid from Parliamentarian troops in an oak tree following the loss of his Royalist cause at the Battle of Worcester, he returned to the throne on his thirtieth birthday, 29 May 1660 – which became the annual celebration of Oak Apple Day.
Plan your visit to The Commandery and see what you can tick off the Top 10 Highlights list!
Family Trail | Royal Carriages!
Friday 22 May – Sunday 31 May 2026 (including Bank Holiday Monday 25 May) | The Commandery
Celebrate the restoration of the crown this May half-term holiday with a trail of colourful royal carriages.
Can you find all of the beautifully decorated carriages around the building? From dragons to swans, you’ll have never seen carriages quite like these!
Carry on to the craft room and make your own Oak Apple mobile to take home with you too.
There’s lots more to enjoy on Bank Holiday Monday as The Commandery celebrates Oak Apple Day – a traditional celebration marking King Charles II’s return to the throne in 1660. Find out more and plan your day out.
General admission applies to all visitors + £3.50 for the carriage trail and craft activities; free admission to those with a season or residents’ pass. Find out more.
Book day tickets to The Commandery. Advance booking is not essential, you can just turn up, pay in the shop, and get stuck in!
Bite-size Talk | Reflections
Tuesday 13 October 2026, 2 – 2.30pm | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Artist Wayne Warren, curator of Reflections, will delve deeper into the concepts behind the works in this Bite-size Talk.
The exhibition features a diverse range of artists spanning the last three centuries – including works from Worcester City’s own collection as well as high profile loans from the National Gallery. Brand-new works by Wayne Warren and Jonathon Wright have been created especially for the exhibition.
£4.95 for the talk. If you’d like to visit the exhibition too, advance booking will be available online later in 2026. The rest of Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum is free to visit.
Image: Blackbirds Singing to Me Across the Severn, 2004, Kurt Jackson © the artist.