Museum after Hours: On the Shoulders of Elephants
Friday 24 October, 6.30 – 9pm | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum (The Mended Drum, Filigree Street, Ankh-Morpork)
Get your friends together on a Friday night as Museum After Hours steps into fantasy this October!
Enjoy music, themed cocktails, and get free entry to the autumn exhibition Designing Terry Pratchett’s Discworld: 30 Years of Paul Kidby’s Illustration.
In an evening inspired by Terry Pratchett’s brilliant Discworld, set foot on the flat planet and take part in the fantasy in ‘The Mended Drum’, Ankh-Morpork’s “reputable disreputable tavern”, at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum.
Have a drop of scumble and dance to Discworld DJs Le Grande Fromage. Even Rincewind himself may put in an appearance. It’s a splendiferous way to start the weekend!
Free entry (including free entry to the exhibition during the event). No booking needed. Card and cash payments accepted at the bar.
Museum After Hours is aimed at adults, 18+.
Bite-size Talk | Unveiling Deception: Exploring Forgeries in the Egyptian Collection
Tuesday 14 October 2025, 2 – 2.30pm | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Can we be sure that all the objects in the collection are authentic?
Hear from curator Kerry Whitehouse about some of the fake objects that have been discovered in Worcester City’s Egyptian collection.
This seated talk takes place in the Committee Room.
£4.50; book via the link below.
Check out the full programme of Bite-size Talks 2025.
Heritage Open Day | free entry and talks
Sunday 21 September, 10am – 3pm | The Commandery
The Heritage Open Days Festival returns for 2025!
Enjoy free entry to The Commandery on Sunday 21 September.
Enjoy free talks
This year’s festival theme is architecture, so you can join one of the Midlands’ leading architects specialising in building conservation, Nick Joyce. Hear about his work with The Commandery over the decades and his expertise which has helped keep this incredible building in such good repair and open to the public.
Talks are at 10.30am and 1pm, lasting up to an hour.
Booking information
If you would like to join a talk, please book this in advance due to limited numbers. If you can no longer make it, please let us know by calling 01905 361821 or emailing commandery@museumsworcestershire.org.uk. Thank you.
If you are enjoying a general visit to The Commandery, there is no need to book – just come along on the day.
After-dark Tours at The Commandery 2025
After-dark Tours at The Commandery 2025
Various dates and times in October | The Commandery
After-dark tours are back at The Commandery for 2025!
Explore one of the oldest buildings in Worcester by torchlight this October…
The Commandery is once again opening its gates on autumn nights for you to discover its ghostly secrets.
Hear about strange sightings and mysterious rumours as you uncover the history of the building in a guided tour with a Halloween twist.
Keep your eyes peeled and make up your own mind about the paranormal activities said to have taken place over the years – if you’re brave enough!
| DATES | TOUR TIMES | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 14 October | 6.30pm | 8pm | |
| Thursday 16 October | 6.30pm | 8pm | |
| Tuesday 21 October | 6.30pm | 8pm | |
| Thursday 23 October | 6.30pm | 8pm | |
| Tuesday 28 October | 6.30pm | 8pm | |
| Thursday 30 October | 6.30pm | 8pm | |
| Friday 31 October | 6.30pm | 8pm | 9.30pm |
Tours take approximately 1 hour and are for ages 14+.
£15.50 per person; please book via the link below.
Top tips
You may wish to check out the nightlife on the historic Friar Street in Worcester, a short way from The Commandery, before or after your tour. The restaurants and bars in beautiful timber buildings will set the tone perfectly.
Please arrive 10 minutes before your tour – bring along a torch if you have one!
Access requirements
Please get in touch if you have any access requirements by calling 01905 361821 or emailing commandery@museumsworcestershire.org.uk.
When it is necessary for a visitor to be accompanied by a carer we will give free admission to the carer – this can be booked on Art Tickets.
Bite-size Talk | Your Worcester Stories
Tuesday 9 September 2025, 2 – 2.30pm | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Hear from Suz Winspear about some of the wonderful objects on display in Your Worcester and in the chemist shop.
This seated talk takes place in the Chemist Shop.
£4.50; book via the link below.
Bite-size Talk | Illustrating Discworld
Tuesday 11 November 2025, 2 – 2.30pm | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Paul Kidby is best known for his art based on Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series of fantasy novels and is celebrated in the exhibition Designing Terry Pratchett’s Discworld: 30 Years of Paul Kidby’s Illustrations.
This talk by our museum curator will take a look behind the scenes of the exhibition, and also delves into Worcester City’s own art collection to show examples of work by other illustrators such as Randolph Caldecott to explore the importance of this wonderful artform.
£4.50 for the talk; book via the link below. If you’d like to visit the exhibition too, advance booking is available online. There are a variety of admission options to choose from. The rest of the Art Gallery and Museum is free to visit as usual. Online booking isn’t available on the day of your visit, but you are welcome to pay in the shop when you arrive.
Check out the full programme of Bite-size Talks 2025.
The High Dosage Tour of Steward’s Chemist Shop
First Friday of the month, 11 - 11.30am and 2 - 2.30pm | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Step inside the fantastic Steward's Chemist Shop at Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum and discover its history...
Take the High Dosage tour – with the chance to see items that are not usually on display – in the hidden realm behind the Dispensing Screen.
What secrets does the Victorian Chemist’s Shop hold? Come and find out!
The display was set up after the closure of Steward's Chemist Shop at 27 High Street, when the entire shop along with the fixtures and fittings were purchased in 1974 and transported to the museum to be redisplayed.
£4.50; book here (free entry to Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum including the chemist shop, which is open to visitors on the first Friday of every month from 11am - 3pm).
Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum is free to visit.
Christmas wreath making at The Commandery (ages 16+)
Christmas wreath making at The Commandery (ages 16+)
Saturday 29 November, 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 December. ❄️
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 munch mince pies as you craft your wreath.
£25. 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. It was a present from my son and I think we will make it our Christmas tradition. 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.
You might also enjoy Autumn Wreath Making on Saturday 4 October 2025!
Pirate Fun Day | Bank Holiday Monday
Bank Holiday Monday 25 August | The Commandery
Enjoy a fantastic August Bank Holiday Monday at The Commandery!
Climb and slide your way through the inflatable pirate fun run in The Commandery's gardens, and swab the deck, walk the plank, and climb the rigging on the pirate obstacle course too.
Become a pirate yourself as you make your own pirate patch, hat and puppet!
Are you brave enough to take on the special one-day-only pirate trail? It'll take you all the way around The Commandery through different eras of history...
Admission info
£3 per child + general admission. Advanced booking is not required for this event.
General admission to The Commandery applies to all visitors and can be either booked online in advance or purchased on the day of your visit.
Head to the Plan Your Visit page for further admission options – including discounts for Worcester residents (if you pay Council Tax to Worcester City Council), season passes, and membership. These can be purchased when you visit and aren’t currently available online. Your ticket can be upgraded on the day of your visit.
You might also enjoy...
Buccaneer Bootcamp and the Find the Pirate Ships trail! 🏝️
Buccaneer Bootcamp!
Wednesdays in the summer holidays from 23 July to 27 August | The Commandery
Ahoy there! ⚓ Buccaneer Bootcamp is coming to The Commandery this summer - and we need some brave, sea-faring recruits to learn the ropes!
You'll get to swab the deck, walk the plank, and climb the rigging on the pirate obstacle course, learn how to talk like a pirate, and even load a cannon ready for battle. Make your very own parrot companion to take home with you too.
Every session ends with a drink, biscuit, and story.
Buccaneer Bootcamp is on the following Wednesdays at both 10.30am - 12noon and 1.30 - 3pm:
-
23 July
-
30 July
-
6 August
-
13 August
-
20 August
-
27 August
The Commandery is open 10am - 4pm on Wednesdays, so there's plenty of time to explore the historic building and its gardens before or after Buccaneer Bootcamp!
Admission info
£5 per child + general admission. BOOK HERE!
General admission to The Commandery applies to all visitors and can be either booked online in advance or purchased on the day of your visit.
Head to the Plan Your Visit page for further admission options – including discounts for Worcester residents (if you pay Council Tax to Worcester City Council), season passes, and membership. These can be purchased when you visit and aren’t currently available online. Your ticket can be upgraded on the day of your visit.
You might also enjoy…
Pirate Fun Day on Bank Holiday Monday and the Find the Pirate Ships trail! 🏝️