Living History 2026
All day, Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 February 2026 | The Commandery
Come face to face with the past at The Commandery’s biggest weekend of the year! ⚔️
Explore living history encampments and watch marvellous military displays at Worcester’s historic Commandery.
The site will be alive with performances by musicians and dancers, and you can learn about traditional crafts too.
Encounter reenactors throughout the beautiful Grade-1 listed building and gardens, where they’ll be demonstrating and displaying historical weaponry.
A full schedule will be available before the event.
Living History 2026 is organised in partnership with The Worcester Re-enactors.
Plan your visit
Opening hours
- Saturday 21 February, 10am – 5pm (last entry 4pm)
- Sunday 22 February, 10am – 4pm (last entry 3pm)
Admission
Usual admission applies; free admission to those with a season or residents’ pass. Find out more.
Advance booking is not essential, you can just turn up, pay in the shop, and enjoy!
While you’re here…
See how many things you can tick off The Commandery’s top 10 highlights list!
The High Dosage Tour of Steward’s Chemist Shop
First Friday of the month, 11 – 11.30am | 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 for the talk; book now! Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum is free to visit.
Please note that in April, the chemist shop will be open on Friday 10 April (the Art Gallery and Museum is closed on Friday 3 April due to Good Friday).
Spotlight Talk | Skin. John Singer Sargent and the scandal of Madame X
Saturday 23 May 2026, 11am – 12noon | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
By 1883 John Singer Sargent was establishing what would become a glittering career as the go-to portrait painter of high society. As a young artist in Paris he implored a beautiful socialite to allow him to paint her. Over the following year Sargent laboured over what he later considered to be his masterpiece, the portrait of Virginie Gautreau. The painting, exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1884, shocked its viewers with its connotations of sexual impropriety, and the breaking of class taboos in the artificial colouration of his subject’s skin. It ruined Virginie’s reputation and ended Sargent’s career in Paris, but he would quickly create a new life in England as the portrait painter of the era, creating visions of beauty and swaggering privilege.
In his second talk for Worcester’s exhibition on Sargent’s work, art historian Justin Reay discusses Sargent’s approach to painting Virginie Gautreau, including how the sexuality of the artist played a role in this portrait; he describes the public response to the painting now known as ‘Madame X’ and the reasons for the scandal which ensued, and discusses how the painting arose from the self-identity of the sitter which resonates today with modern society’s fascination with how we recreate ourselves as we wish to be seen.
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.
Spotlight Talk | John Singer Sargent: landscapes, low life and high society
Saturday 25 April 2026, 11am – 12noon | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
In this talk, given in the context of the exhibition of Worcester’s collection of Sargent’s drawings, art historian Justin Reay explores the artist’s approach to his subjects, his use of light and colour, his unusual composition, and his significance as a painter who engages us with the person or the scene depicted.
John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was born to American parents in Italy, travelled extensively in Europe and the USA throughout his life, established a successful career as a portrait painter in Paris and London, and became a celebrated and influential artist. Although living for many years in London, based in James McNeil Whistler’s former studio in Chelsea, Sargent frequently stayed with friends in Worcestershire and Oxfordshire, walking the hills and meadows around Broadway, painting the upper Thames, the Avon and the Cotswold countryside as well as informal paintings of family and friends.
He is perhaps best known for his compelling, often sumptuous portraits of British and American high society figures and celebrities, showing the character as well as the likeness of his sitters, but his figurative work includes the genre of real life, depictions of ordinary people at work to whom he gives the same degree of dignity. His landscapes and architectural scenes, in oil and watercolour, are notable for their attention to detail, interesting composition and an increasingly free mark-making. His style developed from initial formality towards Impressionism, and finally to a more relaxed, painterly depiction, even for portraits, and his landscapes achieve, at their best, a languid romanticism.
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.
About Justin
Justin Reay FSA FRHistS
Retiring from a long career in business in 2001, Justin studied the History of Art and Architecture at the University of Oxford, for whom he became a senior academic manager at the Bodleian Library, advising research scholars, editing manuscripts and consulting on the university’s collections of maritime paintings. He is a published historian and a qualified teacher. He delivered courses in the university’s international residential programmes, and tutors the History of Art and Classical Studies for private students and colleges in Oxford.
Justin is an Accredited Lecturer for The Arts Society, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and of the Royal Historical Society, and a Member of the Walpole Society.
Your Worcester: Gallery Tour
Every other Saturday, 11am and 2pm | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Enjoy a guided tour of permanent display, Your Worcester, an exciting exhibition new in 2025. Find out about the city, its astonishing history and changing traditions, and what this all means to the people who live here now.
Your Worcester features favourites from the museum collection together with new objects added to the collection by the community, all with a link to Worcester’s long and rich heritage.
Covering everything from the teeth of King John to Lea & Perrins, Worcester City Football Club, and the clothes of Windrush arrivals to the city, the exhibition is designed by the community, for the community.
This tour will take you on a journey through Your Worcester – bring along your questions and see what you’ll discover!
Talk dates, autumn 2025
- Saturday 6 September, 11am and 2pm (unfortunately, 20 September talks have been cancelled)
- Saturday 18 October, 11am and 2pm
- Saturdays 1, 15, 29 November, 11am and 2pm
- Saturday 13 December, 11am and 2pm
£4.50 for the talk (free entry to the Art Gallery and Museum). Book your tour.
Spooky House Family Mornings
Tuesday 28 – Thursday 30 October, 10.30am – 12noon | The Commandery
Where better to be in the October half-term holiday than one of Worcester’s oldest buildings?!
In these fun family mornings, children can decorate their own spooky doorway to take home. Who lives behind it and what would their door be like? From witches’ cottages to Dracula’s den, we can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with.
Delve into the messy play tables, create a bubbling cauldron picture and make a spooky puppet too!
Then, explore the rest of The Commandery with the Spooky House trail which will take you through Medieval, Tudor, Georgian and Victorian eras, and more.
Every session includes a spooky story, drink, and a biscuit. Aimed at children from pre-school ages to 11 years.
Admission info
The family morning is £5 per child. General admission also applies and can be paid for on arrival or booked online.
You can get free admission to The Commandery if you have a season or Worcester Residents’ pass (£5 for crafts still applies) – find out more and plan your visit.
Potion Bags of Fun
Saturday 25 October – Sunday 2 November (closed Mondays) | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
This October half-term holiday is all about potions at the Art Gallery and Museum!
Pick up an activity bag and get creative in the Activity Space. From creating your potion ingredient garden, magical power spinner wheel, and a fantastic potion book for your own recipes, there’s plenty to get stuck into.
Each activity bag has multiple themed activities inside along with colouring and puzzle sheets. The Art Gallery and Museum is fully equipped for young creatives to get going on their making.
£2.50; purchase from the shop. Free entry to Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum. Plan your visit.
You might also enjoy…
Potion Panic! Family trail on all week
Potion Making – family sessions on Saturday 25 October
Potion Making
Saturday 25 October, 10am – 2pm | Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum
Kick off the October half-term holiday by making your very own potion!
In this fun workshop, experiment with mixing together fizzy and foamy ingredients to come up with your own creation. Mix different colours together and even add a bit of shimmer before bottling up your wonderful concoction to take with you.
What magical powers will your potion have? Come up with the story behind yours and make a recipe for it too.
There will be 3 sessions through the day:
Session 1: 10 – 11am
Session 2: 11.30am – 12.30pm
Session 3: 1 – 2pm
Admission info
£6 per child. Book Now! Free entry to Worcester City Art Gallery and Museum.
1483: The Year of Three Kings
Saturday 18 October, 4 – 5pm | The Commandery
Author and historian Nathen Amin returns to The Commandery this October.
1483 was a truly turbulent year in English history.
A year of three kings, one infamous coup d’etat, one failed invasion and the curious disappearance of two royal princes – perhaps murdered by their uncle, perhaps not.
Bloodshed and conspiracy darkened every corner of England, as civil war threatened once again to tear the kingdom apart.
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.
In this gripping talk, historian Nathen Amin takes us step-by-step through the drama-filled year, exploring the mystery of the Princes in the Tower, the ill-fated rise of Richard III, and the unexpected emergence of the Tudors – consequences we still feel today.
£12. Book your spot.
About Nathen Amin:
Nathen Amin is an author from Carmarthenshire, West Wales, who focuses on the 15th Century and the reign of Henry VII. He wrote ‘Tudor Wales’ in 2014 and ‘York Pubs’ in 2016, followed by the first full-length biography of the Beaufort family, ‘The House of Beaufort’ in 2017, an Amazon #1 Bestseller in three historical categories (Wars of the Roses, Norman England, and The Plantagenets & Medieval History). His fourth book, ‘Henry VII and the Tudor Pretenders; Simnel, Warbeck and Warwick’, was released in in 2021.
Nathen is an experienced public speaker, presenting talks on the Beauforts, Wars of the Roses, and Henry VII, for more than fifty societies and book festivals, including the BBC History Weekend, Windsor Castle, HistFest, British Museum, Gloucester History Festival, Alison Weir Tours, Lichfield Literature Festival, Oundle Festival of Literature, Lancaster Historical Writing Festival, Bosworth Medieval Festival, Barnet Medieval Festival, and the Richard III Society. He has also featured on British, Australian and German radio and television, as well as in print and online media across the UK. As of 2020, he is a trustee and founding member of the Henry Tudor Trust, and in 2022 was elected a fellow of the Royal Historical Society.
Pikelets: Tots Through Time (early years sessions)
Wednesdays, 10.15 – 11.45am | The Commandery
Pikelets: Tots Through Time is The Commandery’s first early years programme designed to encourage little ones to explore, play and learn.
Each week, the session will take place in a new area of the museum and gardens, with the activities tailored to the space. Be a shape detective in the Great Hall, join in a tea party in the Georgian rooms, take part in sensory scavenger hunts in the beautiful walled gardens and much more. 🌻
Pikelets: Tots Through Time has been carefully designed for crawlers to pre-school children, with fun activities each week to help develop fine motor skills, counting, play-based learning and creative thinking – all within The Commandery’s unique museum setting.
Sessions end with drink, biscuit and a story.
Facilities include a baby change, lift access, and onsite café Little Al’s at The Commandery, all in a convenient city centre location (WR1 2HU) with parking nearby.
£5 per child (£2.50 per additional sibling).
If you wish to visit the museum after the session, you can enjoy a 50% discount on day admission (£4.50 for adult day ticket instead of £9).