After-dark Tours at The Commandery 2026
After-dark Tours at The Commandery 2026
Various dates and times in October | The Commandery
After-dark tours are back at The Commandery for 2026!
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 13 October | 6.30pm | 8pm | |
| Thursday 15 October | 6.30pm | 8pm | |
| Tuesday 20 October | 6.30pm | 8pm | |
| Thursday 22 October | 6.30pm | 8pm | |
| Tuesday 27 October | 6.30pm | 8pm | |
| Thursday 29 October | 6.30pm | 8pm |
Tours take approximately 1 hour and are for ages 14+.
£16.50 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 Ticketsource with general tour admission.
17th-century Paper Cutting (ages 18+)
Saturday 19 September 2026, 10.30am – 12.30pm | The Commandery
This year marks 375 years since the Battle of Worcester during the English Civil War, and these craft mornings look back to the art of paper cutting from the 17th century.
In a relaxed morning, discover 17th-century techniques to decorate your own trinket box to take home.
Use crafting knives to cut small and intricate pictures and patterns, and with the help of our staff and volunteers, you will create your own unique design for your box to take home.
Sip a tea, and enjoy a coffee and some biscuits as you craft.
£22.50. All resources supplied. Ages 18+ years.
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.
Heritage Open Day | Free entry to The Commandery
Sunday 20 September, 10am – 3pm (last entry 2pm) | The Commandery
Enjoy free entry to The Commandery on Sunday 20 September to celebrate the Heritage Open Days Festival!
Discover the everyday histories of the people who have lived at The Commandery. Read about the Wylde and Dandridge families as you explore, and see if you can spot the clues around the building of how it used to be divided into separate dwellings.
Children can let off steam in the walled gardens, explore the nature play area, and get dressed up on their way around The Commandery!
Head to Little Al’s Kitchen at The Commandery café for hot drinks and homemade food.
Find out more about The Commandery.
Talk | Worcester’s Afflictions: The Plague in Worcestershire in the 14th and 17th centuries
Saturday 12 September, 4 – 5pm | The Commandery
Plague came to Worcestershire in both the 14th century and the 17th century.
Hear from medical historian Kevin Goodman in this talk as he examines the symptoms, causes and treatments of one of the most feared diseases of the past – and its impact upon the people of Worcestershire across the centuries.
£10. Book your place below.
Medieval Mayhem | Bank Holiday Monday
Bank Holiday Monday 31 August 2026, 10am – 4pm | The Commandery
Enjoy a fantastic Bank Holiday Monday at The Commandery!
In this fun-filled family day, see if you have what it takes in Knight School, decorate your very own shield, and explore The Commandery with the Knight’s Quest trail.
With a magnificent medieval Great Hall and original medieval wall paintings, The Commandery is the perfect setting for Worcester’s young knights to gather!
General admission applies to all visitors + £3.50 for family activities (general admission can be pre-booked; pay for activities in the shop). Last entry 3pm. Free general admission to Season and Worcester Residents’ Pass holders – ask in the shop or plan your visit to The Commandery here.
Pikelets: Tots Through Time (early years sessions)
Wednesdays in term time, 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.
“We’ve really enjoyed the sessions we’ve been to, the activities are always really well thought out.”
– Pikelets attendee, January 2026.
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. Pikelets takes place in term time only, so there is no session in the school holidays.
£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).
Or call the telephone box office on 0333 666 3366.
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!