Worcestershire is a historic and picturesque English county in the West Midlands noted for its walkable towns, rich heritage, scenic Malvern Hills, riverside charm, and cultural landmarks.
17 Oct (next Saturday)
Artist Catt Standen leads a day-long architectural sketch crawl at Croome, where participants practise observational drawing and explore techniques such as perspective, depth and line work. The session includes time to develop sketches using a range of art materials.
Croome is a historic estate in Worcestershire featuring an 18th-century house, extensive Capability Brown-designed parkland and gardens, a WWII RAF museum, and facilities including a cafe and shop. Visitors can enjoy indoor exhibits, outdoor trails, family play areas, and accessible amenities.
6 Dec, 13 Dec…
Families can enjoy a festive breakfast, listen to Father Christmas share wintry stories, and sing seasonal songs in a cave reached by a woodland path. Children receive a gift and can have their photograph taken with Father Christmas.
Kinver Edge is a historic heath and woodland escarpment on the Staffordshire-Worcestershire border, featuring England's last inhabited rock houses open for tours, Iron Age hillforts, and scenic walking and biking trails through diverse natural habitats.
24 Oct, 26–31 Oct
A family-friendly trail through the grounds of Brockhampton invites visitors to follow activities, learn about fungi and look for mushrooms.
Brockhampton Estate is a National Trust property in Herefordshire featuring a late 14th century timber framed manor house with moat, extensive farmland, parkland, and woodland. Visitors can explore both the historic interiors and outdoor grounds including an archaeological site of a medieval village.
16 Oct, 23 Oct…
A three-week beginner course led by local artist Kitty McLeod introduces practical drawing exercises and watercolour techniques. Participants will start filling a sketchbook with drawings in and around Snowshill Manor.
Snowshill Manor is a 16th-century Cotswold manor house in Gloucestershire, owned by the National Trust and housing an extensive collection amassed by Charles Paget Wade. Visitors can explore unique indoor collections and enjoy Arts and Crafts style outdoor gardens with terraces, ponds, and more.
5–6 Dec, 12–13 Dec…
Families can meet Father Christmas in his Christmas Cottage, make festive crafts, write letters and explore Christmas activities in the Visitor Centre and gardens. Children can also find hidden elves, sort presents, take a sleigh photo and join in singing Jingle Bells.
The Firs is the birthplace cottage of composer Edward Elgar, located in Worcestershire. It operates as a museum showcasing Elgar's memorabilia including manuscripts, letters, and personal items, housed in the historic cottage and the modern Elgar Centre.
7–8 Nov, 14–15 Nov…
A guided tour explores the refreshed ‘Threads of Identity’ exhibition and selected pieces from Snowshill Manor’s costume collection. The experience includes a short walk to the Manor and a complimentary café drink afterwards.
Stanway House is a Jacobean manor house set in Gloucestershire with historic interiors, a water garden featuring the highest gravity fountain in the world, and extensive parkland. Visitors can explore the house, gardens, and enjoy the fountain shows in summer months.
5–6 Dec, 12–13 Dec…
Children can meet Father Christmas and Mother Christmas in the Rock Houses, share their Christmas wishes and receive a gift. The visit includes seasonal activities such as making reindeer food, with activities taking place outside.
1 Jan–23 Dec, 26–31 Dec
An exhibition at Temple Greenhouse traces the National Trust’s restoration of Croome’s parkland, from its beginnings in 1996 to plans for its future management, and explores Capability Brown’s original landscape design.
11 Oct (this Sunday)
A recital of Elgar’s Cello Concerto performed by cellist Corinne Frost and pianist Janine Parsons, introduced by a talk from Elgar specialist Richard Westwood-Brookes.
4 Nov
Visitors can explore Croome’s Panorama Tower, built in 1801 for the 6th Earl of Coventry, and enjoy views of the surrounding countryside from its balcony.
24 Oct–24 Nov
Follow an app-guided trail through Croome’s parkland, helping a mysterious Old Crone stop mischievous spirits. Inspired by British folklore, the adventure includes encounters with legendary creatures, activities such as worm charming and wassailing, riddles and challenges.
7 Oct, 5 Nov
A two-hour guided walk around Croome Park explores the history of RAF Defford, its wartime radar work and the airfield’s impact on the landscape. An RAF Defford Museum volunteer leads the walk, which starts and finishes at the museum.
17 Dec
A one-person performance of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, presenting Scrooge’s encounters with a series of ghosts in an atmospheric retelling of the festive story.
30 Oct
NeuNoir presents a reading of Algernon Blackwood’s supernatural story The Listener, following a lodger whose new home becomes increasingly unsettling. The performance explores themes including loneliness, wellbeing and housing.
Spetchley Gardens is a historic family-owned garden in Worcestershire featuring a large collection of rare plants, sweeping lawns, woodland glades, a Heritage Centre, and tea rooms. It offers garden walks, family-friendly trails, and guided tours by appointment, with good wheelchair accessibility and visitor facilities including a cafe.
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
An exhibition presents garments from Charles Wade’s Snowshill Costume Collection, exploring clothing, cultural identity, personal expression and social history.
Hailes Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery in Gloucestershire founded in the 13th century, notable for its historical pilgrimage significance due to a relic of the Holy Blood. Visitors can explore the abbey ruins and an on-site museum with artefacts, as well as a nearby historic medieval church with notable wall paintings.
1 Nov
Violinist Alex Postlethwaite and pianist John Moore perform Elgar’s Violin Sonata in E Minor, preceded by Franck’s Violin Sonata in A Major. The concert takes place at Elgar’s birthplace.
The Firs is the birthplace of Sir Edward Elgar, featuring a historic cottage, a beautiful cottage garden, and a visitor centre with exhibitions and interactive displays. The venue offers family-friendly musical activities, a cafe, and accessible facilities, making it suitable for all ages.
23–24 Oct, 29–30 Oct
An after-dark Halloween experience at the Rock Houses, with illuminated surroundings, wand-making, a meeting with the White Witch, spells and eerie storytelling by a fire.
9 Oct
Join a guided three-mile walk at Clent Hills through woodlands and hills, exploring the countryside’s nature, scenery and history.
Hagley Hall is a restored eighteenth-century Palladian mansion set in picturesque parkland featuring notable follies. Visitors can enjoy guided tours of the house, explore the extensive grounds, and use onsite facilities such as a cafe, shop, and free parking. It represents a significant heritage site combining architectural and landscape excellence.
Stourbridge is a historic market town in the West Midlands, England, known for its glass-making heritage, cultural festivals, and accessible transport links including two railway stations.
5 Dec
Participants learn basic colour theory and painting techniques while creating five hand-painted Christmas baubles, with guidance from visual artist Catt Standen. Festive refreshments and the opportunity to see Croome’s Christmas displays are also included.
31 Oct
Myles and Claire of IndiviDuo perform a piano recital featuring works for piano duet and four hands by Schubert and Mozart, alongside solo piano pieces by Elgar and other composers.
24–26 Oct, 30 Oct–1 Nov
Families can explore seasonal activities about how animals prepare for winter, including making a cosy ladybird home, building an imaginary hedgehog home and trying a hibernation guessing challenge.
17 Oct (next Saturday)
Cellist Corinne Frost performs a range of music and takes requests, with the possibility of creating improvised musical portraits inspired by attendees.
21 Oct
A volunteer-led guided walk around Croome’s parkland explores its statues and sculptures, including their history and the people who shaped the collection.
Greyfriars, Worcester is a Grade I listed timber-framed building dating from around 1485, originally a house and brew-house, now owned by the National Trust and notable for its historic architecture and curved street facade.
25 Oct
A guided Halloween walk at Clent Hills, where volunteer guides share spooky tales and legends of the area while leading a three-mile route with seasonal surprises.
Clent Hills offers a beautiful outdoor experience with extensive walking trails, panoramic views, and a family-run café. It is dog-friendly, wheelchair accessible via specific paths, and provides activities suitable for children, with a rich natural and historical environment.
2 Nov, 7 Dec
Volunteer-led health walks through Croome’s parkland offer a choice of 30-, 60- or 90-minute routes at a suitable pace, with opportunities to improve fitness and enjoy company.
28 Nov 2026–3 Jan 2027
Croome’s Christmas event features festive decorations and immersive displays based on fairytales, including scenes inspired by Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, and Hansel and Gretel.
28 Nov
Participants make a Christmas wreath using seasonal foliage, natural embellishments and a handmade willow base, with guidance from Bonterre Blooms. Materials and a hot drink are included.
Croome Court is a historic 18th-century Neo-Palladian mansion with interiors by Robert Adam, set within extensive landscaped parkland designed by Capability Brown. Visitors can explore the grand house, its restored walled gardens, and a wide range of follies and temples throughout the park, all managed by the National Trust.
7 Oct, 10 Oct…
Join a guided walk around Hanbury Hall’s formal gardens to explore the medicinal properties of plants and learn about the historic gardens.
Hanbury Hall is an 18th-century Queen Anne style stately home in Worcestershire, managed by the National Trust, featuring historic interiors with notable paintings, recreated formal gardens, and listed heritage buildings within scenic parkland.
8 Oct, 14–15 Oct…
Join a volunteer for an hour-long guided stroll through Croome’s garden, learning about its history, design, plants and statues.
13 Oct (next Tuesday)
Join expert forager Marlow Renton on a guided walk at Brockhampton to learn about fungi, where to find it and how to forage with more confidence. Mushrooms will not be collected for eating.
Edvin Loach Old Church features the ruins of a Norman motte and bailey castle church surrounded by uneven terrain and accessed by narrow country lanes. It offers free entry with parking near the nearby parish church and welcomes dogs on leads. The site is primarily an outdoor historic ruin experience without indoor exhibitions or facilities on site.
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
Join a Croome house volunteer for a 45-minute introductory tour exploring the house’s varied history. Tours take place on the ground floor, with sessions at midday and 2pm.
24 Oct–1 Nov
Follow an Ancient Greek-inspired trail through Hanbury Hall’s gardens, completing activities based on Charis’s journey through the underworld. The trail also includes a Medusa mask-making activity in the Long Gallery.
13 Oct, 20 Oct…
A 60-minute vinyasa flow yoga class in Croome’s Long Gallery, with guided movement and breathwork for beginners and more experienced participants. Attendees should bring a yoga mat; alternative poses are offered during the class.
30 Oct
A candlelit one-man performance at Hanbury Hall featuring Charles Dickens’ ‘The Signalman’ and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘Lot No. 249’, two traditional ghost stories.
25 Oct
Visitors can explore the Rock Houses at their own pace after dark, seeing them illuminated in a calm setting without Halloween activities, performers or jump scares.
10 Oct–1 Nov, 7–8 Nov…
Explore British folklore through a Halloween adventure at Snowshill Manor and Garden, using the Stranger Folk app to follow a guide and help close the gaps between the worlds. The trail runs outdoors as well as wherever the adventure takes you around the site.
Chipping Campden Market Hall is a historic 400-year-old landmark in the heart of a charming Cotswold town, showcasing ancient trade heritage and local architecture, managed by the National Trust for public appreciation.
20 Nov
A one-person, candlelit performance of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, presented by Behind the Door Productions in Hanbury Hall’s Great Hall.
23 Mar, 26 May…
These guided rag-craft workshops explore rag rugging, a traditional skill used by people who lived at the Rock Houses. Participants learn the technique and make a rug or wreath to take home.
26 Oct, 28 Oct…
Children can have fantastical face painting by The ArtHouse at Croome’s Outdoor Hub during October half term.
7 Nov
Visitors can chat with the team as they assess and record repairs needed for the replica models of Wolf's Cove, created by Charles Wade in 1935. Attendees can also find out about joining the volunteer model-making team.
Upton Wold Garden is a hidden private garden in the Cotswolds with an exceptional collection of trees and plants, including national collections. Visitors can enjoy the garden, special snowdrop walks, and seasonal opening times with free entry for Historic Houses members.
24–26 Oct, 29 Oct–1 Nov
Follow an outdoor Halloween-themed trail at Kinver Edge and the Rock Houses, looking for hidden creatures and answering True or False questions for a small prize.
5–6 Dec, 12–13 Dec…
Children who need a quieter or extended visit can meet traditional Father Christmas in his Rock House grotto, chat with him, receive a gift and have their photo taken. Activities take place outside the grotto as well.
28 Nov, 4 Dec
Create a traditional Christmas wreath using natural materials, including foliage gathered from Croome’s parkland, with guidance from a member of the flower team. Materials are provided, and participants can take their finished wreath home.
30 Oct
Children can learn a traditional woodworking skill with expert woodworker TouchWood by making a mini besom broom to take home. The hands-on activity is presented as part of the Halloween season.
Edvin Loach features the historic ruins of an 11th-century church built within Norman castle earthworks alongside a Victorian Gothic Revival church, offering both indoor and outdoor heritage experiences in a Herefordshire village setting.
6 Dec
Voices Unlimited Choir performs classic Christmas songs from the 1970s and 1980s from the staircase in Hanbury Hall’s Main Hall. There are four performances throughout the day, each lasting about 20 minutes.
28 Nov–23 Dec, 26 Dec 2026–3 Jan 2027
Visitors can explore Hanbury Hall decorated for a 1970s and 1980s Christmas party, with festive decorations and music from the period.
11 Dec
Dogs can explore the Rock Houses, meet Father Christmas, pose for a festive photograph and receive a Christmas treat. Festive activities take place indoors and outdoors, with accessories and dog-friendly ice cream also available.
7 Oct–31 Dec (another 83 days)
An exhibition at Croome explores the history, craftsmanship and significance of Robert Adam’s 18th-century bookcases, which are being conserved for reinstatement in the house’s Library.
20 Oct, 10 Nov…
Join Hanbury Hall photographer Mike Dixon for a relaxed walk through the formal gardens, combining mindfulness and nature connection with practical tips for photographing wildlife and the outdoors. Attendees can explore with a smartphone or camera; no experience or professional equipment is needed.
9 Oct, 16 Oct…
Parent Pop is a music session for parents and children aged 0–4, bringing them together to sing pop classics and move to the music.
Hawford is a hamlet in Worcestershire known for its historic 16th-century dovecote owned by the National Trust, situated near scenic rivers and featuring listed 18th-century Hawford House.
14 Nov
A day workshop led by visual artist Catt Standen, with tutorials and practical exercises in still-life composition and life drawing. Participants can develop their drawing skills and create work to take home.
7 Oct, 14 Oct…
Join a volunteer-led drawing session in Croome’s Long Gallery, where participants can draw alongside others and pick up tips and techniques. The session is part of The Big Draw Festival.
31 Oct
Visitors can wander around the Rock Houses after dark to see them illuminated, with extra Halloween scares and surprises on this special evening. The event is recommended for adults and children aged 12 and over.