August Events at the Corinium Museum
Throughout August
There is plenty to discover at Corinium Museum during August 2026, with creative family workshops, guided walks, historical talks, a free storytelling session and a new art exhibition.
Summer holiday activities include making Roman swords and shields, designing mosaics, creating Viking runestones and learning about Anglo-Saxon crafts. Visitors can also explore the history of Cirencester through walks focusing on its Roman, medieval, Georgian and wool-trading past.
Salmonsbury Moot – A Celebration of Landscape, Wildlife and History
Saturday 1 August, 11am – 3pm
Free
Celebrate the landscape, wildlife and history of Greystones Farm Nature Reserve at Bourton-on-the-Water with hands-on activities and opportunities to explore the reserve in new ways.
The event marks the culmination of a year-long project combining art and archaeology, created through a collaboration between an artist, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and Corinium Museum. It will be followed by an exhibition at the museum featuring artwork inspired by the reserve alongside artefacts from the archive.
Fantastic Fossils
Tuesday 4 August, 10.30am – 12pm
£10–£12.50
Children can learn about different types of fossils, including body remains, trace fossils and preserved remains, before creating examples of their own during this hands-on workshop.
Tales from Past Times
Tuesday 4 August, 11am – 12pm
Free
Join local children’s author Elka Evalds for a storytelling session spanning the centuries, from Mesopotamian monsters and ancient Greek myths to knights in shining armour.
Children can join in and help tell the stories. Suitable for ages 5+. This free event is part of the Gloucestershire Libraries Library Challenge.
Craft a Prehistoric Axe Head Workshop
Wednesday 5 August, 10.30am – 12pm
£12–£15
Discover how early axe heads were made and used, handle reproductions representing thousands of years of history and learn archaeological terms including seriation.
After exploring the Prehistory Gallery, children will use a quick-setting material to mould a collection of replica axe heads to take home.
Drawing the Stone Age
Thursday 6 August, 10.30am – 12pm
£10–£12.50
Observe and draw real prehistoric artefacts from the museum’s collection while learning creative sketching techniques to capture their shapes, textures and details.
A Group Art Exhibition Curated by Mike Skinner SGFA FRSA
Thursday 6 August – Sunday 6 September
Free
Explore a group exhibition curated by artist Mike Skinner SGFA FRSA, whose work is inspired by British art history and contemporary life.
The exhibition also features artwork by Clare Hines, Tania Fullerton, Anne-Marie Stuart-King and Imogen Williams.
Walking Roman Cirencester
Friday 7 August, 10.15am – 1.45pm
£30–£33
Join archaeologist Dr Alison Grierson-Brookes, former Head of Collections at Corinium Museum, for a half-day exploration of Roman Cirencester.
The experience includes a two-hour leisurely walk around the Roman town walls and amphitheatre, followed by museum admission, refreshments and a guided tour of the award-winning Roman galleries.
Good footwear is recommended as some of the terrain is uneven. Booking is recommended and places are limited to 12.
Georgian Cirencester Town Walk
Friday 7 August, 11am – 12pm
£9–£10
Discover how Georgian success transformed Cirencester and hear stories of entrepreneurs, political intrigue, riots, ruffians, religious non-conformity and popular entertainment.
Meet at the museum. Booking is recommended and places are limited to 10.
Roman Swords and Shields Workshop
Tuesday 11 August, 10.30am – 12pm
£10–£12.50
Create a Roman sword and shield inspired by archaeological finds from Roman forts and the tombstones of Roman cavalrymen.
Children can take their finished equipment home. Booking is essential. Suitable for ages 6+.
I Dig Cake! Edible Archaeology
Wednesday 12 August, 10.30am – 12pm
£12–£15
Learn how archaeologists excavate different layers of history and discover key terms including the law of superposition before creating a delicious edible archaeological dig.
Mini Mosaics: Roman-Style Mosaics Workshop
Thursday 13 August, 10.30am – 12pm
£12–£15
Explore some of the remarkable mosaics discovered in Roman Corinium and learn how Roman craftspeople arranged tesserae into traditional patterns.
Children can then create their own Roman-style mosaic masterpiece to take home.
Roman Cirencester Town Walk
Friday 14 August, 11am – 12pm
£9–£10
Explore the Roman archaeology hidden beneath modern Cirencester and discover the evidence that reveals Corinium as one of the most vibrant and wealthy towns in Roman Britain.
The walk lasts approximately one hour and begins at the museum. Booking is recommended and places are limited to 10.
Viking Runestones Workshop
Tuesday 18 August, 10.30am – 12pm
£10–£12.50
Learn about Viking runes and the elaborate runestones created to record stories, mythology and memorials before designing a personalised runestone with decorative inscriptions.
Anglo-Saxon Weaving Workshop
Wednesday 19 August, 10.30am – 12pm
£10–£12.50
Discover how clothing was produced more than 1,000 years ago, examine Anglo-Saxon weaving tools and techniques, and create your own piece of weaving.
Corinium Afternoons: Anglo-Saxons in the Cotswolds
Thursday 20 August, 2pm – 3pm
£10
Explore the archaeological evidence for the Anglo-Saxons in the Cotswolds and discover what objects from the museum’s collection can reveal about this often-overlooked period of local history.
Museum members can claim a free ticket by entering the special discount code at checkout.
Medieval Cirencester Town Walk
Friday 21 August, 11am – 12pm
£9–£10
Discover the monks, merchants and muddy streets of medieval Cirencester. Learn how the valuable Cotswold wool trade created fortunes, supported markets and inns, funded a hospital and helped build the town’s parish church.
Meet at the museum. Booking is recommended as places are limited.
Anglo-Saxon Brooches Workshop
Tuesday 25 August, 10.30am – 12pm
£10–£12.50
Explore the beautiful and practical Anglo-Saxon brooches in the museum’s collection before creating your own decorative designs using gold, silver, bronze and colourful gems.
Booking is essential. Suitable for ages 6+.
Mini Votives Workshop
Wednesday 26 August, 10.30am – 12pm
£10–£12.50
Learn about Iron Age votive offerings and the remarkable hoard found near Cirencester, which contained more than 100 silver coins and several miniature weapons.
Children can then create their own decorated votive objects.
Tour of the Stores, Northleach
Wednesday 26 August, 11am – 12pm
£9–£10
Go behind the scenes with the museum’s collections team and explore objects spanning prehistory to the 1950s.
The stores contain Roman mosaics, carved stonework, medieval tiles, pottery, costumes, rural tools, horse collars, stone coffins and many other fascinating objects connected to Cotswold history.
Mini Mosaics: Mythical Mosaics Workshop
Thursday 27 August, 10.30am – 12pm
£12–£15
Discover the mythical creatures, gods, goddesses and sacred symbols depicted in Roman mosaics before creating your own mosaic fit for a legend.
Cirencester Wool Walk
Friday 28 August, 11am – 12pm
£9–£10
Join Ian Thomas for a walk exploring how the medieval wool trade shaped Cirencester and brought wealth and prosperity to the town.
Hear about the lives and skills of wool combers, card makers, dyers, weavers and wool staplers, discover the role played by Cirencester Abbey and visit sites connected to the town’s wool-trading history, including the great wool church of St John the Baptist.
The walk lasts just over an hour and begins at the museum. Booking is recommended as places are limited.
> Find out more about events at Corinium Museum
OTHER EVENTS
