What's new

Please check the relevant websites and social media for confirmation and last-minute changes to the events listed here.

Delapré Abbey Events and Tours 2025

Monday 25 August Garden History Tour.
Sunday 14 - Sunday 21 September Heritage Open Day opening.
Until Sunday 28 September Exhibition - Regeneration: Recreating Northampton.
Until Sunday 2 November Exhibition - The Final Flight: The 1945 Lancaster Bomber Crash at Delapre.

Go to www.delapreabbey.org for more information and ticket details for the tours, Family Fun Days, Friends of Northampton Castle Play Days, and other events. Delapre Abbey is on the outskirts of Northampton, NN4 8AW, car parking is FREE.

Higham Chichele Society Talks 2025

Friday 29 August Bog bodies by David Brown.
Friday 26 September Living in the Middle East by Paul Mackay.
Friday 31 October Six of Higham's men you may have forgotten by Richard Oberman.
Friday 28 November History of Christmas food by Ria Jefferies.

Talks start at 9.30am, doors open at 9.00am, in the Bede House, Higham Ferrers. Members £3, Visitors £4, includes refreshments, new members welcome. Go to www.highamchichelesociety.co.uk for more information. The annual subscription is £5 and due at the May meeting.

Higham Ferrers 2025 Events

Saturday 30 August from 9.00am Town-wide Garage Sale.
Saturday/Sunday 30/31 August Share Photography exhibition in Chichele College.
Saturday 13 September Horticultural Show in Chichele College.
19 -28 September 10.00am-4.00pm Open Studios art exhibition Testing the Waters in Chichele College.
September tbc, 11.00am-5.00pm Heritage Day at Rushden Lakes - stalls and guided bus tours.
Friday 10 October Fashion Show in the Bede House.
Sunday 9 November at 10.45am Service of Remembrance on the Market Square.
Saturday 22 November 11.00am-6.00pm Sparkle Santa's grotto, fun fair, stalls, refreshments and entertainment, lights switch on at 5.00pm.

Go to the Higham Ferrers Tourism website, Facebook and highamferrers-tc.gov.uk for for more information about these events. Farmers' markets on the last Saturday morning of the month on the Market Square.

Middle Nene Archaeological Group (MidNAG)

Saturday 16 - Saturday 30 August Summer Excavation at Nassington - cancelled.
Date tbc for next meeting/talk.

Meetings at 7.30pm in Fletton House, Fletton Way, Glapthorn Road, Oundle PE8 4JA. Go to www.midnag.org.uk or Facebook for more information.

The Higgins Bedford 2025

Tuesday 2 September Lunchtime Talk Seizing the Skies by Richard Moon.
Wednesday 24 September 1.00pm-3.00pm Portable Antiquities Scheme for Bedfordshire session. FREE but booking essential.
Tuesday 4 November Lunchtime Talk Thomas Patch by Hugh Belsey.

The Higgins, Castle Lane, Bedford MK40 3XD. Go to www.thehigginsbedford.org.uk for more information.

Raunds & District History Society Talks 2025

Thursday 4 September Spinners & Weavers.
Tuesday 21 October Windmills & Watermills by Trevor Stainwright.
Thursday 6 November tbc

Talks start at 7.00pm in Raunds Library, £3 includes refereshments, all welcome.

Northampton Museum & Art Gallery

Now until Sunday 7 September 2025 A British Museum Touring Exhibition: Gladiators of Britain.
Starts in September 2025 Exhibition: A History of Northamptonshire in 100 Objects.

Go to www.northamptonmuseums.com and www.britishmuseum.org for more information. The lecture tickets are £20 each.

Naseby Battlefield Interactive Tours

Sunday 7 September.

Walk in the footsteps of those who took part in the Battle of Naseby in 1645. Tours last 4 hours and prices start at £25, booking essential. Go to www.naseby.com for more information.

British Museum Exhibitions

Until 7 September 2025 Hiroshige: artist of the open road.
Until 19 October 2025 Ancient India: living tradition.
Until 29 June 2025 War rugs: Afghanistan's knotted history.

British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG. Go to www.britishmuseum.org for more information.

Peterborough Museum 2025

Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday Priestgate Vaults Tours.

Go to www.peterboroughmuseum.org for more information about events and tours.

Wrest Park 2025

Mondays: 8 and 22 September, 6 and 20 October. Archaeological Collections Store Tours starting at 11.00am and 1.00pm.

Wrest Park is in Silsoe, Bedfordshire, MK45 4HR. Go to www.english-heritage.org.uk for more information, prices and opening times.

ISE-Dig Talks 2025

Wednesday 10 September tbc

Talks start at 7.30pm and are held in St Andrew's Church Rooms, Crown Street, Kettering, NN16 8QA. ISE members £4, visitors £5, all welcome. Go to www.ise-dig.co.uk for more information.

Oundle Historical Society Talks 2025

Friday 12 September Nene Valley Dresses 1750-1950 Sharn Matthews.
Friday 10 October Cotterstock Hall and its owners 1650-1820 by David Bond.
Friday 14 November BB's Summer on the Nene by David Osborne.

Talks start at 7.30pm in Oundle Methodist Church, Drummingwell Lane, Oundle. Visitors £5. Go to www.oundlehistoricalsociety.org.uk for more information.

Heritage Open Days 2025

Friday 12 - Sunday 21 September

Go to www.heritageopendays.org.uk for more information.

Kynren 2025

Saturdays until 13 September

An epic tale of England, two thousand years of history in 90 minutes at Bishop Aukland, County Durham, DL14 7SF. Go to www.11arches.com for more information.

Wellingborough Civic Society Talks 2025

Thursday 18 September Barnwell on Bygones by Richard Barnwell.
Thursday 16 October The Hidden History of Rural Northamptonshire by Alex Holmes.
Thursday 15 January Nostalgic Cine Films by Northants Film Archaive Trust.
Thursday 16 April The Great Fire of Northampton by Kate Wills, Northampton Civic Society.

Talks are usually at 7.00pm in the Dulley Room, Wellingborough Museum, 12 Castle Way, Wellingborough NN81XB. Visitors £3.

Rushden & District History Society Talks 2025

Friday 19 September Salcombe 17th Century Shipwreck by Jim Tyson.
Friday 17 October Northampton's First Police Force by Alex Wood.
Friday 21 November Bedford's Architectural Heritage by David Fowler.
Friday 19 December Christmas Customs by Sharn Matthews.

Talks start at 7.30pm at Whitefriars School, Boughton Drive, Rushden NN10 9HX. Visitors welcome, £2.50 on the door. Go to www.rdhs.org.uk for more information.

Stanwick Lakes 2025

Saturday 20 September Heritage Open Day.
Saturday 4 October 10.00am-4.00pm Workshops Ancient Craft: Flint knapping.
Saturday 4 October 10.00am-4.00pm Workshops Ancient Craft: Bronze Age jewellery.

Go to www.stanwicklakes.org.uk for information and to book a place.

Sywell Aviation Museum and Sywell Aerodrome 2025

2025 No air show planned for the Aerodrome this year.
Saturday 20 September Pistons & Props event.
tbc Winter talk programme.

Talks are £5 and are held in the Cirrus Room at the Aviator Hotel, go to www.sywellaviationmuseum.org.uk for more information.

Heritage Day 2025 at Rushden Lakes

Sunday 21 September.

Displays, stalls and guided bus tours.

Finedon Local Historical Society Talks 2025

Monday 22 September Edgar Mobbs by Graham McKechnie.
Monday 27 October Northants Curiosities 3 by Helen Crabtree.
Monday 24 November AGM and Kelmarsh Hall & Parish by Mike Stroud.

Talks are at 7.30pm in the Mission Room, Well Street, Finedon, NN9 5JP. FLHS members £2.50, visitors £3.50. Go to www.tingdenetofinedon.co.uk for more information.

CBA EM 2025: Fieldwalking: past, present ... and future?

Wednesday 24 September 10.00am-4.30pm

Introduction by Mark Pearce, University of Nottingham.
In the Footsteps of Fox by Tom Midgeley, Cambridge Archaeology Field Group.
Fieldwalking around towns along the A11 in Norfolk by Yvonne Wolfram-Murray, MOLA
The Raunds Area Survey, Northants by Mark Holmes formerly of MOLA.
The Medbourne Project Peter Liddle, leicestershire Fieldwalkers.
The Bingham parish survey by David Ingham.
A Paeolithic landscape at Farndon Fields by Daryl Garton.
Exploring past landscapes by Kevin Leahy, PAS.

Guildhall Arts Centre, St Peter's Hill, Grantham, Lincs NG31 6PY. Booking essential, Tickets £25 include lunch, deadline Wednesday 17 September 2025.

Northamptonshire Battlefield Society 2025

Thursday 25 September Writing Historical Fiction by Charles Cordell.
Thursday 30 October The Spendthrift Election by Graham Evans.
Thursday 27 November Eleanor of Aquitaine by Sara Cockerill.

Talks start at 7.30pm at Delapre Abbey, on the outskirts of Northampton, NN4 8AW. Go to www.delapreabbey.org and www.northantsbattles.com for more information.

Sulgrave Manor & Garden 2025

Opens Sundays, Mondays & Tuesdays until 30 September, 10.30am-4.00pm.  Sulgrave Manor, Manor Road, Sulgrave, Banbury, OX17 2SD. Go to www.sulgravemanor.org.uk for more information.

Chester House Estate

Dates for Autumn tbc  Tours of the ARC (Archaeological Resource Centre), FREE but please book via the website.

The Chester House Estate is near Irchester in Northamptonshire. Go to www.chesterhouseestate.org for more information and booking.

Northamptonshire Records Society 2025

THE NRS hold document workshops in the NRS Library at Northamptonshire Archives, Wootton Hall Park, Northampton showcasing and explaining some of the records. Go to www.northamptonshirerecordsociety.org.uk for more information and to book a place as numbers are limited. 

Saturday 4 October tbc Next talk. 

Society for Lincolnshire History & Archaeology - Archaeology Conference: Antiquarianism & Archaeology

Saturday 4 October 9.40am-4.30pm

Recent Discoveries from Lincolnshire by Lisa Brundle.
Archaeology and Planning by Grahame Appleby.
An Introduction to Antiquarian Archaeological Publications by Nick Moore.
On the Shoulders of Giants by Dr Kevin Leahy
Art, Science and Archaeology by Prof Sarah Scott.
Lincoln and the invention of the 'Historic Town' by Prof Rosemary Sweet.
The Early Days of the Spalding Gentleman's Society by Dr Dustin Frazier Wood.

Lincoln Bishop University, Longdales Road, Lincoln LN1 3DY. Booking at Eventbrite, Tickets £32 include lunch.

Burton Latimer Heritage Society

At the Harold Mason Centre, 120 High Street, Burton Latimer, NN15 5RH.
Autumn Exhibition: Burton Latimer Heritage Society - the First 25 Years.

UNAS Autumn Conference 2025

Sunday 5 October at Hackleton Village Hall, Chapel Lane, Hackleton, Northampton NN7 2AH.

Kimbolton Castle: Public Open Days

Sunday 5 October 1.00pm-4.00pm. Go to www.kimboltoncastle.com for more information.

Discover Northamptonshire Visitor Hub at Rushden Lakes 2025

Friday 17 October, 10.30am-1.30pm Finds Day with Northamptonshire Finds Liaison Officer Eleanore Cox.

FREE drop-in session at the Tourism Hub near the entrance to Cineworld, Rushden Lakes.

Northamptonshire Heritage Forum

Saturday 18 October History Day to be held in Higham Ferrers.

Go to www.northamptonshireheritageforum.co.uk for more information about events and membership.

CBA EM Autumn Conference 2025

Saturday 25 October in Leicester.

Oundle Museum

Museum open for Summer 2025 until Sunday 26 October, Saturdays and Sundays only, 1.00pm-4.00pm.

Oundle Museum is in Mill Road, Oundle PE8 4BW. Go to www.oundlemuseum.org.uk for more information. The display for 2025 is Oundle's Neighbouring Villages.

42nd Annual Brixworth Lecture 2025

Saturday 1 November at 5.00pm

Pastoral Provision and the Benedictone Reform in 10th Century England by Joyce Hill, University of Leeds, Professor Emerita, Old and Middle English Language and Literature at All Saints Church Brixworth, Northamptonshire. Go to www.friendsofbrixworthchurch.org.uk for more information and tickets which are £12.

Heritage Fair Northamptonshire 2026

Sunday 26 April 10.00am-4.00pm

At Wicksteed Park, Kettering NN15 6NJ. A partnership event supported by Wicksteed Park, Northamptonshire Family History Society and Discover Northamptonshire.

Sharnbrook Local History Group Talks 2025

Next date tbc

Talks held at 2.00pm in the Methodist Church, Sharnbrook but go to www.slhg.org.uk for more information.

Earls Barton

Next date tbc Earls Barton Heritage Group meet in the library.

Northamptonshire Film Archive Trust 2025

Next date tbc

Films are shown at events around the county, go to www.northamptonshirefilmarchivetrust.co.uk for more information.

Northamptonshire Archaeological Society 2025

Next date tbc

Go to www.northants-archaeology.org.uk for information. (New website available shortly).

Wellingborough Museum

Next date tbc

Wellingborough Museum, Dulley's Baths, 12 Castle Way, Wellingborough, NN8 1XB. Museum open Monday to Saturdays 10.00am-4.30pm. Go to www.wellingboroughmuseum.co.uk for more information. 

Kettering Civic Society Talks 2025

Next date tbc

Talks are at 7.30pm in Village Hall, Barton Seagrave. Visitors £6.

Irchester Parish Historical Society Talks 2025

Society usually meets the second Thursday of each month, members £2, visitors £4. Go to www.irchester.org for more information.

Northamptonshire Industrial Archaeology Group Talks 2025

TBC Walks and visits.

Talks are held in Garden Room at St Matthews Church Hall, off Kettering Road, Northampton. FREE to NIAG members, visitors welcome £3. Go to www.niag.org.uk for more information.

Irthlingborough Historical Society 2025

Next date tbc at 7.00pm 

Go to www.erdiburn.org for more information.

Abington Park Museum in Northampton 2025

Next date tbc.

Volunteer-led tours of the Museum, £3.50 each person, booking essential. Go to www.northamptonmuseums.com for more information about tours and exhibitions at Abington Park Museum.

Irchester Field School Learning Programme

Summer 2025, date tbc

Go to www.chesterhouseestate.org for more information about the Irchester Field School run in partnership with the ARC and the University of Leicester. Bookings already being taken.

Bedford Guided Walks

Dates for 2025 tbc

Walks start at 11.00am and are between 90 minutes and 2 hours long, 1-2 miles in length. Walks are £4 and must be pre-booked. Go to www.bedfordtourguides.org for more information and booking.

Finds Day at Daventry Museum

Next date tbc.

Northamptonshire Finds Officer Eleanore Cox will be at Daventry Museum, free but you'll need to book a 15 minute time slot by email.

CBA online talks 2025

Next date tbc In Conversation.

Go to www.archaeologyuk.org for more information about the Council for British Archaeology online talks.

Friends of Kettering Art Gallery & Museum 2025

Next date tbc Town Walk, £5 per person.

Kettering Museum and Gallery remain closed, go to the Friends Facebook page or www.friendskagam.org for information about their events, or visit ARTworks Creative Space in the Newlands Centre Kettering.

Northampton Museum & Art Gallery Talks 2025

Next date tbc

Thursday morning talks start at 10.30am, price £3.50, booking essential. Go to www.northamptonmuseums.com for more information and tickets.

Olney Archaeological Society Talks 2025

Next date tbc

Lectures are at the Olney Centre, Olney in Buckinghamshire, 10.00am-12.00 noon. Note that some lectures are remote and will be shown on screen. Price £4 for visitors, go to www.mkheritage.org.uk/oas/ for more information and membership.

Northampton Civic Society

Next date tbc

The Humphrey Rooms, 10 Castilian Terrace, Northampton NN1 1LD.

Northampton Central Library 2025

tbc Next Carnegie Talk.

Northampton Central Library is in Abington Street, Northampton NN1 2BA. Go to the Facebook page for more information.