Scriptorium Buttery
Most events are free with no booking needed. Just drop in and let history surprise you!
The Cider Night and Tea with the Tudors events do require booking.
Cider Night!
£15
Cider Night!
Sat 20 September 2025
7:30 – 8:30 pm
£15 includes 3 glasses of cider or apple juices
Join leading historian and cider lover Andrew Meller to hear the extraordinary history of Gloucestershire cider and its makers – from fox whelps to firkins.
Included are ciders of all vintages – and apple juices too!
Tea with the Tudors
£20
Tea with the Tudors
Sun 21 September 2025
4 – 5 pm
£20 includes tea, coffee or juice, Honey & Cinnamon Tart, Shrewsbury Biscuits, Elizabethan Naughty Cake and Spiced Pears
From rabbit to pottage, roasted peacock to spiced wine, and not forgetting the exotic imported orange, join Kirstie Bingham in her Tudor Kitchen to hear what everyday Tudor families ate and drank and enjoy a delicious and authentic 16th century afternoon tea!
Scriptorium Buttery
Free Events
Sat 13 – Sun 21 September 2025
Open from 9 am – 9 pm every day during the Festival
Voices Gloucester Scriptorium Sessions
A programme of fantastic free events on the weekend of 13 and 14 September. Curated and produced by Voices Gloucester.
Exhibitions, Talks and Workshops
Don’t miss fabulous pop ups from our friends at Museum of Gloucester, the Heritage Hub, St Mary de Crypt & the University of Gloucestershire.
Music, Morris Dancing, Stories and Song
Traditional Gloucestershire folk music from Bygonz, songs from the Shepherd’s Crook Folk Choir, Morris dancing on the Blackfriars Green and storytelling from Fire Springs and The Three Ravens.
Cosy and comfortable caberet-style seating
The perfect place to unwind, share
a drink from the Festival Cafe, read a history book or simply soak up the calm in the atmospheric Friars’ dining room.
Step into the Scriptorium Buttery, nestled in Britain’s oldest surviving library building — a space steeped in centuries of story.
This is the heart of our new free programme, where history comes alive through bite-size talks, hands-on workshops, exhibitions, music, song and storytelling, Morris dancing, Cider Nights and delicious Tudor Teas..
Events are free – no booking needed. Just drop in and let history surprise you!
Events in the Scriptorium Buttery
Sat 13 – Sun 21 September
VOICES GLOUCESTER SCRIPTORIUM SESSIONS
Sat 13 – Sun 14 September
Voices Gloucester is a charity that creates a community-led programme that aims to challenge what history is, respecting and representing new voices.
ALL VOICES GLOUCESTER SCRIPTORIUM SESSIONS ARE FREE TO ATTEND.
SATURDAY 13TH, BLACKFRIARS
1:15 - 1:45 pm
The Gorger Gaze
How gypsy culture is integral to Gloucestershire and Worcestershire’s cultural heritage.
3:15 - 3:45 pm
Lost Languages
– New Voices
Exploring how language evolves and informs the experience of generations.
5:15 - 5:45 pm
– Then and Now
Investigating experiences of sight loss in Gloucestershire in the 19th and 20th centuries.
SUNDAY 14th, BLACKFRIARS
1:15 - 1:45 pm
Costume for Gloucester
See how a gown made by 130 stitchers is a reimagined folk costume.
3:15 - 3:45 pm
Cloths of Identity Practical Workshop
Join Jo Teague for a ‘no experience required’ stitching workshop, where you’ll create your piece of textile art exploring aspects of your identity.
5:15 - 5:45 pm
Quilts – Belonging and Unbelonging
Discover how textile traditions have explored themes of migration, displacement, and neurodiversity.
ALL VOICES GLOUCESTER SCRIPTORIUM SESSIONS ARE FREE TO ATTEND.
Mon 15 – Sun 21 September
Monday 15th
3.20-3.50pm
The Medieval Barber Surgeon
Join the Barber Surgeon John Putley to hear gruesome tales of medieval medicine as he shares the reality of life in medieval times.
5.20-5.50pm
Starting with the very first time a garden is mentioned in our records join Marion Hill from the Heritage Hub to travel through time and visit a wonderful array of gardens from medicinal and culinary plots to glorious gardens simply created to enjoy.
Tuesday 16th
3.20-3.50pm
Ever wondered what lies beneath your feet as you walk the streets of Gloucester? Join the Museum of Gloucester team to hear the story of some of the city’s most important digs whose gems are now found at an amazing new Discovery Centre.
5.20-5.50pm
Heard of the Birdlip Mirror or the Gloucester Tables set? Now go beyond the well-known and hear from the Museum of Gloucester team about three unknown yet thrilling treasures that give fascinating new insights into the city.
Wednesday 17th
3.20-3.40pm
The Blackfriars Story with Phil Moss
Don’t miss the chance to hear the extraordinary history of the Priory and its scriptorium from leading local historian Phil Moss.
7.15-8.00pm
Join Andrew Armstrong and our diverse panel to explore the contested history of the Gloucester-born evangelist George Whitefield marking the new exhibition at St Mary de Crypt Church.
Thursday 18th
3.20-3.50pm
100 Amazing Gloucester Characters
Paul James & Matt Cass share stories of
Gloucester’s greatest residents over the last
70 years celebrating everything that’s great
about the cathedral city. And spot one or
two characters in the audience!
7-8pm
The Festival Party
Join us in the Blackfriars courtyard to celebrate the Festival’s 15th Birthday!
Friday 19th
5-5.45pm
History Rage is the podcast that invites historians to get angry with all the misconceptions we hold dear. Host Paul Bavill is joined by the author of ‘Zealous – A Darker Side of Early Quakers’, Dr. Erica Canela who will be raging that early Quakers are far from boring, hugely radical and nothing to do with oatmeal.
Catch History Rage on all major (and minor) podcast providers
7.20-7.50pm
Fire Springs Storytellers
Step into the atmospheric scriptorium and enjoy fabulous tales of ancient times with one of the country’s leading storytellers, Kirsty Hartsiotis. Folk tales often hold hidden histories, once whispered on dark nights by the fire — but were they believed, or simply enjoyed? Hear Gloucestershire’s own stories of truth, half-truth and fancy, and decide for yourself where history ends and imagination begins.
Saturday 20th
11.20-11.50am
Tales of the Civil War
The Civil War and its aftermath was a time of treachery, trickery, romance, and revenge. Some of its ghosts still haunt Gloucestershire today. Local storyteller Anthony Nanson brings to life three moody legends of this dramatic time in the county’s history. Anthony is the author of Gloucestershire Folk Tales and co-author of Gloucestershire Ghost Tales.
1.20-1.50pm
The History Students of the University of Gloucestershire share intriguing new research on the history of the county and its people. Chaired by Christian O’Connell.
3.15-3.45pm
The walls of Gloucester Cathedral are covered in incised marks and graffiti, in this informal talk archaeologist Chiz Harward will give a brief overview before concentrating on one graffito in particular, that of a young man and his dog…
7.30-8.30pm (tickets £15)
Cider Night!
Join leading historian and cider lover
Andrew Meller to hear the extraordinary
history of Gloucestershire cider and its
makers-from fox whelps to firkins. Included are ciders of all vintages-and apple juices too! Book Now.
Sunday 21st
11.15-11.45am
Join Festival President Janina Ramirez to
celebrate the final day of the Festival! (Book tickets in advance)
1.15-1.45pm
A rare chance to hear mesmerizing Folk Tales with the cult podcast storytellers Eleanor Conlon and Martin Vaux. Celebrating publication of their new book The Three Ravens Folk Tales.
4-5pm (tickets £20)
Tea with the Tudors
From rabbit to pottage, roasted peacock to spiced wine, and not forgetting the exotic imported orange, join Kirstie Bingham in her Tudor Kitchen to hear what everyday Tudor families ate and drank and enjoy a delicious and authentic 16th century afternoon tea! Book Now.
Events are free – no booking needed. Just drop in and let history surprise you!
Ticketing information
Booking opens 25 July 2025. Bookings are available online, by phone and via the in-person Box Office at the Museum of Gloucester until 12 September and at Blackfriars Priory from 13 September.
Online: can be made until 1 hour before the start time of each event but we recommend booking ahead to avoid disappointment.
Book by phone: 07834 4062298
Telephone bookings can be made between 10 am and 4 pm from Tuesday – Saturday and between 11 am and 3 pm on Sundays until the 12 September. From Saturday 13th to Sunday 21st September telephone bookings can be made from 9:30 am to 8 pm daily.
Book in person:
Until 12 September: Museum Of Gloucester, Brunswick Road, Gloucester
Tuesday – Saturday 10.00-16.00, Sunday 11.00-15.00
From 13 September: Blackfriars Priory, Ladybellegate Street, Gloucester
9:30 am – 8 pm daily.
Reservable seating: you can now choose and book specific seats when you book online, via phone or in person.
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