Scriptorium Buttery
Most events are free with no booking needed. Just drop in and let history surprise you!
The King’s Bastion Tours, The History of Gin, Chocolate Night and Members’ Tea events do require booking.
Explore the King’s Bastion Tours
£8
Explore the King’s Bastion Tours
Fri 18 September
10:30 or 11:10 am
£8
Guided Tours
Two special half-hour tours offer a rare chance to climb down under the streets of Gloucester to see the extraordinary King’s Bastion for yourself. Numbers are limited so book early.
Meet by entrance in Kings Walk Shopping Centre, Gloucester (by the silver trapdoors, just outside Superdrug)
With thanks to the Museum of Gloucester and the Civic Trust.
Mother’s Ruin: A History of Gin
£15
Mother’s Ruin: A History of Gin with Andy Cole
Fri 18 September
6:30 – 7:30 pm
£15 to include a selection of 4 gins or alcohol free botanicals
Gin expert Andy Cole uncovers gin’s colourful journey from medicinal spirit to eighteenth-century craze and British favourite. Discover why it became notorious as ‘Mother’s Ruin’, how the Gin Craze transformed society and how changing laws and fashions have reshaped its reputation. All whilst enjoying a guiding tasting of a delicious selection of gins or alcohol-free botanicals.
Chocolate Night
£15
Chocolate Night: A Delicious Journey Through History Sam Bilton & Kathryn Laverack
Sat 19 September
5:30 – 7 pm
£15 including chocolate tasting
Unwrap chocolate’s irresistible history as food historian Sam Bilton follows cacao from the ancient Americas to European courts and fashionable chocolate houses in a compelling new talk. Kathryn Laverack of Cocoa Encounters then leads a delicious guided tasting of carefully selected chocolates.
Members’ Tea
Free (Festival Members only)
Members' Tea
Fri 18 September
3:15 – 3.45 pm
FREE but you need to book.
Join Festival President Janina Ramirez for tea, cake and excellent conversation! Meet fellow Festival members, share your views and hear Janina share exciting plans for the future.
Scriptorium Buttery
Free Events
Sat 12 – Sun 20 September 2026
Open from 11 am – 9 pm every day during the Festival
Music, Talks, Stories and Song
Don’t miss medieval music from Bygonz, a live History Rage and History with Philippa podcast recordings, explore an authentic Roman encampment, meet the friars of the priory and enjoy talks, tastings and great conversation.
Cosy and comfortable caberet-style seating
The perfect place to unwind, share
a drink from the Festival Cafe, read a history book from the Festival Little Library 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 free programme, where history comes alive through bite-size talks, hands-on workshops, exhibitions, music, song and storytelling, Morris dancing, Bread and Pastry tasting and delicious Shakespearean Fare.
Events are free – no booking needed. Just drop in and let history surprise you!
Scriptorium Buttery Programme
Sat 12 – Sun 20 September
Saturday 12 – Sun 13 September
Voices Gloucester will be sharing a range of talks, exhibitions and experiences in the
Scriptorium.
Monday 14 – Sun 20 September
Monday 14th
1.15 - 1.45pm
Travel Through British History, with British History with Philippa
Travel back through the centuries as Philippa Lacey records a live episode of the British History with Philippa podcast. Meet the remarkable people, dramatic events and unexpected stories that shaped Britain in an entertaining journey through the past.
5.15 - 5.45pm
Operation Pimento: An Extraordinary Wartime Escape
Adam Hart tells the gripping true story of his great-grandfather Frank Griffiths and an extraordinary Second World War escape. Drawing on family papers and historical research, he reveals remarkable courage, ingenuity and survival and how one family story inspired his first book.
7.15 - 7:45pm
Jo Durrant’s Beautiful Universe: Live
Janina Ramirez joins the line-up for a special live History Festival edition of the award-winning podcast Jo Durrant’s Beautiful Universe.
Tuesday 15th
1.15 - 1.45pm
Dressing the Georgian Lady
Discover how shifts, stays, pockets and panniers created the fashionable silhouette of a high-society Georgian woman around 1770. Angela Rendell explains each hidden layer before dressing a live model in a carefully researched silk Polonaise gown made by the speaker herself.
3:15 - 3:45 pm
Sophie Gaudier-Brzeska: A Life Reclaimed
Jeff Walshe uncovers the extraordinary life of Polish writer Sophie Gaudier-Brzeska, her relationship with sculptor Henri Gaudier Brzeska and her Gloucestershire years in Wotton-under-Edge. Discover her connections with Jim Ede and the campaign to restore her neglected legacy.
In partnership with Wotton under-Edge Heritage Centre.
7.15 - 7:50pm
Enter the sound world of the Middle Ages as Ypotryll perform secular music from 1200 to 1500. Voices combine with harp, dulcimer, psaltery, vielle, recorder and other period instruments in an atmospheric recreation of medieval music.
Wednesday 16th
1:15 -1:45pm
Lost Churches of Gloucester: Karen Davidson
Senior Archivist Karen Davidson explores Gloucester’s lost churches, drawing on surviving documents and images to uncover buildings that have vanished from the city. Discover what the archives can reveal about these forgotten landmarks and their place in Gloucester’s history.
In partnership with Gloucestershire Heritage Hub
3.15 - 3.45pm
Gloucester’s Forgotten Founding Father: Button Gwinnett
Meet Gloucester-born Button Gwinnett as history students at the University of Gloucestershire take a closer look at the controversial life and legacy of the elusive signatory of the American Declaration of Independence in 1776. Chaired by Christian O’Connell.
5.15 - 5.45pm
Chartism in Gloucestershire
History students at the University of Gloucestershire examine the fascinating story of the Chartist movement by looking at the legacy of the settlements at Snig’s End and Lowbands, and the role of local Gloucestershire chartists. Chaired by Christian O’Connell.
Visit fascinating exhibitions about Chartism in Gloucestershire & The Controversial Legacy of Button Gwinnett in the scriptorium produced by the Cotswold
Centre of History & Heritage.
7 -7:45pm
Lassington Oak: Fifty Years of Morris
Celebrate fifty years of Lassington Oak Morris with stories, music and dance. Discover the history of their dances, costumes and traditions, learn some
favourite steps and enjoy a glimpse behind the scenes before watching an outdoor Morris dance in front of Blackfriars.
Thursday 17th
1.15 - 1.45pm
History with Jackson, The Graces: Women of the Restoration Court
Breeze Barrington introduces the remarkable women at the heart of the Restoration court. Discover Maria of
Modena and the women around her whose creativity, ambition and influence have too often been overlooked by history.
Interviewed by Jackson van Uden.
5.15 - 5:55pm
Kith and Kin: An Anglo-Saxon Woman Speaks
Leela Bunce brings ninth-century Wessex vividly to life through the voice of an ordinary Anglo-Saxon woman. Blending Modern and Old English with humour, music and powerful storytelling, Kith and Kin reveals the hardships, loyalties and hopes of a turbulent age.
7.15 - 7:55pm
Music from Ukraine
Odesa-born violinist Tetiana Hnilystska brings the music of Ukraine to the Scriptorium. Formerly a member of the Odesa Philharmonic until the invasion forced her to leave, she has played for the Hans Zimmer Orchestra and toured all over the world. She performs a programme of Ukrainian music together with other classics.
3:15 - 3:45pm
Members Tea with Janina Ramirez
FREE for Members Only
Join Festival President Janina Ramirez for tea, cake and excellent conversation! Meet fellow Festival members, share your views and hear Janina share exciting plans for the future. Book here.
Friday 18th
11.30 - 11.00am and 11:10 -11:40am
Explore the King’s Bastion Tour
Tickets £8
Two special half-hour tours offer a rare chance to climb down under the streets of Gloucester to see the extraordinary King’s Bastion for yourself. Numbers are limited so book early and tickets must be reserved in advance on the Festival website.
With thanks to the Museum of Gloucester and the Civic Trust.
1.15 - 1.45pm
Hear The King’s Bastion Story
Join City Archaeologist Andrew Armstrong in the scriptorium to hear the story of Gloucester’s King’s Bastion, where Roman walls and later defences survive beneath the modern city. Discover how this hidden structure protected Gloucester across centuries. His talk is free and no booking is needed.
5 - 5.30pm
History Rage Live
What’s the one historical ‘fact’ you really wish everyone would just stop believing? Historian Nathen Amin joins host Paul Bavill for a special live recording of the History Rage podcast.
6:30 - 7:30pm
Mother’s Ruin: A History of Gin
Andy Cole
Tickets £15 to include a selection of 4 gins or alcohol free botanicals
Gin expert Andy Cole uncovers gin’s colourful journey from medicinal spirit to eighteenth-century craze and British favourite. Discover why it became notorious as ‘Mother’s Ruin’, how the Gin Craze transformed society and how changing laws and fashions have reshaped its reputation. All whilst enjoying a guiding tasting of a delicious selection of gins or alcohol-free botanicals. Book here.
Saturday 19th
10am - 4pm
The Romans Return to Gloucester!
The Ermine Street Guard Encampment and Display
Explore an authentic Roman encampment created by one of Britain’s leading Roman military re-enactment societies. Discover armour, weapons and tents as the Guards bring the discipline, skills and everyday life of the first-century Roman army vividly to life.
11.15 - 11:45am
Meet the Ermine Street Guard and discover the weapons and armour of Rome’s soldiers. Find out how legionaries trained, fought and defended themselves before seeing some Roman swordsmanship.
1.15 - 1.45pm
Go behind the armour to discover what daily life was really like for a Roman soldier. xplore training, camp routines, food and equipment with the Ermine St Guard.
3:15 - 3:45 pm
Scrolling Back Through Time
History has gone viral! Dr Amy Boyington (@history_with_amy) with over 3 million followers and Han Parker (@historical_han) with almost 400,000 reveal how social media is revolutionising storytelling, smashing barriers and inspiring vast new audiences to explore the past. Chaired by Janina Ramirez
5 - 6:30pm
Chocolate Night: A Delicious Journey Through History, Sam Bilton & Kathryn Laverack
£15 to include chocolate tasting
Unwrap chocolate’s irresistible history as food historian Sam Bilton follows cacao from the ancient Americas to European courts and fashionable chocolate houses in a compelling new talk. Kathryn Laverack of Cocoa Encounters then leads a delicious guided tasting of carefully selected chocolates. Book here.
8 - 9pm
Flick
From ancient goddesses to the contraceptive pill, women’s pleasure has been celebrated, controlled and enjoyed throughout history. Historian Kate Lister joins Janina Ramirez for a frank, funny and revealing journey through changing attitudes to female sexuality.
Sunday 20th
Meet the Friars of Blackfriars
Founded around 1239, Gloucester Blackfriars is one of England’s best-preserved Dominican friaries. Meet Brother Thomas and Sister Hild throughout the day as they recreate its medieval devotions, community life and final years before Henry VIII’s religious changes ended the friary.
Medieval Music from Bygonz
Bygonz fill the Blackfriars courtyard
with medieval music between today’s events. Meet musicians Rob and Gillian Guest and find out the history of the instruments they play.
11.15 - 11:45am
Discover the daily life of a Dominican friar at medieval Blackfriars. Brother Thomas and Sister Hild explore prayer, preaching, study, discipline and the rhythm of the religious day before inviting the audience to join one of the community’s devotions.
1.15 - 1.45pm
The Founding of Blackfriars
Hear how Gloucester Blackfriars was established around 1239 with royal support and became an important centre of Dominican preaching, learning and worship. Discover the people, purpose and daily devotions of the thriving community at the heart of medieval Gloucester.
3:15 - 3:45 pm
Henry VIII’s religious revolution brought centuries of Dominican life at Gloucester Blackfriars to an end. Brother Thomas and Sister Hild recount the Dissolution, departure of the Friars and the building’s remarkable afterlife before offering what may be their final devotions at Blackfriars Priory.
Events are free – no booking needed. Just drop in and let history surprise you!
Ticketing information
Ticket booking information
Online: Bookings can be made until 1 hour before the start time of each event but we recommend booking ahead to avoid disappointment.
Book by phone: 07847 138531
Book tickets in person at:
Museum of Gloucester, Brunswick Road,
Gloucester. Wednesday – Saturday 10am-4pm,
(closed Sunday – Tuesday).
From 11 September: Blackfriars Priory, Ladybellegate Street, Gloucester
11 am – 8 pm daily.
Reservable seating: you can choose and book specific seats when you book online, via phone or in person.
Book signings organised by Waterstones take place after each event.
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