York Castle Museum

Adult Learning Events

Browse through our events or skip to the following headings - Workshops, Lectures and Tours, Curators' Talks and George III Talks.

Workshops, Lectures and Tours

A Tale of Two Rivers: The Early History of York
part of the Festival of the Rivers, 2010

12 July, 12.30pm - 1.30pm

Join our curators as we explore how the joining of the Rivers Ouse and Foss created a landscape perfect for plants and animals to thrive. Then explore our natural science and archaeological collections as the story progresses with the arrival of human settlers and the establishment of the early settlement.
Free, no booking required.

Fashion with Mary Brooks

Join award-winning curator and conservator Mary Brooks for three evenings looking at fashion. All cost £10 per person. To book, telephone 01904 650333.

Mad as a Hatter? 7 October, 6pm - 7.30pm

Discover our collection of hats with Mary Brooks and explore themes including why and when we wear hats, how they were made and how mercury poisoning created "mad hatters", how their manufacture affected species in the natural world and about hat making and selling in York.

A Walk on the Wild Side 14 October, 6pm - 7.30pm

Join Mary Brooks on an exploration of the humble shoe, including a survey of shoe styles, function or fashion?, shoes and health, good and bad magic, ecological and ethical issues, shoemaking and shoe selling in York and the York Cordwainers.

Fashion Victims 21 October, 6pm - 7.30pm

This lecture will explore the darker side of the quest for beauty. It will look at the materials and methods used in creating fashions and the effects of extreme fashions on the wearer.

Torch-lit Tours

29, 30 and 31 October, 7pm - 9.30pm

Delve into the murky history of York Castle Museum in this rare glimpse of its hidden darker side. By torchlight, you will explore the inner depth of the site that has been at the hear of York's crime and punishment for almost 1,000 years, uncovering some of the many gruesome stories of its former inhabitants.

£10 per person (including light refreshments). To book a place, telephone 01904 650333.

Cauldron Cookery

23 November, 1.30pm - 3.30pm

In the past many households did all their cooking on an open hearth. Find out about what equipment was used and what foods were cooked. How do you get meat, two veg and a pudding all cooking in the same pot at the same time?

£5 per person (includes light refreshments). To book a place, telephone 01904 650333.

A Victorian Christmas

4 December, 1.30pm - 3.30pm

Many of today's Christmas traditions began with the Victorians. Using manuals and magazines from the time, help us prepare for a Victorian celebration, from table laying and tableware to exploring popular gifts, music and foods. Help your Christmas go with a bang by making your own Victorian inspired cracker.

£5 per person. To book a place, telephone 01904 650333.

Curators' Talks

All these lunchtime talks are free (aside from usual admission charge) and run from 12.30pm - 1pm, no need to book.

Cook's books
15 September

Superstitions and customs
13 October

Georgian delftware
17 November

Christmas cards
15 December

By George! The Life and Times of George III

Throughout 2010, talks run from 12pm to 1.30pm

To commemorate the 250th anniversary year of the ascendancy of King George III we will be hosting a series of talks exploring various aspects of Georgian Britain throughout 2010. Join David Bagnall, local expert on 18th Century studies and discover how George's reign witnessed some of the moments and people that shaped Britain and the world.

Free (excluding Food ) To book a place, phone 01904 650333.

Art
24 June

Exploring the works of Hogarth, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Allan Ramsay, Rowlandson and Gilray.

Music
26 August

The transition from Baroque to Classical and the works of Handel (George III's favourite composer), Charles Avison, William Shield, Haydn and JC Bach (son of the more famous JS Bach).

Food
October, date to be confirmed, £15 per person

Join renowned food historian Ivan Day for an exclusive talk, demonstration and taste of Georgian food and cookery in our fully functional Kitchen Studio.

The King
25 October

On 25 October, 1760, George III was crowned King of England. Discover more about the man himself and his reign, including his infamous "madness".

War
28 October

Explores the significance of the Seven Years War (1756 - 1763) to the British Empire and how the role of William Pitt the Elder and George II's conduct and attitude to the war contrasted to George III's. Also examines how war was conducted in the 18th Century and the impact of the American War of Independence.

Letters
17 December

The influence of Dr Johnson and his meeting with George III (as recounted in Boswell's Life). We also focus on the writings of Gibbon, Goldsmith and Voltaire and the Age of the Enlightenment.