Heritage and Culture Warwickshire Showcase

We’re excited to announce the Heritage and Culture Warwickshire Showcase is running from 4 - 28 March 2026. Dive into fascinating local history with our engaging talks, immersive tours, and hands-on workshops - perfect for learning something new!

Booking is now open, so secure your spot today. Plus, don’t miss the newly released dates in February, March, and April for our ever-popular Old Shire Hall courts, cells, and dungeon tours.

Show and Tell: From Nystagmus to Beat Knee: Mineworkers’ Compensation Records

Warwickshire County Record Office
Wednesday 4 March, 1 pm - 1.30 pm

Coal mining was tough and dangerous—explosions, collapses, and long-term health risks were part of the job. The Midland Colliery Owners’ Mutual Indemnity Company provided vital insurance, paying over 22,000 claims for injuries and industrial diseases between 1899 and 1940.

Join us for a short lunchtime talk and uncover these fascinating records of life, work, and survival in the Midlands coalfields. Wheelchair accessible.

FREE, no need to book just turn up.

Building New Communities at the End of the Bronze Age

St John’s House
Thursday 5 March, 6.30 pm - 8 pm

Recent Insights from the Whitchurch Excavations Dr Kate Waddington, Archaeology Warwickshire.

Discover how a remarkable ‘midden’ site at Whitchurch is reshaping our understanding of life in Warwickshire around 800–500 BC. Excavated between 2006–2009, this vast settlement mound - rich in pottery, animal bone, and rare metalwork - was a place for feasting, ceremony, and experiments in technological change at the dawn of the Iron Age.

Highlights include:

• One of the most northerly known ‘midden’ sites in Britain
• Extraordinary finds of miniature bronze axeheads
• Insights into metalworking, social networks, and community gatherings during a time of transformation

Join us as Dr Kate Waddington explores how Whitchurch sheds light on the powerful social and cultural shifts that shaped the West Midlands at the end of the Bronze Age.

Wheelchair accessible

£10 + booking fee, includes tea and coffee. Book at warwickshire.gov.uk/heritageboxoffice.

St John’s House Tour

St John’s House
Saturday 7 March, 10 am - 11.30 am

Discover 900 Years of History at St John’s House

Step inside one of Warwick’s hidden gems. From a medieval hospital to a grand family home, schoolhouse, and museum, St John’s House has seen it all. Explore the recreated Victorian kitchen and schoolroom and uncover stories of the Stoughton family who built the house in the 17th century.

Ground floor is fully accessible. Please note: no lift to upper floors.

Price £10+ booking fee, includes tea and coffee. Book at warwickshire.gov.uk/heritageboxoffice.

The Puckerings and Warwick Priory

Warwickshire County Record Office
Saturday 7 March, 2 pm - 4 pm

Join historian Trevor Langley as he uncovers the tale of the Puckering family, once owners of Warwick Priory—the very site where the County Record Office stands today.

Discover how their sole heiress, Jane Puckering, was sensationally abducted from a Royal Park in London in a daring plot to seize the family fortune! This captivating talk will also reveal stories of other wealthy and influential families who called Warwick Priory home, including the illustrious Wise family.

After the talk, explore behind the scenes with an exclusive tour of the Strongrooms and original documents from our collections that bring the Priory’s rich history to life.
Wheelchair accessible.

Price: £10+ booking fee, includes tea and coffee. Book at warwickshire.gov.uk/heritageboxoffice.

Show and Tell (on The Road)

Rugby Library
Wednesday 11 March, 1 pm - 1.45 pm

Senior Archivist Rob Eyre will present a selection of documents from the collections at Warwickshire County Record Office. The archive material will relate to Rugby and area and is a rare opportunity to see them outside of Warwick.

FREE no need to book just turn up.

Behind the Scenes: Museum Collections Tours: Costume

Hawkes Point
Saturday 14 March, 10.30 am - 11.30 am

Get exclusive access to Warwickshire Museum’s stunning Costume Collection with Curator Sara Wear. From 17th-century embroidered shirts to 1920s flapper dresses, and from 19th century dancing shoes to a child’s Doc Martens—discover fashion through the ages.

Please note: Hawkes Point is not wheelchair accessible.

Price £10 + booking fee. Book at warwickshire.gov.uk/heritageboxoffice.

Button Rings and Bead Earrings

St John’s House
Saturday 14 March, 2 pm - 4 pm

Come and enjoy some craft together and learn how to make beads earrings and buttons rings! Perfect for beginners, no previous experience needed. In the two hours you will be able to make two pairs of earrings and two buttons rings to take home with you. All material included but if you have some special beads or buttons you wish to use do bring them with you.

Wheelchair accessible.

Price: £25+ booking fee includes tea and coffee. Book at warwickshire.gov.uk/heritageboxoffice.

Tracing your Irish Family History – A Beginner’s Guide

Warwickshire County Record Office
Saturday 21 March, 9.30 am - 11.30 am

Trace Your Irish Roots This St Patrick’s Day

Join local genealogist Paul Wilkins for expert tips on uncovering your Irish ancestors. Learn what records are available online and how to navigate the challenges of tracing Irish family history. Paul lectures across the West Midlands and writes for Who Do You Think You Are and Family Tree magazines—don’t miss this chance to learn from a true expert!

Wheelchair accessible.

Price £15 + booking fee. Book at warwickshire.gov.uk/heritageboxoffice.

“Portraits of the Shire Hall” Walking Tour

Shire Hall Judges House
Saturday 21 March, 2 pm - 3.15 pm

The Portraits and Paintings of Shire Hall - Walking Tour

Join art historian Dr Adam Busiakiewicz and historian Aaron Manning for an exclusive and brand-new walking tour of the historic collection of portraits and paintings kept in the Judges House of Shire Hall, Warwick. This presentation will cover the history of the artworks, alongside descriptions of the connections of the various monarchs and sitters to Warwick and the wider surroundings.

This tour will include walking up steps and staircases etc. and periods of standing whilst admiring the paintings. It is not wheelchair accessible.

Price: £20+ booking fee. 50% of all ticket sales will go towards the restoration and display of Ralph Sheldon's Henry VIII. Book at warwickshire.gov.uk/heritageboxoffice.

Plagues, Potions & Parish Records: A Journey Through Medical History

Warwickshire County Record Office
Tuesday 24 March, 6 pm - 7.30 pm

From an 18th-century recipe for “a most excellent medicine against the plague” to tales of robberies, hangings, and medical research in parish registers—our collections reveal fascinating stories showing how people in the past used to prevent and treat illness. Take a tour of the Strongrooms and explore documents and objects to do with health and medicine from our collections.

Wheelchair accessible.

Price: £10+ booking fee, includes tea and coffee. Book at warwickshire.gov.uk/heritageboxoffice.

Behind the Scenes: Museum Collections Tours: Jurassic Monsters

Hawkes Point
Saturday 28 March, 10.30 am - 11.30 am

Enjoy an exclusive tour of Warwickshire Museum’s wonderful geology collection with Curator Jon Radley. Our collections include many Jurassic fossils collected from local quarries. These are the remains of long-extinct sea creatures that lived here, millions of years ago. Our tour will focus upon a selection of spectacular fossils and the world that they lived in - ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs, dinosaurs and giant ammonites. Prepare to be amazed!

Please note: Hawkes Point is not wheelchair accessible.

£10 + booking fee. Book at warwickshire.gov.uk/heritageboxoffice.