Heritage Open Days: Heritage Open Day: Curator Tour of the Salmonsbury Camp Exhibition

Fri 11 September, 10.30am – 11am and 2.30pm -3pm

Free
Corinium Museum is offering a FREE special curator tour of the Salmonsbury Exhibition, a culmination of a yearlong project combining art and archaeology: a unique collaboration between artists, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, and the Corinium Museum. It is an exhibition of art created in response to the site and its archaeology, alongside artefacts from the archive.
The artists exhibiting are Amanda Steer, Andy Freedman, Caroline Morris, Ffin Coffin Price, Ruth Broadbent and Zoe Ashbrook
Salmonsbury Camp is a scheduled site in Bourton-on-the-Water. There is evidence for activity from the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The camp itself is Iron Age in date with activity continuing into the Roman occupation. Excavations have found Anglo Saxon burials and Medieval Ridge and Furrow. The site was used as the meeting place for the hundred court of Salmonsbury. It is now a farm and nature reserve. The paper archive at the Corinium Museum includes digs from the Thirties up to the 2000s: also revealing some of the story of the Helen O’Neil, a redoubtable female archaeologist. 

The project investigated archaeological and artistic engagement to the historic and natural landscape and includes an engagement day on site.  

Our aim – to bring the archive into the community and the community into the archive.

Places are limited so book your free ticket now.

Curator Tour ticket holders will get discounted entry to the museum if they wish to visit afterwards, however there is no obligation to purchase entry tickets.

Heritage Open Day: Curator Tour of the Salmonsbury Camp Exhibition – Corinium Museum

Heritage Open Day: Free Taster of the Medieval Cirencester Town Walk

Fri 11 September, 11:15 am – 11:45 am

Free

Monks, Merchants & Mud! The fleeces of the Cotswold sheep were some of most sought after in all Medieval Europe. The proceeds made fortunes, built a parish church, underwrote a hospital, and supported markets, inns and shops. Join us for a FREE short taster of our medieval walk bringing the Everyday History of the medieval lives of the people of Cirencester.

Walk attendees can get discounted entry to the museum after the walk.

Heritage Open Day: Free Taster of the Medieval Cirencester Town Walk – Corinium Museum

Heritage Open Day: Free Illuminated Initials Craft

Sat 12 September

10am to 4pm
Free
Come into our Winstone Learning Centre to create your own illuminated initial like the medieval monks at Cirencester’s Augustinian Abbey used in biblical texts. Choose your own initial or those of a friend, pet or family member and get creative with your colouring.
No need to book.
If you wish to look around the museum as well, there will be discounted entry for all participants.
Heritage Open Day: Free Illuminated Initials Craft – Corinium Museum

Abundance: An Autumn Sound Bath

Fri 18 September, 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm

£20

As summer gives way to autumn, the natural world does not simply fade. Trees draw nutrients inward, seeds are released and the year’s growth reaches fulfilment. It is a season of harvest and letting go, but also of conservation, renewal and trust in what comes next.

Prana Sanctuary’s immersive sound bath explores abundance not as accumulation, but as flow: receiving, creating, releasing and resting. Like a river, creative energy moves most freely when allowed to pass through us, reminding us that apparent stillness is not emptiness, but life continuing at a slower, more purposeful pace.

This theme holds a special resonance within the Corinium Museum, where remarkable artefacts have moved through generations and cultures. Preserved here, they are more than remnants of past worlds; they remain part of a living continuum, continuing to reveal stories and inspire ideas.

Simon and Jo Fellows founded Prana Sanctuary in 2017 and perform sound baths across the Cotswolds and beyond. Their work marries Simon’s background in ambient music and yoga with Jo’s experience as a sound practitioner, advanced yoga and meditation teacher, Qigong teacher and Reiki master.

For this performance in the museum’s Hare Gallery, crystal and Himalayan singing bowls, Feng gongs, tongue drum and found sounds will create a rich, slowly evolving soundscape. Woven through the sound, a spoken meditation will invite listeners to reflect on harvest, release, rest and the abundant possibilities still ahead.

What to bring: A yoga mat or similar cushioned mat, a blanket, a small pillow, a water bottle (optional) and an eye mask (optional but recommended).

Experience: No prior experience is necessary; simply lie down and relax.

Suitability: Open to everyone aged 12 and above

Abundance: An Autumn Sound Bath – Corinium Museum

Walks and Talks
Walking Roman Cirencester
Sat 12 September, 10:15 am – 1:45 pm
£30 – £33
Corinium Museum, in collaboration with Cotswold Heritage Walks, is excited to offer a series of historic walking tours. The event will be led by archaeologist, Dr Alison Grierson-Brookes, former Head of Collections at Corinium Museum, who has begun a new venture combining her two great passions archaeology and walking!
Head out with Alison to explore what lies beneath your feet revealing the ancient town of Roman Corinium, parts of the wall and impressive amphitheatre. After a short break for refreshments, Alison will lead a tour of Corinium Museum to discover the treasures revealed on the walk. With each step you will connect with the historic landscape and gain a unique insight as you walk and talk along the way. With 20 years’ experience researching and curating the collection you will be in expert hands as Alison shares her passion and unique knowledge of Roman Corinium.
This half-day event will comprise of a two-hour leisurely walking tour of the town and amphitheatre, entry to the Museum with refreshments, followed by a guided tour of the award-winning Roman galleries.
Wear good footwear as mostly flat but some uneven terrain. Walk experience lasts approx. 2 hours, museum visit lasts approx. 1 hour.
Booking recommended
Limited to 10 people
Walking Roman Cirencester – Corinium Museum

From Birmingham to Byzantium to the Cotswolds: stories of Ernest and Sidney Barnsley: Evening Lecture with Kirsty Hartsiotis
Thu 17 September, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
£9 – £10
From Birmingham to Byzantium to the Cotswolds: stories of Ernest and Sidney Barnsley
2026 marks the centenary of the death two of the Cotswolds’ greatest Arts and Crafts architects, the brothers Ernest and Sidney Barnsley. They moved, with their friend Ernest Gimson, to Gloucestershire in the 1890s, and all three stayed here for all their lives. They originally hailed from Birmingham, but both left to study in London, where they met the friends who would become the architects of the Movement. This talk follows their life stories, including travels abroad as young men, Ernest heading to France and Italy, and Sidney to Greece and Turkey. After they settled in the Cotswolds they worked as architects and furniture makers, and the talk will look at their buildings, from Ernest’s Rodmarton Manor to Sidney’s Painswick almhouses, and their craft work, particularly Sidney’s furniture. We’ll also explore their lives in Sapperton, who they socialised with, and what they did for fun!
We’ll also explore their legacies, through work by Sidney’s children, Grace and Edward, and Ernest’s son-in-law, Norman Jewson – and beyond.
From Birmingham to Byzantium to the Cotswolds: stories of Ernest and Sidney Barnsley – Corinium Museum

Walking Roman Cirencester

Mon 21 September, 10:15 am – 1:45 pm

£30 – £33

Corinium Museum, in collaboration with Cotswold Heritage Walks, is excited to offer a series of historic walking tours. The event will be led by archaeologist, Dr Alison Grierson-Brookes, former Head of Collections at Corinium Museum, who has begun a new venture combining her two great passions archaeology and walking!

Head out with Alison to explore what lies beneath your feet revealing the ancient town of Roman Corinium, parts of the wall and impressive amphitheatre. After a short break for refreshments, Alison will lead a tour of Corinium Museum to discover the treasures revealed on the walk. With each step you will connect with the historic landscape and gain a unique insight as you walk and talk along the way. With 20 years’ experience researching and curating the collection you will be in expert hands as Alison shares her passion and unique knowledge of Roman Corinium.

This half-day event will comprise of a two-hour leisurely walking tour of the town and amphitheatre, entry to the Museum with refreshments, followed by a guided tour of the award-winning Roman galleries.

Wear good footwear as mostly flat but some uneven terrain. Walk experience lasts approx. 2 hours, museum visit lasts approx. 1 hour.

Booking recommended

Limited to 12 people
Walking Roman Cirencester – Corinium Museum

Corinium Afternoons: Salmonsbury

Thur 24 September, 2pm – 3pm

£10

This talk will introduce (or re-introduce) you to the site of Salmonsbury Camp a scheduled site in Bourton-on-the-Water, now a nature reserve. There is evidence for activity from the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The camp itself is Iron Age in date with activity continuing into the Roman occupation. It was an Early Medieval meeting place and burial site.

This talk is part of the Salmonsbury Moot Project which has been a yearlong project combining art and archaeology: a unique collaboration between artists, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and the Corinium Museum, led by Collections & Education Manager Caroline Morris. After a year of research and creating artwork, the project results in an engagement day on Salmonsbury Camp (Greystones Farm Nature Reserve) and an exhibition at the museum of art created in response to the site, alongside artefacts from the archive. 

Museum members can get free tickets by entering the special discount code at checkout.

While you’re in the museum, why not pop in to see the exhibition – Salmonsbury: an exhibition of art and archaeology – Corinium Museum
Corinium Afternoon: Salmonsbury – Corinium Museum

Cirencester in the Civil War Town Walk

Fri 25 September, 11:00 am – 12:15 pm

£9 – £10

Ian Thomas will lead a walk around the town bringing to life the ‘storming of Cirencester’ in 1643. See where events unfolded and consider the significance of Cirencester in the English Civil War. The walk will explore the town centre, the Abbey Grounds and Cirencester Park. Please wear comfortable shoes and bring a raincoat!

Booking recommended

Limited to 10 people.
Cirencester in the Civil War Town Walk – Corinium Museum

Tour of the Stores

Wed 30 September, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm

£9 – £10

Join our collections team for a tour of the stores. There are all sorts of objects behind those doors: from prehistoric to the 1950s, through stone, costume, pottery, rural life and social history. We have scythes and hoovers, pottery from all ages and Roman mosaics, carved column plinths and stone coffins, medieval tiles and corbels, smocks and horse collars. We will take you round and tell you all about what we have and what we do in the stores; then focus in on some of the Cotswold histories that can be told from some of our objects.

The store is full of surprises.
Tour of the Stores – Corinium Museum

Cinema

Rural Cinema: H is for Hawk

Sat 26 September, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

£8 – £9

H is for Hawk follows Helen (Foy) who, after the sudden death of her father (Gleeson), loses herself in the memories of their time birding and exploring the natural world together. She turns the ancient art of falconry, training a wild goshawk named Mabel, to navigate her profound loss. But as she teaches Mable to hunt and fly free, Helen discovers how deeply she has neglected her own emotions and life. What begins as an act of endurance transforms into an intimate journey of resilience and healing.

Cert 12 – Runtime 114 minutes
Cast
Lindsay Duncan, Claire Foy, Brendan Gleeson, Denise Gough
Director: Philippa Lowthorpe
Rural Cinema: H is for Hawk – Corinium Museum

Adult workshop

Movement at the Museum

Mondays, 9.30am to 11am and 11am to 12.30am

Join us for gentle movement, a blend of low-impact fitness and Tai Chi, with a qualified instructor, in the beautiful surroundings of the Corinium Museum. Ideal for those looking to start or get back into exercise. The class is 45 minutes long, with refreshments available afterwards.

• Mindful movement
• Balance & strength support
• Relaxation
• Optional chair-based exercise

Contact the museum for details

Exhibitions

Salmonsbury: an exhibition of art and archaeology

Thu 10 September to Sun 11 October

Free

The Salmonsbury Exhibition is the culmination of a yearlong project combining art and archaeology: a unique collaboration between artists, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, and the Corinium Museum. It is an exhibition of art created in response to the site and its archaeology, alongside artefacts from the archive.

The artists exhibiting are Amanda Steer, Andy Freedman, Caroline Morris, Ffin Coffin Price, Ruth Broadbent and Zoe Ashbrook

Salmonsbury Camp is a scheduled site in Bourton-on-the-Water. There is evidence for activity from the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The camp itself is Iron Age in date with activity continuing into the Roman occupation. Excavations have found Anglo Saxon burials and Medieval Ridge and Furrow. The site was used as the meeting place for the hundred court of Salmonsbury. It is now a farm and nature reserve. The paper archive at the Corinium Museum includes digs from the Thirties up to the 2000’s: also revealing some of the story of the Helen O’Neil, a redoubtable female archaeologist. 

The project investigated archaeological and artistic engagement to the historic and natural landscape and includes an engagement day on site.  

Our aim – to bring the archive into the community and the community into the archive.

During this exhibition, Sally Pointer, award-winning experimental archaeologist and heritage educator, is leading a workshop ‘An Introduction to Prehistoric Textiles’. https://coriniummuseum.org/event/an-introduction-to-prehistoric-textiles/

Salmonsbury: an exhibition of art and archaeology – Corinium Museum

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