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Fun Palace

Gawthorpe Hall will be open for FREE to everyone on Sunday 5 October with an afternoon of creative activities in our Fun Palace event.

  • Booking not needed
  • Free event

Come and explore the historic rooms with their wonderful collections of furniture, paintings and textiles, find out about the Shuttleworth family who lived at the Hall from our enthusiastic volunteers.

See the new Gawthorpe Textiles Collection displays and try the drop-in sewing activities for children age 5+, they can have a go at learning some basic stitches. Plus, the wonderful Galliard dancers will bring the 17th century to life with period country dancing. They will be dancing at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm outside at the front of the Hall (weather dependant, if it's wet they will be in the Long Gallery on second floor), don't miss your opportunity to join in too.

You can also visit the walled garden - a haven for wildlife, learn all about bees, honey and why both are important with East Lancashire Beekeepers.

Times

The basics

Suitability

Family friendly event.

Accessibility

Gawthorpe Hall is a tower shaped building over 4 floors with a lot of steps, due to the historic nature of the building there is no lift. Please see the Access Statement for more details or ring to check.

Upcoming events

Explore Tudor Life 

Discover what life was like in the Tudor times at Gawthorpe Hall.

Event summary

on
29 Aug 2025
at
12:00 to 16:00

An Account of Life: Gawthorpe Hall in the 1600s 

An exhibition bringing the household of Gawthorpe Hall in the 1600s to life, through the original account books of the Shuttleworth Family.

Event summary

on
29 Aug to 2 Nov 2025
at
12:00 to 17:00
+ 47 other dates or times

Gawthorpe Textiles Collection exhibition 

A fantastic display of beautiful historic textiles from the collection of Rachel Kay-Shuttleworth, across four rooms of the Hall.

Event summary

on
29 Aug to 2 Nov 2025
at
12:00 to 17:00
+ 47 other dates or times

Discovering the Pendle Witches – talk and book signing 

A talk on the Pendle witches by Carol Ann Lee, author of a ground-breaking book 'Something Wicked' that takes the reader on a spellbinding journey into the heart of England's largest and most notorious witch trial.

Event summary

on
29 Aug 2025
at
13:00 to 14:30