Join us on a Saturday morning in June for a free story time in our cosy corner, learning about the environment and how we can help.
Sessions are 10:30 and 11:30, and last 15-20 minutes
14th, 21st and 28th June
Suitable for all children, but aimed at little ones
Free, no need to book
With thanks to The HERDS x Art Fund
People of the Sea: An illustrated talk by Chris Butler-Stroud, CEO of Whale and Dolphin Conservation
Doors open 7pm to view galleries. Finger buffet at 7.30pm followed by talk.
PLEASE BOOK YOUR TICKET IN ADVANCE! Thank you.
WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation (formerly WDCS) is the leading global charity dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales and dolphins. Chris Butler-Stroud is a dedicated campaigner for whales and dolphins and their right to live protected from human impacts. He has a passion for the marine environment and heads up WDC to defend these remarkable creatures against the many threats they face through campaigns, lobbying, advising governments, conservation projects, field research and rescue. WDC’s vision is a world where every whale and dolphin is safe and free.
An evening for everyone coinciding with our Whale Song exhibition. Book here
British Wildlife Photography Awards 2025
July 22nd – September 7th
Kingdom of the Hare by Drew Buckley / BWPA
This prestigious competition has toured the UK since 2009, celebrating the talent of wildlife photographers in the UK whilst highlighting the beauty of British landscape and wildlife, as well as contemporary issues in conservation, biodiversity and climate change. This is an exhibition suitable for all ages, ready to inspire young minds and challenge some of us older ones.
See more of the winning entries HERE
The winning photograph, “Urban Explorer” by Simon Withyman, was taken in Bristol in 2023, capturing a fox’s ‘beauty in [the] everyday urban scene’. A wedding photographer by profession, he has spent three years trailing this particular vixen across the city. It is a striking look at city wildlife, the vixen looking down the camera in the midst of Bristol’s tower blocks. It also speaks to the dedication of wildlife photographers, Withyman having lost track of the fox for a period and rediscovering it across the city, driven by a love of the species.
This award explores not just urban wildlife but a whole host of categories, from ‘Botanical Britain’ and ‘Animal Portraits’ to ‘Coast & Marine’ and ‘Wild Woods’, promising a rich view of British photography talents. As visitors walk through the exhibition, they can embark on a visual journey across the UK, discovering hidden gems and moments of wonder in the most unexpected places. For young photographers, it is a chance to see where their passion could lead, while for seasoned enthusiasts, it offers fresh inspiration and a renewed appreciation for their craft.
As always, entry to this exhibition is included in admission fee.
The Gloucestershire Coloured Pencil Artists are a new group of local artists who met through an online Drawing Academy course. Brought together by a shared love of coloured pencils, they now meet regularly as friends to support and inspire one another. After realising they had created a strong body of work, the idea to exhibit their drawings naturally followed.
Coloured pencils are ideal for capturing fine detail, making them perfect for portraying the beauty of nature. Each piece is built up slowly over many hours, with colour carefully layered and blended one stroke at a time. Using both oil-based and wax-based pencils, the artists are able to create depth, shadow, and texture in their work.
Their love for the medium has not only strengthened their connection as a group but also inspired them to promote coloured pencil art more widely and share its creative potential with others.
Join them in the Wallsworth Centre from 28th July to 10th August to see their work.
Art & sculpture inspired by British big cat encounters
With evidence from DNA and tooth marks on bones, Britain’s big cats are emerging from myth to reality. These reported pumas, black leopards & lynx are now represented in art, as people have been moved to illustrate them.
The artwork includes witnesses who did their own visual impressions, food and drink companies branding their product with the local beast, artists illustrating books, poetry & posters, and sculptors bringing these secret predators to life.
A range of these works will be displayed in the Wallsworth Centre, 12th-22nd August
The event is stewarded by witnesses of big cats in Britain.
See the art, meet the witnesses, hear about evidence!
Illustrated talk by Rick Minter
Doors open 7pm to view galleries. Finger buffet at 7.30pm followed by talk.
Big cats author and podcaster Rick Minter will review the evidence supporting people’s ongoing descriptions of pumas, black leopards and lynx in Britain.
The illustrated talk will discuss how people respond to sightings, including with artistic impressions. It will consider how these predators may be adapting to Britain’s landscape as stealthy deer cullers, and explain how evidence is being sought by DNA and by tooth pits in bones of prey, with support from two universities.
Rick will also look at some snippets of footage, and witnesses present will explain their own encounters.
2D and 3D works by artists from Gloucestershire Society of Artists. This is their 101st Annual Exhibition. Most exhibits are for sale.
In the Education Centre, free to visit
Come and ex
plore a special display in our Education Centre, created to coincide with Heritage Open Days (12th–14th). This engaging exhibition offers a rare opportunity to jump into the rich and varied social history of Wallsworth Hall. Through photographs, historic documents and more, you’ll discover stories from its past, from its earliest days and original purpose, to the many ways it has evolved over time.
Perfect for history enthusiasts, families, and anyone curious about local heritage, this exhibition invites you to pause, look closer, and connect with the past.
Free to enter, in the Education Centre.
Please note this talk will no longer take place.
Doors open 7pm to view galleries. Finger buffet at 7.30pm followed by talk.
This illustrated talk will explore th
e history of gardens in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire, covering various types such as medicinal, culinary, therapeutic, educational, and those created for enjoyment, starting from the earliest recorded mention of gardens.
In partnership with The Green Pledge Project @ The Hub, supported by the Heritage Fund
Totally Tactile is a fully tactile exhibition where visitors will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with all the exhibits. From wood to metal, from realistic animals to abstract interpretations, this is a fantastic opportunity to engage with art in a way you might not usually get to! We will ask visitors to pop on blindfolds if they are sighted and invite everyone to take their time touching and thinking about the artwork in front of them. There will be a mix of artworks from the main collection, our reference library and other items kindly lent to us for this special occasion. This exhibition will also mark the introduction of audio guides across galleries for those who need it – we are aiming for the majority of our objects on display to have accompanying audio description by September. We will also have a small number of tablets available to borrow, with high contrast images of our artwork on for visually impaired visitors to take in at their own pace.
This exhibition recently featured on ITV.
