What's On at The Land of Oak & Iron
October is here - let the spooky season begin!
We are planning a jam-packed spooky October half-term for the whole family to enjoy!
Don’t miss our Howl-O-Ween event on Saturday, 27th October, where a variety of talented artists and makers will be joining us for a fun dog-themed Halloween celebration!
Plus our next Meet the Maker event is with Cloth Dolly Craft! Their beautiful textile tweed creations are already available in our shop, but you can meet them in person on Saturday, 12th October.
Inside Out Gallery: Stephen Buckley
Currently on display is Perambulation (The Act of Surveying) by Stephen Buckley.
You can find more information about this stunning exhibition here.
Interested in becoming a Maker?
We still have a few spots available for our Meet the Maker events near Christmas.
As a maker, you’ll receive a dedicated space in our shop to sell your products and benefit from our marketing efforts, including promotion through our social media channels and newsletters. If you're interested, contact us at: landofoakandiron@groundwork.org.uk.
Halloween half-term at the Land of Oak & Iron!
28th October - 1st November
The Lost Treasure of the Oak & Iron Woods:
The mischievous creatures of the Oak & Iron Woods have hidden away all the Halloween treasures - your quest is to seek out the Wise Old Pumpkin Owl for a clue to set you off on your treasure trail. Solve all the clues and discover the code to unlock where the treasure treats are hidden, then claim your sweet reward!
Spooky Spells & Gloopy Potions:
Create a spooky potion using all sorts of gloopy, shimmery and hairy ingredients - how about a sprinkling of goblin scabs, drops of fairy tears, dusting of unicorn dandruff and glob of giant's snot and all sorts of weird and wonderfulness to trap in your test tube potion!
You can also write a wonderful, magical spell with a feather quill pen and magical ink! Your spell could be sweet or sour - maybe make someone fly to the moon, turn them into a frog or cast happiness on everyone you meet!
Bugs n Stuff & Face Painting: Friday 1st November
Want to plan a day full of spooky fun for the family? After taking part in our Lost Treasure Trail and our spells and potions crafts, you can get your face painted (3.30pm - 5.30pm) before taking part in our Bugs n Stuff evening event where there will be insects, snakes and some other amazing creatures for you to meet! Booking essential
Pre-book your tickets below, or purchase on the day!
A Taste of Italy - An Evening of Languages & Food!
Saturday 12th October, 6.30pm-9pm
We're so excited to have CasaLingua with us at the Heritage Centre - with an evening of fun, food and Italian. Ciao!
Join languages teacher Kim from CasaLingua for a sociable and interactive evening filled with fun Italian activities. Enjoy learning some basic Italian in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere, while indulging in a delicious Italian-inspired meal, paired with a glass of Prosecco (or a soft drink) on arrival.
Our Italian inspired menu will be:
Starter: Freshly toasted bruschetta topped with juicy cherry tomatoes, tender spinach, and a drizzle of aromatic olive oil, perfectly seasoned for a light and flavourful beginning.
Main: Rich, Homemade Beef Lasagne, with perfectly seasoned Ragu, vegetables, creamy béchamel, and bubbling golden cheese.
OR
Vegan Mushroom Risotto, featuring earthy mushrooms in a creamy arborio rice, infused with rich herbs and a hint of truffle for a satisfying, plant-based delight.
Kim will guide you through Italian basics while you enjoy your meal, our café will be open throughout the evening should you fancy a drink or sweet treat.
Whether you come solo and make new friends, or bring along your family and loved ones, this promises to be a delightful night of language, food, and fun!
Tickets £36. Booking essential.
Please note on the booking form any dietary requirements or allergies (vegetarian/vegan/gluten free options available).
Haunted: Ghost Stories and their Afterlives
Saturday 26th October, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Come along and join us for an evening of spooky storytelling, nibbles and a drink!
“We all know the same ghosts: it's simply a question of how doggedly they haunt us.”
Why are we so fascinated by ghost stories – and what do they tell us about the community and people who cultivate them?
Why are some tropes universal, while others are very much unique to the place they haunt? Do we actually care about the identity of the ghost? Or are we more concerned about how the alleged sighting made us feel?
Winlaton Mill native E. Jay Gilbert (Emma to the village!) discusses these questions and others in a book which puts the spectres of the Derwent Valley – from the White Lady of Gibside Hall to the rumoured witches in Thornley Woods – front and centre.
Many of the tales in the book were related by locals, and all of them were told as true. Come along to indulge in some spooky stories, some psychological exploration – and some storytelling of your own!
Our evening talks are really popular, so book a place soon!
Tickets are only £14.95! Includes a drink and charcuterie (vegetarian/vegan option available).
Don't miss out, book now!
Folklore of British Birds
Sunday 27th October, 9:30am – 11:30am
Why do we have a ‘murder’ of crows? What garden bird was hunted and sacrificed on St Stephen’s Day and which of the nation’s favourite birds has a darker side?
All will be revealed and much more on this fascinating walk through the beautiful Autumnal Derwent Valley.
There's also the option to purchase brunch or a hot drink from our café to warm you up as you chat about the birds spotted on your walk.
Limited places, get your tickets now for only £9.50 per person
Howl-O-Ween, Dog Event & Costume Parade
Sunday 27th October
Land of Oak & Iron is the perfect place to take your 4 legged friends for a walk – our Heritage Centre is dog friendly and we even have a doggie treat menu too!
We've planned a Halloween event especially for our canine friends! HOWL-O-WEEN
Howl-O-Ween Dog Parade at 2.30pm:
Bring your pooch dressed up in a spooky costume and enter our parade - it's a lot of fun, will make everyone smile and the best dressed dog will win a doggie prize! You can enter online below - there may be some spaces available to book in the day, but we're expecting the parade to be popular so best to book ahead if you can.
Stalls: From 10am there will be some doggie themed stalls too with David's Dog Deli for their home-baked doggie goodness, Lindsey of Scribble & Patch who creates beautiful paw (or baby/child's hand) print ceramics (book a place using link below), Lorna Jackson's Blue Tyne Crafts with her lovely hand-made textile pumpkins and 'Trick or Treat' goodie bags, along with Helping Pets North East raising funds for their charity, Husse with their Swedish pet health food, Gayle Hall Dog Photographer with her pop-up dog photography studio and a few more to be announced soon.
Scribble & Patch are taking bookings now, limited spaces so be quick! Here's the link:
We would love to see photographs or films of your spooky pooch at the Heritage Centre - so please upload to our Facebook page with the tag #howloweenoakandiron for a chance to be our 'Dog of the Month'.
More info and booking for our dog parade below!
Bugs n Stuff
Friday 1st November, 2 sessions available:
4:30pm & 5:45pm
We are very excited to host a brand new kids event at the Land of Oak & Iron, join us on this exciting evening full of bugs and stuff! Friday 1st November
Guy Tansley of 'bugsnstuff' will be here with his wonderful world of insects, snakes and some other amazing creatures for you to meet!
The bugsnstuff 'staff' includes some of the following: Giant Land Snails, Scorpions and Millipedes from Africa, Hissing Cockroaches from Madagascar, Stick and Leaf Insects from Asia, Tarantulas from Mexico, Corn Snakes from America, Blue-tongued Skinks, Tree Frogs and Spiny-tailed Monitor lizards from Australia.
Families will discover how the different creatures hear, smell, taste, see, move, grow and feed compared with us. How they use their senses to hunt and the wonders of camouflage and how they move about - Guy explains the leap of the frog, slither of a snake, swaying of a stick insect and the strike of a praying mantis!
Having travelled from rainforest to deserts, Guy can tell you first hand about the sights and sounds of these magnificent places and the amazing creatures that live there.
Tickets only £9! Tickets for the workshop are limited, so book soon to avoid missing out.
Christmas Glass Shape Workshop
Saturday 23rd November, 6:30pm- 8:30pm
Is it too soon to talk about Christmas? Our upcoming glass workshop is just one of many exciting events we will be hosting around the festive period, take a look at them all here!
Nat will lead this festive creative evening, helping you to decorate your own beautiful small piece of fused glass, perfect to give as a Christmas gift, or keep it all to yourself.
This event will take place in our café at the Land of Oak & Iron Heritage Centre after opening hours. The space is a lovely, cosy place to be, especially on a Christmas evening under the twinkling fairy lights with dusk settling over the Derwent Valley.
Tickets are £29.50 per person and includes a brief introduction to fused glass, a festive glass shape of your choice to get creative with, glass of wine (or other soft drink) and a mince pie to enjoy.
There is the option to purchase additional glass shapes from Nat so you can make more as gifts or for yourself, along with drinks and other refreshments to purchase from our café for a lovely creative Christmas evening.
The glass pieces will be carefully taken away by Nat to be fired in her kiln and ready for collection a week later.
This event is suitable for all adults, no experience necessary!
So why not treat yourself to a creative festive evening, come along on your own, with a friend or family member or maybe buy the workshop as a unique gift voucher for someone special (if you would like a gift voucher please let us know and we can create one with the receiver's name on).
Limited places and booking essential, we expect this workshop to be very popular, please reserve your place as soon as possible to avoid missing out.
Dog of the Month: Meet Pod!
This month’s Dog of the Month is Pod! We think Pod deserves this title for his impeccable style. If your pooch would like to look as cool as Pod, we have dog bandanas and bow ties available to buy in our shop!
Think your dog could be next month’s winner? Enter today by posting a photo of your four-legged friend in or around our Heritage Centre. Don’t forget to tag us so we can see your adorable entry!
Don't forget to check out our events page to see what other exciting events
we have coming up!
Comments