BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Blandford Town Museum - ECPv6.18.2//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Blandford Town Museum REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:Europe/London BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20250330T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20251026T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20260329T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20261025T010000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0100 TZNAME:BST DTSTART:20270328T010000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0100 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:GMT DTSTART:20271031T010000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261001 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261225 DTSTAMP:20261015T161140Z CREATED:20261015T161140Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261015T161140Z UID:7555-1790812800-1798156799@blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk SUMMARY:Slow Art Exhibition DESCRIPTION:Coming to Blandford Town Museum this autumn! Bring a coffee (or your refreshing drink of choice) and take some time out to sit back\, relax and explore a different piece of art every month from October to December. \nWhat is slow art and slow looking?\nStudies have found that visitors to art galleries spend an average of eight seconds looking at each work on display. What happens when we spend five minutes\, fifteen minutes\, an hour or an afternoon really looking in detail at an artwork?\nThis is ‘slow looking’.\nWhen the practice of slow looking is applied to art it becomes slow art. Engaging with slow art encourages mindfulness\, focus\, creativity and serenity\, all of which are beneficial to mental well-being. \nHow to get started:\nMake yourself comfortable in front of the artwork.\nObserve the painting for as long as you wish and let your thoughts flow freely. Ask yourself questions about what you see\, what you think\, and why you think so. Consider both the technical (medium\, composition\, colour) and the contextual (the why and what of the artist\, the motivation behind the art) including your own personal interpretations.\nExplore where your mind takes you! \nIf you prefer a more structured approach\, try choosing a small portion of the work and examining it in depth for approximately five minutes. What do you see? Is there anything that stands out to you? What do you think of the use of light\, colour\, shape etc.? Now step back and re-examine the work as a whole; consider whether you feel any differently towards it. Has your opinion or interpretation changed?\nFeel free to take notes of your thoughts and observations.\nEnjoy! URL:https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk/event/slow-art-exhibition/ LOCATION:Blandford Town Museum\, Beres Yard\, Blandford Forum\, DT11 7HQ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261010T100000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261010T120000 DTSTAMP:20260918T123238Z CREATED:20250402T165134Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260918T123238Z UID:5388-1791626400-1791633600@blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk SUMMARY:Coffee Morning and Plant Sale DESCRIPTION:Everyone is welcome to join us during the changing seasons of our Victorian Garden\, and enjoy delicious homemade cakes and proper coffee (or other drinks). You’ll also find a wide range of plants for sale at reasonable prices\, including garden and houseplants grown on site by Garden Volunteers. \nWe are hoping that the fine weather will continue for a few more weeks\, the coffee morning may not take place if the weather is particularly unpleasant. Or we may relocate into the Museum! Check this page for up-to-date information. URL:https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk/event/coffee-morning/ LOCATION:Blandford Town Museum\, Beres Yard\, Blandford Forum\, DT11 7HQ CATEGORIES:Social END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261014T110000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261014T120000 DTSTAMP:20260918T123356Z CREATED:20250825T162940Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260918T123356Z UID:5952-1791975600-1791979200@blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk SUMMARY:DBA Blind Book Club DESCRIPTION:At these monthly meetings organised by the Dorset Blind Association\, we chat about books\, objects from Blandford’s history\, or any other ideas around sight loss and blindness. We also have coffee or tea and biscuits! Everyone who is dealing with vision impairment\, and their family members and carers\, are very welcome to join us. \nIn 2026 we are delighted to welcome guest authors from Dorset to give us a flavour of their books. URL:https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk/event/dba-blind-book-club/ LOCATION:Blandford Town Museum\, Beres Yard\, Blandford Forum\, DT11 7HQ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261015T193000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261015T210000 DTSTAMP:20260918T123635Z CREATED:20260918T123635Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260918T123635Z UID:7515-1792092600-1792098000@blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk SUMMARY:Archaeology Group Lecture: Archaeology at Arne\, Wareham DESCRIPTION:This month’s lecture will be given by Fiona Pink. More details coming soon. \nThe Museum Archaeology Group lectures take place on the third Thursday of the month (note the change in week and venue)\, starting at 7:30. Tea and coffee are available to buy before the talks. \nAdmission to the talks is free for museum members (donations welcome)\, £3 for non-members. \n\nPlease see the Museum Events Calendar for the dates and details of all this year’s talks\, and the Archaeology Group page for more information about our activities. URL:https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk/event/archaeology-group-lecture-archaeology-at-arne-wareham/ LOCATION:Blandford Town Hall\, The Corn Exchange\, Market Place\, DT11 7AG\, Blandford Forum\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Talks END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261016T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261016T213000 DTSTAMP:20261016T110647Z CREATED:20260902T103658Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261016T110647Z UID:7364-1792177200-1792186200@blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk SUMMARY:Fundraising concert with The Gravellers DESCRIPTION:Join us for this fundraising concert in support of the Museum Development Appeal. Come and enjoy some great singing and good company\, and help to secure the future of your Town Museum. Visit this page to find out more about our plans and the progress of the Appeal. \nDoors open at 7pm\, concert starts at 7:30. There will be wine\, soft drinks and nibbles available to buy before the concert and during the interval\, with additional entertainment from pianist Chris Dowie\, and a raffle. \nTickets are £12 in advance\, or £15 on the door. They can be bought in person at the museum (cash or card payment) or online; click below for the on-line payment page. If neither of these payment methods works for you\, please contact us. \nEntry is free for accompanied under-16s\, but if you are ordering on line please email contact@blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk to reserve any “youth” tickets so that we can keep track of numbers for the event. Please note that we will not be issuing physical tickets; your reservation will be checked against a list at the door. \nPlease note that on-line sales are now closed\, but you can still buy tickets at the Museum until 4 pm today (16 October). \nWho are the Gravellers? Difficult to say\, probably. They came together over 25 years ago\, a small group of friends who wanted to sing together. So two of them went to see Ros Evans\, a fellow resident of Gravel Lane and musician\, and asked for her help. ‘That was fun’\, they said\, ‘can we bring some friends?’. And so it started and so it has remained: a group of men who enjoy each others’ company. They share a wide variety of skills: farming\, teaching\, engineering\, building\, sailing – at one time four of them worked for the RNLI – but they are all communicators and between them they share 650 years of experience. And that is about the range of their repertoire : their earliest song comes from the 15th century and their latest from our own. They love their singing and they love any opportunity to inflict it on others… URL:https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk/event/fundraising-concert-with-the-gravellers/ LOCATION:Blandford Corn Exchange END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261024T190000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261024T190000 DTSTAMP:20260906T154511Z CREATED:20260906T154511Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260906T154511Z UID:7501-1792868400-1792868400@blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk SUMMARY:Archaeology Group Quiz DESCRIPTION:The popular Archaeology Group Quiz night returns! Our question master will be Julian Richards and we invite you to form a team of 6\, or we can put you into a team. \nEntrance £14.00\, which includes a fish and chip supper (or vegetarian alternative). There will be tea and coffee available but please bring your own drinks. Cash payments only on the night\, please. \nTo book your place\, please contact Gerald Killingworth (gkllngwrth@aol.com). URL:https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk/event/archaeology-group-quiz-2/ LOCATION:Blandford Parish Centre\, The Tabernacle\, Blandford Forum\, DT11 7DW CATEGORIES:Social END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261030T193000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261030T210000 DTSTAMP:20261014T164149Z CREATED:20260929T152514Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261014T164149Z UID:7539-1793388600-1793394000@blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk SUMMARY:Friday Talk: Victorian Cemeteries - A favourite resort of the living DESCRIPTION:It’s that time of year again! As the weather turns autumnal and the nights draw in\, we start our season of Friday Talks. Please note that we have changed our venue to the Town Hall\, upstairs in the newly-renovated Corn Exchange. \nIn this talk\, Julie Dunk (BA(Hons) FICCM (Dip) will explore how the vast majority of cemeteries in the UK came to be established during the Victorian period\, and how that legacy has now led to something of a crisis in cemetery provision. \nJulie started her professional life as an archaeologist\, where she developed a particular interest in Victorian cemeteries. As a result\, in the early 1990s\, Julie was asked to work on a research project at the University of York\, looking at policies for disused burial grounds. During this research\, Julie met many cemetery and crematorium managers who inspired her to change professions. Julie worked in Cardiff\, Lewisham and Bournemouth bereavement services before joining the full time staff at the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) in 2008. Julie was appointed as Chief Executive in 2018\, and headed up the ICCM Team of dedicated and hardworking officers until her retirement in 2025. Julie is now enjoying spending more time with her husband\, in between volunteering at the Blandford Museum\, carrying out some consultancy work and pursuing new interests such as learning church bell ringing. \nTea and coffee will be available from 7 pm\, the talk will start at 7.30 pm and finish at around 9 pm. \nAdmission £8 (£5 for Museum members\, free to Friends and Patrons) \n \nWe have a variety of talks about our history and heritage from a range of expert speakers lined up for Autumn 2026 and Spring 2027. These will take place on Fridays (usually\, but not always\, the last Friday of the month) at the Parish Centre in Blandford. Please visit our Calendar for information about future talks. \n  URL:https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk/event/friday-talk-victorian-cemeteries/ LOCATION:Blandford Town Hall\, The Corn Exchange\, Market Place\, DT11 7AG\, Blandford Forum\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Talks END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261031T180000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261031T180000 DTSTAMP:20261020T110552Z CREATED:20261020T110552Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261020T110552Z UID:7578-1793469600-1793469600@blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk SUMMARY:Halloween Spooktacular DESCRIPTION:Will there be a Halloween Spooktacular in Angus Wood this year? You BET! \nWith Food\, Drinks\, Wine and Beer (for adults)\, music and an amazingly scary Woodland. \n£2 per person\, or £5 for a family \nChildren must be accompanied by an Adult Ghoul! \nFor more information\, follow us on Facebook: Blandford Environmental Trust \nWE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO HELP KEEP THIS WONDERFUL EVENT GOING!\nIf you can spare a few hours to help with decorating Angus Wood and running the event\, please let us know by ringing 07701090227. URL:https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk/event/halloween-spooktacular-2/ LOCATION:Angus Wood\, St Leonards Avenue\, Blandford Forum\, DT11 7PJ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20261113 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20261115 DTSTAMP:20261103T161828Z CREATED:20261103T161828Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261103T161828Z UID:7624-1794528000-1794700799@blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk SUMMARY:Blandford Literary Festival Talks DESCRIPTION:The Museum is delighted to be supporting the Blandford Literary Festival again this year and we look forward to welcoming authors May Ellis\, Paula Harmon and Georgia Piggott to the Museum. \nFriday 13 November\n2:00-3:00 pm: New Shoes & Old Knickers with May Ellis and Paula Harmon \nMay Ellis and Paula Harmon will be speaking about researching their historical novels. From the role of Quakers and secret missions in Somerset\, the role of women in shoe factories\, via what the well-dressed Edwardian might do with her underwear\, May and Paula will share some of the fascinating\, and occasionally bizarre\, facts they’ve uncovered for their books\, including several they’ve had to leave out because no one would believe them. \nSaturday 14 November\n2:15-3:15 pm: Stuart Mysteries and Recipes with Tasting Samples with Georgia Piggott \nGeorgia Piggott\, author of the historical mysteries The Alice Chronicles\, will talking about her books and researching the food of rich and poor from 400 years ago. Georgia will bring samples to taste and recipe cards to try at home. \nTickets for each event are £6\, click here to buy from Tickettailor.com. \nFor more details\, and a full programme of events\, please visit the Blandford Literary Festival website. \n  URL:https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk/event/blandford-literary-festival-talks-2026/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261119T193000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261119T210000 DTSTAMP:20261104T171802Z CREATED:20261104T163908Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261104T171802Z UID:7581-1795116600-1795122000@blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk SUMMARY:Archaeology Group Lecture: The Mortar Wreck: A Thirteenth-Century Shipwreck Lost in Studland Bay DESCRIPTION:This month’s lecture will be given by Tom Cousins from Bournemouth University. \nDiscovered by Bournemouth University in 2019\, the Mortar Wreck lies just outside the main shipping channel into Poole Harbour. Scientific dating places the surviving hull timbers around AD 1250\, while stone mortars and two Purbeck stone coffin lids reveal a cargo linked to medieval building industries. \nThe talk presents the archaeological findings and explores the wreck’s significance for understanding thirteenth-century ship construction\, cargo handling\, and coastal trade in building materials across medieval England. \nThe Museum Archaeology Group lectures take place on the third Thursday of the month (note the change in week and venue)\, starting at 7:30. Tea and coffee are available to buy before the talks. \nAdmission to the talks is free for museum members (donations welcome)\, £3 for non-members. \n\nPlease see the Museum Events Calendar for the dates and details of all this year’s talks\, and the Archaeology Group page for more information about our activities. URL:https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk/event/archaeology-group-lecture-mortar-shipwreck-at-poole/ LOCATION:Blandford Town Hall\, The Corn Exchange\, Market Place\, DT11 7AG\, Blandford Forum\, United Kingdom CATEGORIES:Talks END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261126T100000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261126T130000 DTSTAMP:20261103T163259Z CREATED:20250120T170840Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261103T163259Z UID:4285-1795687200-1795698000@blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk SUMMARY:Ask an Archaeologist DESCRIPTION:The Portable Antiquities Scheme is a national\, voluntary scheme to encourage people to report finds for recording. \nEvery year\, many thousands of archaeological objects are discovered in England and Wales. People using metal detectors unearth most of these\, but chance finds are also made by those out walking\, digging in their gardens\, or just out and about in the countryside. \nIn the past\, very little of this material was recorded by museums or archaeologists\, and lots of important information was lost. Now\, under the Portable Antiquities Scheme\, events are held around the country where finds can be brought in and help given with identification. \nClaire Pinder\, Dorset Council’s Senior Archaeologist\, and Ciorstaidh Hayward Trevarthen\, Finds Liaison Officer for Dorset\, will be available to answer your questions about Dorset’s Historic Environment and identify your finds. By appointment only from 10 – 11:40 am; please contact her@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk or finds@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk. Drop-ins are welcome from 12 am to 1 pm. URL:https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk/event/ask-an-archaeologist/ LOCATION:Blandford Town Museum\, Beres Yard\, Blandford Forum\, DT11 7HQ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261127T193000 DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261127T210000 DTSTAMP:20261104T163144Z CREATED:20261026T110408Z LAST-MODIFIED:20261104T163144Z UID:7546-1795807800-1795813200@blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk SUMMARY:Friday Talk: Tales From East Street DESCRIPTION:In this month’s talk\, Terence Dear will present research recently carried out by the Museum’s East Street Research Group. In 2025\, the Group held an open day at the Museum inviting the community to bring their stories of East Street\, and these memories are now captured in the Museum’s research archives. Terence’s talk\, which coincides with the publication of a booklet with the same title\, will focus on some of the properties in East Street\, their history and development. Some of the tales will be about people who lived in the street or had connections with it – Caroline\, the blind poet; the Pitt family\, which produced two British Prime Ministers; the fraudster hanged at Tyburn; Queen Elizabeth I; and Russell’s Flying Waggons – all feature in this fascinating tale of Blandford’s East Street. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \nTerence Dear’s early working life included designing facilities to aid the passage of travellers with disabilities through airports for BAA\, and managing SPCK Bookshops for the Church in London. Four years at university as a mature student\, where his thesis “Planning for the Elderly” addressed how town centres should be planned and designed to meet the needs of older members of the community and those with disabilities\, led to two First Class degrees in Town Planning. These set him on course for a career in conservation\, piloting English Heritage’s first “Buildings at Risk” Survey and taking conservation areas through to designation. At a national level\, Terence has been instrumental in changing government policy to include the countryside surrounding market towns within conservation areas\, and helping to develop environmental appraisal techniques and sustainability indicators and the new area of community planning. His work in conservation and environmental sustainability has been published in professional journals. Terence’s membership of a commission concerned with the future of market towns in the age of out-of-town supermarkets led to the establishment of Action for Market Towns\, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the vitality and viability of small towns. This brought him to North Dorset\, initially on a temporary contract\, but he ended up staying for eleven years as Business Manager. \nSince retirement\, Terence has been an active member of The Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) and The English-Speaking Union (ESU); established a community theatre group\, Forum Drama; and served as Chairman of the Blandford & District Civic Society. He spends most of his time today immersed in historical and genealogical research. \n\n\n\nTea and coffee will be available from 7 pm\, the talk will start at 7.30 pm and finish at around 9 pm. \n\n\n\nAdmission £8 (£5 for Museum members\, free to Friends and Patrons) \n \nWe have a variety of talks about our history and heritage from a range of expert speakers lined up for Autumn 2026 and Spring 2027. These will take place on Fridays (usually\, but not always\, the last Friday of the month) at either the Parish Centre or the Town Hall in Blandford. Please visit our Calendar for information about future talks. \n  URL:https://blandfordtownmuseum.org.uk/event/friday-talk-tales-from-east-street/ LOCATION:Blandford Parish Centre\, The Tabernacle\, Blandford Forum\, DT11 7DW CATEGORIES:Talks END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR