We are passionate about bringing history to life for people of all ages. Our outreach and eduction programme offers engaging school visits, fun sessions for young people's groups working towards local history badges, and free memory boxes for care homes to encourage conversation and well-being. Whether through hands-on activities, walks, or shared stories, we help connect communities with Bishop’s Stortford’s rich past.
Families
School holiday Fun at the Museum
Every school holiday we run activities for families. Drop in to make something special and take part in the latest museum trail. Sessions are advertised on our website and brochure and are just £2 per child.
We now offer Sensory Backpacks!
Sensory Backpacks are a great way to engage and occupy young and SEND visitors during their museum visit. To enjoy one, please ask at reception.
As a mum, I can’t recommend South Mill Arts enough for the holidays! The craft activities keep my kids engaged, creative and excited to learn new skills. It’s the perfect way for them to have fun while making something special.
Young Peoples' Groups
Explore Local History with Your Group
We love to help young peoples’ groups understand more about their town and achieve any local history badges. Join us for a fun evening of dressing up and discovery, as we reveal Stortford’s historical people and places.
Janet and her team of local historians created a wonderful session for the Comanche Cub Scout Pack to help them achieve their local knowledge activity badge. The Cubs were super engaged and were able to present their knowledge to the wider group and leaders. The museum is a fantastic resource.
Care Homes
What! This old thing?
Sharing memories can be beneficial for older people: Prompting conversation, increasing their sense of purpose and promoting well-being.
We have put together several, themed boxes of everyday items from the 1950’s onwards to help stir recollections and start chats. These are free for local care homes to borrow.
Residents at Broome End thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic resource, which sparked treasured memories from years gone by. For some of our residents with dementia it was a uniquely special experience, jogging memories that would otherwise be tucked away. The hands on nature played a really special role in bringing these memories to life – with residents recalling the feel and function of objects (such as sewing contraptions, tins and old fashioned telephones), which added an element that simply viewing these items from afar could not replicate. It was a heartwarming moment for all, reminding us of the importance of these connections to the past.
Schools
Supporting your Curriculum
We offer a range of visits to enrich your students’ learning. All sessions are designed to be active and to prompt students to use the skills of analysis, questioning and investigation to draw conclusions.
We can alter activities to suit your studies and cohort, and are happy to work with you in adapting resources to ensure seamless learning. A visit to the museum can last a whole school day to facilitate parents dropping off/picking up or end in a history walk; taking you back towards your school.
Sessions are led by museum staff and supported by our volunteers; some of whom are ex-teachers and all of whom have a passion for history.
As of April 2025 visits are charged at £3 per student.
Click through the slides to see the days we offer.
Once again, we had a fantastic day with you today! The children were really engaged with all the activities and learnt so much. Everyone at the centre was so friendly and helpful, and you and your volunteers were fantastic and so knowledgeable. It was a really interesting day and has been a great start to our local history topic - in fact it covered so many of the objectives that we don’t have much left to do! Please pass on our thanks to everyone involved - and to you too for all the hard work you must have done to make it so good!
