Gainsborough Old Hall

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Gainsborough Old Hall

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Medieval Manor House

Gainsborough Old Hall in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, is more than 500 years old and one of the best-preserved medieval manor houses in England.

02/11/2026

🎄Here we go. It's time!🎄

November is here and so is our official Christmas Market poster!

Browse over 30 stalls, take a rest in the café and see the Hall decorated for the festive season.

🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁

📆Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th December
🕦10 - 4 (last admission 3:15pm)
🎟FREE ENTRY (though please feel free to make a donation)

🌟🌟🌟

STALLHOLDERS: Feel free to share your pages below to advertise yourselves.

01/11/2026

🌠Goodnight!🌠

Summer Season is over for another year. As ever we wish to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us this year. Visitors to the site, our café regulars, bookshop donors and buyers. Every little amount spent helps preserve this amazing building.

Of course we thank the volunteers who offer so much of their time to make your visits better or help us with events and behind the scenes jobs. And to the staff who are the welcome faces in our shop and café.

You can still come and see us though, so do not fret. We continue to open every SATURDAY and SUNDAY over the season for your history or coffee kick.
And, of course, our Christmas Market is the next big event for you to enjoy on the 5th and 6th of December!

For another year, thank you and see you later 👋 (next weekend 😅).

31/10/2026

Get back to work lazy bones!

31/10/2026

Skeleton crew on this weekend...

Happy Halloween!

💀👻🎃

29/10/2026

🎃 Halloween Weekend 🎃

Over the next 3 days we have a bit of something for everyone.

🕸Friday 30th:
10-2, Spider Making Workshop. Come and create your very own friendly spider and web. Join this free drop in session in our Education Room, no Hall ticket required (unless you wish to explore more!). Last entry is 1:30pm.

🧙‍♂️Saturday 31st:
Halloween Party. Visit us in your best halloween costume and be in with the chance to win our fancy dress competition. Meet in the Great Hall at 2pm for your chance to be picked. Games will be out in the Hall too for you to enjoy during your visit. All included with general entry.

🗣Sunday 1st:
1pm, Rick's Graffiti Tour. Rick will show you hundreds of years worth of apotropaic marks ('witch marks') around the Hall. Some left for protection and superstition, some left by craftsmen's hands, and one left probably as a curse! Limited to 10 people so please reserve a spot upon admission, free with general entry.

Volunteer room guides and explainers will also be on hand on various days to enhance your visit. And as ever we have our interactive interpretation, games and dressing up areas. Tickets can be purchased on the day or prebooked online, with a 15% saving.
*Please note that our ghost tours are fully booked.*

👻 Have a spooky weekend! 👻

29/10/2026

🙏Donation appeal🙏

Can you help with a few extra Christmas decorations for the Hall? We have a few rooms we wish to add to this year but could really use your help with some donations.

If you have any good standard, decent quality:
🎄Christmas Trees
🌿Foliage (real or faux)
🌟Decorations
Please do contact us or drop them off.

We request that any decorations are tasteful and traditional colours- red, green & gold. No glitter or tinsel, we cannot accept glass decorations either. Our main focus is on the trees and foliage but other decorations, christmas crafts supplies or fabric are also welcomed.

If you are unsure of your items please do not hesitate to message us with images so we can confirm or respectfully turn down.

Thank you in advance from the Christmas team.

P.S. Our market poster will be shared very soon! 🧐

28/10/2026

🗣FOHA First Tuesday Lecture- November 3rd🗣

The next 'Friends of Gainsborough Old Hall Association' talk to take place is titled: Scandals of the Gentry with Adrian Gray.

Anyone can attend this talk which takes place on site here at Gainsborough Old Hall. Doors open at 7pm and the lecture begins at 7:30pm. Entry available on the door at £4 and includes light refreshments.
Further information and contact details available on request.

(Please note that the December lecture is no longer taking place.)

27/10/2026

🗣🎃 Spotlight Talk - 'Halloween' through the ages 🎃🗣

Join us on Thursday (29th October) at 11:30 and 14:30 for a brand new spotlight talk.

Doug will take us through the history of 'Halloween'. Starting 2000 years ago with the Celts up to the present day, and similarities of festivals around the world cultures.

Spotlight talks last around 20 minutes and are perfect snippets of information to add to your visit. This talk takes place in the Great Hall and is included in your general admission ticket. Tickets can be purchased on the day or prebooked online.

This looks to be a great talk! See you there....if you dare. 👻

26/10/2026

TOMORROW! 🪗💃

📆Tuesday 27th October
🕚11.00-13.30

Do you know your doce-do and your dip and dive? Have you ever been to a barn dance or ceilidh and had a great time? Come and dance some more with Peter and Kate.

We will be dancing some English folk dances. You don’t need a partner nor any experience in country dancing. These family friendly dances will be suitable for all ages and levels of fitness. There’ll be live music and expert tuition.

Join us! This is FREE with regular admission. You can purchase your ticket on the day or prebook on our website.

Another great event put on for us by de Mowbray's Musicke, thank you.

26/10/2026

🍂Another reminder that we now close at 4pm, with last admission and café closure at 3:15pm 🍂

_____________________________________

It’s that time of year again folks, when our ‘Summer Season’ draws to a close.

October/November sees two changes to our opening times:
🕓As of Sunday October 25th we close at 4pm, with last admission 3:15pm.
📆W/C October 26th is our last FULL WEEK of opening.

Please remember that once we close on November 1st the site is WEEKEND OPENING ONLY until our Summer Season begins again April 2027.

With our earlier closing of 4pm comes an earlier closure of our café too which will then be 3:15pm (alongside last admission).

Address

Parnell Street
Gainsborough
DN212NB

Telephone

+441427677348

Website

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/gainsborough-old-hall/

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