We are free to visit and open to everyone, providing a warm welcome to visitors of all ages, including children and family groups.
Model Railway Weekend
Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 January 2026 | Free | No booking required
Continuing the celebrations for the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, The Story is hosting its first ever Railway Weekend.
An Informal Gathering of Stories
Sunday 1 February 2026 | 14:00-16:00 | The Story café | Free | No booking required
An opportunity to hear stories and poems, with writer David Napthine, inspired by archive photographs, whilst enjoying a tea or coffee.
The man they named a town after | Peter Lee
Thursday 12 February 2026 | 18:00-19:00 | £5 per ticket
We’ll be joined by researcher and genealogist Margaret Hedley, who will delve into the remarkable life of Peter Lee and uncover the stories behind his legacy.
Ceremony Rooms Open Evening
Thursday 12 February 2026 | 17:00-18:30 | Free | Drop in
Take the chance to explore our romantic settings for weddings, ceremonies and the renewing of vows.
Book Bus at The Story
Next date: Tuesday 17 February 2026
The Book Bus is coming to The Story! Exploring our collections? Visiting the café? Or perhaps registering a new baby? (Congratulations!) Why not register your baby – or the rest of the family – for a County Durham library card at the same time.
Small Stories (Under 5s)
Thursdays | 10:00 – 11:00 (Mixed age) and 11:15 – 12:15 (Pre-walkers) | £2 per booking | Booking required
Every Thursday take your little one on an adventure through the history of County Durham! Handle historical objects, hear stories, learn and play together at Small Stories.
Wellbeing Walk
Tuesdays | Meet at 10:00 | Approximately 1 hour
Move walking – Free weekly wellbeing walks for all abilities to help develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Afterwards, stay for some social time in our Café.
What’s the Story | Episode 4: A Christmas Past
What’s The Story is a brand new podcast produced and presented by The Story’s team of young Volunteers. The team will explore the history of Durham from ghosts to gifts, mining to mysteries and much more.
All Change! A New Exhibition
Opened May 2025
All Change! is a colourful new exhibition focusing on the impact of passenger railways on North-East life.
New Archaeology Records
Durham County Council Archaeology Section completed a major HER enhancement project in March 2025. Explore the new records from April 2025.
Spotlight Talks
Fridays and Saturdays | 11:00 and 14:00 | Free | Drop in
Find out more about our collections and exhibitions in a free to join, bitesize Spotlight Talk. In these informal talks, The Story Team will share their insights into a story or theme in the exhibition using objects on display. If the times don’t work for you then don’t worry, you can always get the same information from speaking to our amazing team of staff and volunteers.
DLI Friends drop in
Last Thursday of each month | 10:00 – 14:00 | Free | Drop in
The DLI Friends are volunteering at The Story on the last Thursday of every month. Drop in between 10:00-14:00 and have a chat with this extremely knowledgeable, passionate and friendly group. You may want to find out more about your local regiment, or your family who were in the DLI. The DLI Friends is a charity run for, and by, people who support and work with the DLI Collection. For more visit: https://dlifriends.com/
Access our Archives
Access to all collections is in purpose-built facilities on the first floor of the new building, with interactive screens and 16 computer terminals for accessing digital content, a secure research area (the ‘collections room’) for viewing collection items from the strong rooms and a separate reception area for enquiries relating to historic civil registration. On demand access to the Historic Environment Record (HER), the collections database and popular records such as church registers and newspapers will be available digitally in our ‘Search and Discover’ space.
While many collection items will be available ‘on demand’ some, including larger objects, will require several days’ notice.
Exhibitions
Our exhibition space is free to visit and shares stories of County Durham’s varied and exciting past throughout its history.
Featured Exhibition | All Change! | Free | Opened May 2025
Teacher Advisory Group
Our Teacher Advisory Group provides invaluable guidance and helps answer questions on how we can continually improve our offer at The Story to best suit local schools. Run in partnership with Durham University Museums and Special Collections, it also gives teachers the chance to network with like-minded colleagues from across the county, helps to shape our developing offer and you will be the first to hear of any opportunities to take part in pilot workshops or funded projects. Please get in touch with our learning team if you’d like to come along by emailing learning@thestorydurham.org