Every September thousands of volunteers across England organise events to celebrate our fantastic history and culture. This year The Story is celebrating by hosting a range of exciting tours, events and activities.
Some events are bookable – follow the links on bookable events to reserve your space.
DLI Collection Store tours
Saturday 7 and Saturday 14 September – 11:00 and 13:00
Thursday 12 September – 13:00
Friday 13 September – 13:00
Join us for a ‘Behind the Scenes’ tour of the DLI store at The Story! Come and view some of the objects too delicate to display and hear from the curators about how the collection was moved to its new home.
Duration – 45 minutes
10 spaces per tour – booking required, enhanced checks and photo ID required
Guided site tours
Sunday 8 and Sunday 15 September – 12:00 and 14:00
Join a member of our friendly and knowledgeable front of house team for a guided tour of the exhibitions, the restored Georgian Mount Oswald ceremony rooms, and research facilities offered at The Story.
Duration – 45 minutes
10 spaces per tour – booking required
County Durham Archives Collection Store tours
Sunday 8 and Sunday 15 September – 11:00 and 13:00
Join one of our archivists for a ‘Behind the scenes’ tour of the Durham County Archives, picking out store highlights, key objects, and local stories.
Duration – 45 minutes
10 spaces per tour – booking and photo ID required
Collections Room display
Sunday 8 and Sunday 15 September – 10:00-16:00
Take the opportunity to view and handle items from our collections as The Story team pick out their personal highlights and share their favourite stories in the research area.
No booking required – drop in event
Mount Oswald open days
Sunday 8 and Sunday 15 September – 10:00-16:00
The historic grade II listed Mount Oswald building, restored as part of The Story project, is now used to host private ceremonies. Join us each Sunday when we can offer rare access to everyone.
If you’re thinking of writing your next chapter here at The Story, the ceremony team will be on hand to discuss on-site offers.
No booking required – drop in event
Library ‘Pop Up’ events
Wednesday 11 September – Seaham Library – 10:00-12:00
Thursday 12 September – Newton Aycliffe Library – 10:30-12:30
Friday 13 September – Clayport Library (Durham City) – 11:00-13:00
Explore The Story’s archive and handling collections in ‘Pop Up’ displays in three of the county’s libraries. There will be opportunities to view and handle collection items, and staff will be on hand to help you with local/family history research. The events will take place in libraries in Seaham, Newton Aycliffe, and Durham City.
No booking required – drop in event
Victorian Classroom family activities
Sunday 15 September – 10:00 – 16:00
Join us for a day of interactive activities for families on the theme of ‘Back to School’ in the history of County Durham. Use archival collection material to explore what school was like in the past and join in with a range of creative activities to help you to imagine yourself in a Victorian classroom.
No booking required – drop in event
