**Only standby list spaces available**
The Mayor of Rugby, Councillor Nooria Sayani, invites visitors to a tour of the Council Chamber. This will be followed by tea in the Mayor’s Parlour. Children are welcome but must be supervised.
Bilton Heritage Walking Tour
*PLEASE NOTE: This tour is currently full. If you would be interested in a tour of Bilton in the future, please contact Rugby Visitor Centre and we can let you know when one is organised. **
Join our volunteer Town Guides for this Heritage Open Days walking tour of Bilton.
Meet by St. Mark’s Church car park for a prompt 14:00 start. The tour will last approximately 90 minutes. Suitable for children aged 12+.
We kindly ask tour attendees not to use the Church’s car park, as this may be needed for events and ceremonies. On-street parking spaces can be found opposite the Co-op, by the traffic lights. A regular bus service (no.4) runs from Rugby Town Centre.
Please note: bookings must be made by 15:00 of the day before. Missed the deadline or having trouble with a booking? The Visitor Centre’s friendly team will endeavour to help. Call 01788 533217, or e-mail [email protected]
Art at the Alex: Tudors and Textiles
Tamsen Flack, with friends, in tudor garb, leads demonstrations across this weekend. Emphasis on Friday will be on food, textiles on Saturday and music on Sunday (incuding perfomance by Coranto).
Across the weekend Tamsen will talk about and show different types of fabric: wool, linen, silk, velvet and different yarns. She hopes to dye cloth/yarn, paint silk and have a cloth wall hanging which visitors can help to paint. On Saturday you will also see spinner Liz Davies using her spindle.
Guided tour of St. Mark’s Church, Bilton
Explore St Mark’s Church, Bilton with a very informative guided tour, including refreshments. St Mark’s Church is designated at Grade II* with many fine examples of C14 to C21 architecture, fittings, stained glass and is noted for its expression of High Victorian piety.
Suitable for adults, plus older children with an interest in history. Children must be accompanied by a guardian. Trips will last approximately 1-1.5hrs, including refreshments.
St. Peter’s Church, Wolfhampcote Open day
This stunning 14th century church is the sole survivor of the lost village of Wolfhampcote. Its tough exterior of crooked windows, stout buttresses and multi-coloured patchwork stone conceals an orderly and serene interior. There is one step down to an uneven porch and a further step down to the nave. As a medieval church, St. Peter’s has poor wheelchair access. There is limited parking available next to the churchyard. No booking required, however we are asking for donations for refreshments.
Object handling at Rugby Art Gallery and Museum
Get up close and personal with museum objects reflecting domestic life and local industry from Rugby’s past. Free, no booking required.
Express Arts
Celebrate the timeless joy of sending postcards by creating your own personalised keepsake of Rugby. Accessible for all, including adults with additional needs. Free, no booking required.
Rugby Theatre Backstage Tour
For most people, the experience of visiting the theatre is usually as a member of an audience. However, here at Rugby Theatre we are giving you the unique opportunity to go behind the scenes – quite literally – and visit all the backstage areas that you don�t normally get to see!
Our hourly tours will give you an insight into both our heritage theatre building itself, as well as other areas within our Central Hall building opposite; including where we design & build our stage sets, store our props and costumes, and also get to see our technical areas for sound and lighting, and our rehearsals spaces, as well as grab refreshments in our contemporary bar space!
Access: Access to certain areas would not be available to anyone in a wheelchair as we do not have lifts to these areas.
Tours will last approximately 1 hour. Recommended age for children: 8+.
Vintage Midland Red Bus and St. Mary’s Tour
Climb on board a vintage Midland Red Bus and take a trip down memory lane.
Enjoy a trip on a No. 5905 Midland Red class S22 single-deck bus built by the Midland Red company in Birmingham in 1968. Hop on, reminisce, and enjoy a nostalgic trip.
Enjoy a trip on a No. 5905 Midland Red class S22 single-deck bus built by the Midland Red company in Birmingham in 1968. Hop on, reminisce, and enjoy a nostalgic trip.
The bus will be parked outside from 10.00, with guides available to discuss the history of the Midland Red. There will be two trips at 11:00 and 14:00, stopping at Clifton upon Dunsmore for a brief tour of St. Mary’s Church and refreshments. The tour will last approximately two hours.
Accessibility: please note the bus has three steep steps. Ramps are available to access the church.
St. Andrew’s Church: Vestments Exhibition
Step into our church and discover the beauty and history of our vestments. Come and see the garments and learn about their symbolism and the stories they tell. All welcome.