Our Abbeydale Family Sunday season continues with the Lammas Festival on Sunday 8 August 11am - 4.45pm - FREE admission.

Join us to welcome the first grain harvest with all the tastes, sights and smells of a Victorian Poachers Kitchen! 

Families can enjoy a range of summer activites such as willow weaving, scarecrow and corn dolly making and find out more about seasonal produce and planting with Sainsbury's and Friends of Botanical Gardens.

Mr Tyzack will lead his popular Hamlet tours and families can enjoy live traditional music and learn the Lammas dance!

More details coming soon!

From Sheffield to the Maharaja's Bedroom!

Stories of Mappin and Webb Silver Designs

Tues 28 Sept 2010
1.45pm - 3.30pm

A talk and object handling session by researcher Jean Thornton

Mappin and Webb designed many one-off pieces for use around the world - from record-breaking aviator Amy Johnson's celebration plate to bedroom furniture for an Indian Maharaja. Jean Thornton was asked by collector Ken Hawley to discover whether certain designs created by Mappin and Webb were ever manufactured, and if so, where in the world they are today.

Join Jean for this one hour, round-table discussion and object handling session and discover how she went about her research and what she discovered.

Price £5 per person: includes entrance to Kelham Island Museum, a short guided tour of the new Hawley Gallery along with the talk and object handling session.

Remember to allow extra time beforehand to have a look round the main museum then meet at 1.45pm in the River Don Engine Room to watch the great River Don Engine in action before going into the Hawley Gallery. Please report to Reception on arrival.

Places are limited so please book early. To reserve your place please contact Sue Willey on 0114 272 2106.

Families took a step back in time to see how Sheffield's creative spirit was forged with traditional crafts and skills demonstrations at our second Abbeydale Family Sunday event of the season

Sheffield's nautical links were celebrated as visitors tested their sea legs whilst learning how gun, steel plating, engine shafts, crankshafts for Spitfire Engines and navigational instruments were famously crafted in the city.

More than 500 curious visitors sampled a range of time-honoured skills and watched inspiring demonstrations from the likes of Ridgeway Forge, whose traditional forge work are reminiscent of how our ‘steel city' was built on the vibrant metal work industry.

Gerry Marlow of the Sheffield Woodturning Club shared his expertise with local enthusiasts giving demonstrations on his lathe.

The Hamlet's living history characters entertained youngsters with children's activities and the ever popular Hamlet tours with Abbeydale Works owner Mr Tyzack.

Families were treated to traditional tales of the sea and learning a line or two of merry sea shantys, hearing all about Sheffield's shipbuilding past.

Students from Hillsborough College Silversmithing and Jewellery evening courses brought Abbeydale's workshops to life showing how unusual objects such as cuttlefish can be used to cast silver ornaments and jewellery.

More traditional skills and techiniques were on display from Heeley City Farm with Iron Age hand spinning and weaving techniques and the Sheffield Lacemakers showed families the much-loved art of recreational lacemaking. The Friends of Botanical Gardens were also at hand to show the fruits of their labour with a display of home grown plants for sale.

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The Sheffield University Drama Society gave visitors a glimpse of the history behind another Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust heritage site, Shepherd Wheel, currently undergoing restoration. Their free performance of 'The Wheel Turns' will take place in Bingham Park on Saturday 10 July at 1pm, 3pm and 5pm to raise money for project.

The next Abbeydale Family Sunday, our popular Lammas Festival, will take place on Sunday 8 August 11am - 4.45pm. Admission is free.