Snowdrop Celebration Weekend marks the reopening of the Museum in the Park

The Museum in the Park will reopen its doors with a Snowdrop Celebration Weekend on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 January, marking the start of a new season and celebrating ten years of the Walled Garden.

Visitors of all ages are invited to explore the museum, enjoy the Walled Garden’s special collection of snowdrops, and discover varieties once grown by the pioneering Giant Snowdrop Company of Hyde, Stroud district, which operated during the 1950s and early 1960s.

A Snowdrop plant sale by Old Court Nurseries will run across the weekend, offering visitors the chance to take home rare and unusual snowdrops for their own gardens. Families can enjoy snowdrop‑themed craft activities, and all shop purchases will receive a 10% discount, including a range of snowdrop‑inspired gifts.

Artist in Residence Ruth Illingworth will be demonstrating her prints and plant dyes over the weekend, and Miss Daisy’s popular pop‑up café returns to the Pavilion, serving warming soup, cakes and savoury treats.

As part of the celebration, Helen Picton from Old Court Nurseries will give a talk at 2pm on Saturday titled Harbingers of Spring - Snowdrops and More. Click here to book tickets.

Cllr Martin Brown, Chair of the Stroud District Council Community Services & Licensing Committee, said:

“Our annual snowdrop celebration is a wonderful way to welcome the new season and bring people together. Events like this help ensure the Museum in the Park remains a vibrant, inclusive space at the heart of the community, and I’m delighted to see it return once again.”

After closing for four weeks for its annual deep clean and essential maintenance, the museum is now ready to welcome visitors back. Over 60,000 objects form the collection, with around 4,000 items on display, telling the extraordinary story of the Stroud district.

Also at the Museum: A Moveable Refreshment – Works Old and New by Robert Race. Saturday 24 January - Sunday 8 March. 

Celebrate the playful imagination of artist and automata‑maker Robert Race. His work combines humour, ingenuity and a love of repurposed materials, delighting visitors of all ages. The exhibition will be accompanied by half‑term activities.

More details of all activities can be found on the Museum in the Park website, and visitors can sign up to the free membership programme here.

The Museum in the Park, managed by Stroud District Council in collaboration with the Stroud District (Cowle) Museum Trust, is housed in a Grade II listed 17th‑century wool merchant’s residence and shares the rich and diverse history of the Stroud district.

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