Join lepidopterist Mike McCrea and discover the secret life of Stratford Park moths. All ages welcome but children must be accompanied by a parent or carer. Bring a torch and meet in the Museum courtyard. Celebrating 75 years of Stratford Park.

Working closely with the three artists from Sri Kalahasti, local artists will have the opportunity to be introduced to the textiles in the exhibition, watch demonstrations of the drawing and dyeing techniques, experiment with their own designs and outline them in the traditional black ink with the traditional Kalam - bamboo pen. At lunchtime, stories of India will be told over the cloth by local author, Jamila Gavin. Booking necessary - call 01453 760900

Anthony Burton, trustee of Stroudwater Textile Trust and renowned industrial historian will base his talk on his BBC2 series The Rise and Fall of King Cotton and will include film from the series. This will be a close look at all the aspects of growing, ginning, spinning, weaving and the close historical connections between the British and Indian cotton industries. Booking necessary - call 01453 760900

Rosemary Crill is Senior Curator for South Asia at the Victoria and Albert Museum and has written a fascinating book on the rise of chintz from the original Kalamkari cloth from southern India. She will take us back centuries to sumptuous hand painted textiles – a joy to see and an important part of the later chintz printed textiles that we all know so well. Booking necessary - 01453 760900

Ian Mackintosh takes you for a historical walk from one clothiers house, Stratford Park, to another one, Hawkwood, looking at the essential influence of water for both the Stroud industry and for the Kalamkari cloth workers of south India. The walk will be circular. Meet outside the Museum in the Park at 10am, visit the Kalamkari cloth installation in the river, return by 1pm. Conclude with an opportunity to see the Kalamkari exhibition and remind ourselves of the paintings in the Museum of cloth in the valleys. Could be muddy so wear good walking boots. Bring a packed lunch to eat at the Museum. Booking essential - call 01453 766273. Not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs. Only dogs on leads. Part of Stroud Festival of Walks and Food

Walk the boundaries of the Stratford Park estate, and discover some of the history of the Pleasure Grounds, the owners of the Mansion House, and the development of the park as a public space. Part of Stroud Festival of Walks and Food Celebrating 75 years of Stratford Park

Drop in and experience the sounds of different languages. Have fun with tongues twisters in Telegu or Tamil, Gujerati or Arabic!

In this one day workshop with textile artist Kathryn Clarke from Studio Seven you will be guided through the different stages of garment making using a commercial dress pattern – from preparing the pattern pieces, making a layplan, cutting out and making up – resulting in a finished slip-dress or nighty to take home. Suitable for beginners keen to learn simple dress making skills. Equipment will be provided, but please bring your own sewing machines and favourite scissors if you can. All materials and tea and coffee included, bring a packed lunch. Limited places so advance booking necessary - call 01453 763394.

A talk by Frank Hatt. The Cotswold Players will soon be celebrating their centenary. The company was founded by Constance Smedley. Now largely forgotten, in her day Constance was an international literary celebrity. Frank Hatt’s play, ‘The Amazing and Preposterous Constance Smedley’, was recently produced by Stroud Theatre Company at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham. In his talk he will focus on this dynamic woman’s impact on the cultural life of the Stroud valleys during the years leading up to the First World War. Booking necessary - call 01453 763394.

The Friends hold their Annual General Meeting at 2pm in Gallery 2, followed by tea. At 3pm they will show The Secret Garden, a short film about the Museums Big Draw project which took place last Autumn, and shows how the walled garden is being used even though it is yet to be restored. Admission free, everyone welcome. The Friends always welcome new members to help support Stroud District Museum Service and new members are welcome to join on the day.

A special day of FREE Big Draw in activities for all ages: OUTSIDE Make Your Mark with Leaves on Lanterns Drop in and join the Quercus artists in the bandstand and create a lantern to light up the darkness, making your mark with leaves and natural materials. Join the lantern walk at dusk and draw lines of light around the Museum and through the park. Everyone welcome. Outdoor workshops - weather permitting. INSIDE Meet the Parkbench Artists Drop in and meet the Parkbench Artists, watch them at work, ask questions and take a look at their sketchbooks. Have a go at making your mark in Gallery 2 where paper and art materials will be provided. Everyone welcome!

Marta Cock will talk about researching, designing and making costumes for Museum events and projects. Four costumes will be available to look at and tea and coffee will be provided. Booking necessary - call 01453 763394. Organised by The Friends of Stroud District Museum. New members always welcome - do ask for a leaflet when you visit the Museum.

Join Museum staff for a walk around the park in all its Autumn glory. All ages welcome, wear sturdy shoes and meet in the courtyard.

Take inspiration from the Collectors Room and create your own cabinet of curiosities, using drawing, collage and 3D modelling. Bring along your own tiny treasures to include in your creation. A workshop with local artist Alsion Cockcroft. For families with children aged 5 - 12. Designed for adults and children to enjoy together, so children must be accompanied by a parent or carer.

A robbery has taken place at the museum! Can you help the Crime Scene Investigation team to find clues, examine them using different scientific techniques and try to discover who committed the crime? Hands on workshop session lasting 90 minutes. For scientists and sleuths aged 7 - 12, parents welcome too. Booking necessary - call 01453 763394.

Focus on the oil painting showing Stroud from Rodborough around 1850. What was local life and landscape like in 1850? What was it like in 1950? What will it look like in 2050? Will humans still be here in 3050? Explore the past, consider the present and imagine the future .... then make your mark and transform the picture into your own vision of the future. A special Big Draw activity for families with children aged 5 - 12, designed for children and adults to enjoy together.

Drop in and meet our Geologist, Hellen OConnor, in the Museums Geology gallery this afternoon. Bring along your mystery geological objects for her to identify, or just come along to find out more about the incredible fossils and dinosaur bones in the Collections. All ages welcome.

The Friends of Stroud District Museum bring you an unique opportunity to visit or re-visit the sculpture exhibition of the decade, on its very last day. This remarkable exhibition is jointly organised by Pangolin, one of Europes leading art foundries, and Gloucester Cathedral. There will be an introductory talk by art historian, Dr Alan Ford, in the historic Parliament Rooms, followed by a tour of the sculptures in their unique setting of the cathedral, including the cloisters, crypt and gardens. Booking necessary. For further information and to book, please call Juliet Shipman on 01452 770263 or email julietshipman@hotmail.com Event organised by The Friends of Stroud District Museum. New members always welcome - ask for a leaflet when you visit the Museum.

Cross the desert sands to a land of wonder. Horace Hunter has just discovered an Ancient Egyptian tomb with his friend Karnak the camel, but the horrid Lord Seton is also after treasure. Who will find it first? And who thinks the Pharaoh is still alive? Join our jolly chums, solve the clues and help them find the treasure. This adventure play uses actors, puppets and audience participation and lasts one hour. For children aged 5 - 10, parents and grandparents welcome too. Limited places so advance booking necessary - call 01453 763394.

Join a tour around the historic 17th Century Stratford House Mansion, now home to the Museum in the Park, Stroud District Museum. A new tour for adults which lasts around 40 minutes.

Join an outdoor walking tour of the pleasure grounds surrounding the historic mansion house in Stratford Park, Stroud. A new tour for adults. Wear sturdy walking shoes and wrap up warm. Meet in the courtyard. Lasts around 1 hour.

A talk by Ken Chandler. The story of one of Stroud’s famous engineers and a trial organiser of national and international renown. New Acquisition: The NEW DISPLAY: The Baughan Motorcycle & Sidecar Built by Baughan Motors of Stroud, this fascinating piece of motoring history was recently presented to the Museum on long term loan from the British Motorcycle Charitable Trust. The motorcycle was built in 1929. Ridden by Bill Hayward, Baughan Motors Works Manager, with Marjorie Grant Heelas (who also worked for the company) in the sidecar, it won many motorcycle trials between 1929 and 1946. Discover the motorcycle in the Museum foyer. Booking necessary - call 01453 763394.

Hilary Baker’s work centres on the body as subject and object, and its interaction with the space that it inhabits. Within this exhibition, FOAM, Hilary challenges the supposed sterility and isolation of today’s living spaces. Using etchings, paintings, ceramics and sculptures, Hilary articulates how all bodies leave visible traces of their interrelation with an environment. Hilary uses hair, blood, saliva and other bodily residues to develop her etching plates, and a body’s heat, energy and shadow and even breath in her 3D works. Figures are shown pressed onto the canvas, and faces evolve from elaborately textured prints. Sound jars are scoured with vibrations of voices and breath is captured in frozen foam. Drop in and join Hilary for an artist led viewing on Sunday 21 November (2 - 4pm).

Discover the story behind the Museums symbol and create your own version with artist Alison Cockcroft. Creative fun for families with children aged 5 - 12. Designed for adults and children to enjoy together, so children must be accompanied by a parent or carer.

How to date your house from its details: staircases, windows, doorways and fireplaces - a talk by Linda Hall. Linda Hall is an architectural historian who has worked at the Royal Palaces, as well as many local buildings. She will give an illustrated talk on the many interesting fixtures and fittings she has discovered while researching for her book Period House, Fixtures and Fittings 1300 - 1900. Booking necessary - call 01453 763394. Organised by The Friends of Stroud District Museum. New members always welcome - ask for a leaflet when you visit the Museum.

A short play presented by Spaniel in the Works Theatre Company. Tommy Atkins and The Canary Girl focuses on a familys experiences during the First World War. This powerful, emotional and sometimes funny performance looks at how family life is damaged by war. It focuses on the hardships endured by soldiers in the trenches and the largely untold story of the changes to the lives of the women who started working at the Gloucester munitions factory. Performance last one hour. Not recommended for children under 12. Booking necessary - call 01453 763394. Ticket price includes tea and biscuits after the performance.

A film about Alan Thornhill, Sculptor, whose work is represented in the Collections of Stroud District Museum Service. Alan Thornhill is a little known sculptor who has produced a substantial body of work in clay over a 40 year period. He devised an unusual and radical approach, particularly to making figurative work. His commitment to his own process and the positive influence he has had both on students and on viewers of his exhibitions inspired his daughter, Anna Thornhill, to record both the work and his working philosophy for posterity in this documentary. Alan Thornhills Punch and Judy and a ion of small terracotta figures can be viewed at the Museum. Booking necessary - call 01453 763394.

Drop in and meet the artist Hilary Baker, whose exhibition FOAM is currently showing in the Museum in the Parks Gallery. A chance to enjoy an artist led viewing of the exhibition, ask questions and find out more about Hilarys fascinating work, her printmaking processes and her career as a fine artist and teacher.

Learn about life in Gloucestershire during the 17th century, and how the Puritans were not always the killjoys we tend to believe. Booking necessary - call 01453 763394.

Create a beautiful winter wreath using a willow base and seasonal greenery. So easy and enjoyable to make, these beautiful wreaths can be used to brighten up your door, decorate your winter table or as an Advent wreath in the weeks before Christmas. All ages welcome. Allow around half an hour to make a finished wreath. Red florists ribbon supplied, or bring your own of favourite ribbon to finish off your creation.

Spaniel in the Works Theatre Company presents: CANCELLING CHRISTMAS Over indulgence, feasting and merriment! Whats so wrong with that? Discover why Cromwell thought Christmas was so wrong, why it was cancelled and who had the best riots in the country, in this lively 30 minute performance. Combining pantomime, poetry, and a little bit of dancing, Cancelling Christmas fills audiences with festive spirit and defeats the puritans every time! This is the last event in the 2010 Museum in the Park calendar - the Museum will be closed in December, re-openng on New Years Day 1 January 2011 at 11am. Booking recommended - call 01453 763394.

Brush away the Christmas cobwebs and start the New Year with a healthy walk around the park. All ages welcome, wrap up warm and meet in the Museum courtyard. Museum open 11am - 4pm today.