Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse

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Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse

Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse is a truly unique museum.
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🐑 Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse
🕰️ Open every day 10am-5pm
📅 9 March -1 November 2026

🏛 Workhouse Museum & Museum of Norfolk Life, heritage farm, adventure playground, café and giftshop
🖼️ 2026 exhibition: 'Jacket Women' by Maria Pavledis Visit its 50-acre site and discover the historic workhouse, thrilling adventure playground, traditional farm with rare breed animals and beautiful, unspoilt grounds.

23/05/2026

The bank holiday weekend is here! We're on a countdown until Monday's event - come and join us! We're telling the stories of farmed fibres in Norfolk spotlighting our Flax & Fleece Project, and where our food comes from as part of our May Half Term programme, Food Glorious Food. Expect free face painting (first come first served), treats to buy from select local food vendors, family-friendly activities, displays and demonstrations, animals, tractor trailer rides and all that our site has to offer. It's going to be flinging fantastic!

Spring Fling
Monday 25 May
10am-4pm
A fun family event, all about farming from fibres to food, included with admission
Supported by the Costume and Textile Association
(Assistance dogs only)

22/05/2026

School's out! Thank you to all of the staff, volunteers, family members, and students themselves who made this term a joyful one on site at Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse. We were so happy to welcome your groups to step into the past! The coming terms are almost fully booked, and we hope the teams who keep our local schools running all have a well-earned break before we welcome groups back from June onwards. We hope the sun shines for you all but even if it's raining, we've got you covered - there's plenty to do at Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse, whatever the weather!

Join us from tomorrow for Food Glorious Food May Half Term holiday activities, running 23 - 31 May, and our special Spring Fling event on Monday 25 May.

20/05/2026

Happy World Bee Day!

We can't wait to welcome master beekeeper Venetia Rist at Spring Fling on Monday 25 May to share more with visitors about working with our pollinator pals. We also say goodbye to our Spring Watch stamper trail on Friday, and start our summer stamper trail - Busy Bees! Use the self-led trail to explore Union Farm and find all 8 stamps (and earn a Busy Bee sticker from the giftshop).

If keen to spot more than stamps when exploring our 50 acre site (and further afield at this time of year), here's what Earthwatch Europe has to say about wildlife to look out for in May:
'It's hawkmoth season! These huge insects are our most beautiful moths. The elephant hawkmoth is a stunning bright pink and lime green. The caterpillars look like an elephant's trunk, hence their name.
Hazel dormice are emerging from winter hibernation. They are agile, foraging in tree canopies and understory. At this time of year they feed on flowers including bramble, hawthorn and honeysuckle.
Blackcaps have returned for the summer to breed here in the UK. The males have a black cap on the top of their head and the females have a brown cap. These birds have a beautiful melodic song, often mistaken for a nightingale!
Look out for cow parsley blooming along verges. It is a member of the carrot family and the first of similar flowers in that group to bloom in spring. Pollinators such as hoverflies and bees love them.'

19/05/2026

Step into nature at Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse with Norfolk and Waveney Mind.

Visitors can discover the power of Forest Bathing through a taster session in the beautiful Centenary Wood during the 2026 open season on site. 11am sessions are led by Norfolk and Waveney Mind, included with admission, and last approximately 45min. Anyone over 16 is welcome to claim a spot (12 spaces available per taster session - first come, first served). As a small group, you will be guided on a slow, immersive walk punctuated with simple, sensory activities such as observing, smelling, and touching the natural world around us. Mats and chairs are provided (please note that the site welcomes assistance dogs only, and is a no smoking location).

Upcoming dates:
Spring Fling event (Monday 25 May)
Fathers Day (Sunday 21 June)
Summer Holidays (Saturday 18 July; Wednesday 5 August; Tuesday 18 August)
Heritage Open Day (Sunday 13 September)
Apple Day (Sunday 4 October)

For more information, email: [email protected]

Thanks to Norfolk Community Foundation for the support in making this project possible.

18/05/2026

Norfolk Creativity and Wellbeing Week
18 - 24 May 2026

This Norfolk Creativity and Wellbeing Week, explore the 2026 exhibition and the lives of single mothers who lived in the workhouse from the 1830s to late 1860s. The Jacket Women: Single Mothers of the Workhouse features prints by Norfolk-based artist Maria Pavledis, together with objects representing the lives of women and children at what is now Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse. This small but mighty exhibition is included with admission, and runs until 1 November 2026.

Creativity and Wellbeing Week is a national festival celebrating the power of creativity and culture to improve our health and wellbeing. The festival is a partnership between London Arts and Health Forum and the Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance.

16/05/2026

We’re not saying that attending our Spring Fling event will solve ALL of your problems…but it might help 😉

Enjoy a family-friendly event on Monday 25 May at Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse included with general admission, all about farming - from fibres to food. See more information and book your tickets via our website.

SPRING FLING! 🐝🌼🐏🐥💛

15/05/2026

Have a sneak peek behind the scenes at a letterpress workshop run by Maria Pavledis recently at Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse!

Maria is the artist behind the 2026 exhibition 'The Jacket Women: single mothers of the workhouse', and as part of the creative engagement of this project, is running various workshops with communities in Norfolk throughout our open season - both onsite, and elsewhere! Keep a look out for any creative events happening near you.

14/05/2026

Food Glorious Food!
May Half Term activities at Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse, 23-31 May 2026
Included with admission

Enjoy our special event during May Half Term, Spring Fling on Monday 25 May! Celebrate the wonderful world of farming in Norfolk from fibres to food with this fun day for all the family, including local food vendors and free facepainting (first come first served)! See our website for more details and to book your tickets - event included with general admission.

Throughout the school holidays, you can grow your own, design your own seed packet and more! Get hands on with fun and accessible activities inspired by the growing season in Norfolk and the food we eat - running every day, 11am-12noon & 2-3pm.*

Get outdoors on the woodland adventure playground and with the Busy Bee Stamper Trail at Union Farm and on the river walk, visit the Book Nook in partnership with Norfolk Libraries in the first floor Collections Gallery, and enjoy the Mardler’s Rest cafe, giftshop and second-hand bookshop if looking for treats and souvenirs!

Additional special activities include:
- Meet the Farmer on Union Farm and find out what’s going (and growing) on with the animals, 1-1:30pm, Tuesday & Thursday (Union Farm)
- Make some joyful noise, recommended for under 5s, at Early Years Songs and Storytime, 11:30am-12noon, Wednesday (Collections Gallery, first floor)
- Food for Thought object exploration and find out more about growing food at Gressenhall, 10am-12noon, Wednesday & Thursday (Labourers Cottage)
- Drop-in volunteering at the Community Tree Nursery, 10am-12noon, Thursday (Union Farm)
- Take a self-led Super Strawberry trail, spot as many strawberries as you can, and learn some fun fruity facts along the way, supported by Moore Berries UK (top site)
- Ready, Steady, Grow! Little Library - get inspired about growing your own with little ones by browsing our special selection of books (Garden Room Indoor Picnic Space)

* Activities vary per day; timings exclude Spring Fling event, Monday 25 May.

11/05/2026

What a time was had back in February at Norwich Science Festival's Explorium! Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse's Flax and Fleece Project went on the road to share more about the project (and get folks excited about fibres and fabric) with folks and families enjoying one of Norwich's favourite events. Thanks to support from the Costume & Textile Association and the hardworking team of project leaders and volunteers, the Flax and Fleece Project is going from strength to strength. If you and your friends and family might like to learn a little more about where farming meets fibre, join us at Spring Fling!

This event is hosted at Gressenhall Farm & Workhouse on Monday 25 May, as a day all about farming - from fabric to food. Visitors can explore more about the importance of flax and fleece, and see some demonstrations of how people work with these fibres - including Max Mosscrop sharing more about his project, Jenn Monahan of fibreworkshop showcasing her stunning yarns and book about Norfolk Horn sheep, live sheep shearing with an expert, members of Norfolk Guilds of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers, and special guests, the Costume and Textile Association in the Marquee!

With plenty of fun involved for all of the family (free face painting 10am-12noon & 1-3pm; arts and crafts activities, and knowledgeable partners; steam up of the 1922 Farmers Foundry engine and display of the 1899 Panhard car; local food vendors and delicious items from our own cafe - and more!), we would love to see you there.

Spring Fling
Monday 25 May 2026
10am - 4pm (site closes 5pm)
Included with admission; various members go free (inc. Costume & Textile Association)

Image credit: Norwich Science Festival / Beth Moseley 2026

Address

Gressenhall
Dereham
NR204DR

Telephone

+441362860563

Website

https://www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk/gressenhall-farm-and-workhouse/plan-your-visit/contact-us

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