Diss Museum

16/10/2026

It will close at the end of the month for preparations to begin

24/09/2026

🎧 EVERYDAY VOICES, EXTRAORDINARY STORIES 🎧

Although the Heritage Open Days Festival 2026 has now come to an end, Diss Museum is continuing to celebrate the everyday working lives of people from Diss and District.

From the past to the present, these personal memories and experiences help bring our local history to life — revealing the people, places and working lives that have helped shape our community.

🎧 Listen to the stories and hear the voices of Diss.

Visit the Diss Museum website and explore our Audio Histories:

https://www.dissmuseum.co.uk/explore/audio-histories

🎧 Listen to the Audio Histories

Everyday lives. Extraordinary stories. Our local history.

17/09/2026

Diss Museum’s Brushes, Banter & Bobbins event over the weekend was a great success. Just over 180 visitors enjoyed learning about Diss Lace Association, the craft of lace making from the Norfolk Lacemakers, listening to Ken Doughty Brush Making Talk and of course having a chat, cuppa and cake in our Pop-up cafe.
Special thanks to Norfolk Lacemakers, Ken Doughty from Brush Makers Descendants Society, Tilly from DISScovered, all our volunteers who helped and of course our visitors whom made the 2 day event successful.

16/09/2026

Did you go along to this event?

15/09/2026

14/09/2026

NICE REACTION TO THE GHOST WALK

I just wanted to send you an email to say thank you for the Ghost Walk last night. It was the first time that we'd attended but it won't be the last!

It was fascinating and we went to parts of Diss we'd never been to, despite living on the outskirts for 15 years. Thanks to Basil and the rest of the "ghosts" for such an entertaining evening. We thought it was worth at least triple the amount we paid for it. Well done on such a brilliant ghost walk.

See you for the next tour!

All the best,
Kate Thurston

13/09/2026

Brighten up a rainy Sunday with some hands-on-activity.

🖐️✨ BRUSHES, BOBBINS & BANTER – LITTLE HANDS, BIG FUN! ✨🖐️

📅 Sunday 13 September | 1pm–4pm

🎨 MAKE • DISCOVER • EXPLORE!
Bring the children along for a weekend of hands-on fun, creativity and discovery!

Tilly from DissCovered will be joining us both days with lots of activities for children to get stuck into:
🧵 Make your own lace bookmarks
🪭 Create lace fans
⚪ Cover polystyrene balls with lace
🎨 Dip scrunched lace in paint to create your own pictures
🐾 Make Scraplings – turn padded pieces of fabric into your own funny faces or animals!

And discover the fascinating story of Diss's industrial heritage:
🧹 Explore the history of the Aldrich Brush Factory
🧵 See lace-making demonstrations
🎧 Listen to recorded memories from local people
🏛️ Discover rare Diss Lace Association artefacts
☕ Take a break at our pop-up café
💬 Share your own memories and help preserve Diss's history
🧹 Brush Making Talk at 2pm

Whether you're a budding artist, a history detective or simply looking for something fun to do, there's something for everyone!

📍 St Mary's Church, Mount Street, Diss, IP22 4QQ
🎟️ FREE EVENT – No booking required

Bring the family and get hands-on with Diss's fascinating heritage! 👐✨

12/09/2026

Come and meet the Norfolk lacemakers.

12/09/2026

This weekend. Join us for what will be a fun and informative 2 days.

Spaces for the Brush Talk available, just come along.

🧹🧵 Brushes, Bobbins & Banter ☕

📅 Saturday 12 September | 11am–4pm
📅 Sunday 13 September | 1pm–4pm

Discover the extraordinary stories of ordinary people during Heritage Open Days at Diss Museum and St Mary's Church.

Step back into Diss's industrial past with:
🧹 Fascinating displays on local brush making
🪡 Live lace-making demonstrations from Norfolk Lacemakers
🎧 Listen to recorded memories from local residents
🪡 Never-before-seen Diss Lace Association artefacts ☕ A pop-up café where you can relax, reminisce and even record your own memories
🎨 Hands-on activities for children

🎟️ FREE EVENT – No booking required

For more details go to www.heritageopendays.org.uk or www.dissmuseum.co.uk/what-s-on

Brush Making Talks

Join Ken Doughty from the Society of Brushmakers' Descendants and discover the history of brush making in Diss and across Britain.

🕛 Saturday 12 September – 12 noon
🕑 Sunday 13 September – 2pm

FREE, but booking is essential for Brush Talks. Booking opens 26 August.

Tickets available online at www.dissmuseum.co.uk/what-s-on

📍 St Mary's Church, Mount Street, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 4QQ

A wonderful weekend celebrating everyday working lives and stories that shaped our town.