Tales of Horncastle clergy, murder and scandal - Nick Fox
2025-07-16 19:30 - 21:00 (Europe/London) | Horncastle Community Centre, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF, United Kingdom
Join Nick Fox to explore the fascinating lives some of Horncastle’s local clergy. From ‘saints’ like Simon Islip who rose to become an Archbishop of Canterbury, to the ‘sinners’ like James Gibson who found himself imprisoned in Tattershall Castle, and the unfortunate John Rouceby who was cruelly murdered on the lawless Lincoln Heath.
Members admission is £2, and non-members £5.
Tea, coffee and biscuits are available for a donation.

Victorian Policeman Walk
2025-07-26 10:00 - 12:00 | Joseph Banks Centre, 7-13 Bridge Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HZ, United Kingdom
“Lawless and immoral”: preventing crime and arresting offenders was a huge problem in Victorian Horncastle, with the tiny police force often stretched to the limit.
Come on the beat with Adam Cartwright to hear about some of the town’s characters and criminals, and visit where their offences took place.
There is a small charge of £2 for this walk.

Horncastle Canal Walk
2025-08-07 10:00 - 12:00 | Lincolnshire
Part of the Horncastle Horse Fair week.
Please note this event starts from the Community Centre, Manor House Street – not the Joseph Banks Centre

Horncastle Horse Fair 2025
2025-08-09 | Horncastle Community Centre, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF, United Kingdom
Horncastle’s uplifting community arts event is back for the third year this August, with a range of activities and events taking place in the town centre, around the ‘Mane Event’ on Saturday 9th August. The event takes inspiration from the town’s ancient summer fair, the Great August Horse Fair, which was once the largest fair for horses in the world bringing buyers from across Europe and beyond.
Organised and run by Sessions Arts in partnership with the Society and local volunteers, with support from Horncastle Town Council, ELDC and Arts Council England, the Horse Fair is a celebration of the town’s heritage and history at the same time as being a wonderful community get-together where new traditions are created!

With performances, craft workshops, talks, food & drink and even a parade, it’s a brilliant event that brings the town together.
Download a copy of the programme here, or visit the Horncastle Horse Fair Facebook page or Instagram for the latest updates.

Horncastle's Horrid History - Walk
2025-09-13 10:00 - 11:30 | Joseph Banks Centre, 7-13 Bridge Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HZ, United Kingdom
On Saturday September 13th we will be staging our Horrid History walk around Horncastle, as part of Heritage Open Days. See and hear about the fascinating history of our town, as well as some of the key characters that have shaped its development. You”ll also see some of the fine architecture that Horncastle has to offer.Meet with historian Nick Fox at the Joseph Banks Centre, 7 – 13 Bridge Street, Horncastle LN9 5HZ. The walk starts at 10am and takes about 90 minutes. There’s no charge for this event.

Mud and Stud Buildings in Lincolnshire - Jenne Pape
2025-09-17 19:30 - 21:00 | Horncastle Community Centre, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF, United Kingdom
Join Jenne Pape to explore the history of Lincolnshire’s beautiful traditional cottages built using the ‘mud and stud’ technique.
Members admission is £2, and non-members £5.
Tea, coffee and biscuits are available for a donation.

The Lincolnshire Rising Walk
2025-10-04 10:00 - 23:30 | Joseph Banks Centre, 7-13 Bridge Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HZ, United Kingdom
Join historian Nick Fox to hear more about the Lincolnshire Rising of 1536 – a major challenge to the authority of King Henry VIII. Find out why the King called us “the most brute and beastly shire” and how matters took a dark turn in Horncastle

Horncastle in World War II - Ian Marshman
2025-10-15 19:30 - 20:30 | Horncastle Community Centre, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF, United Kingdom
Join Ian Marshman for a talk based on our exhibition to celebrate the 80th anniversary of VE Day.
We’ll look at life during wartime, from the experience of local men fighting overseas to soldiers stationed in town.
The talk will also explore stories from the home front here in Horncastle with evacuees, air raids, and rationing.
Members admission is £2, and non-members £5.
Tea, coffee and biscuits are available for a donation.

Stories of Lincolnshire: Heroic, Tragic and Bizarre - Mick Lake
2025-11-19 19:30 - 21:00 | Horncastle Community Centre, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF, United Kingdom
Join local history author Mick Lake as he shares fascinating stories from Lincolnshire, including tragic or bizarre events that happened to county folk in days gone by.
Members’ admision is £2; non members £5.
Tea and coffee are available for a donation.

Christmas Party
2025-12-10 | Horncastle Masonic Lodge, Banks St, Horncastle, LN9 5BW
Our annual Christmas party for members is always a fun event. Features a two course festive meal and a quiz

The Railway that Horncastle built
2026-01-21 19:30 - 20:30 | Horncastle Community Centre, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF, United Kingdom
A talk to coincide with our new book about the Horncastle branch railway, to be published in February. We hope to have the book on sale for this event.
Tim Leffler, the chairman of the Great Northern Railway Society, will talk about how the GNR in Lincolnshire came about. We will also have a short slide show about the Horncastle branch.
Admission fee £2 for members, £5 for non members

Archives Open Day
2026-01-24 10:00 - 16:00 | Horncastle Community Centre, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF, United Kingdom
Come along to our annual archives open day to find out more about the history of your town. Our experts will be on hand with original artefacts and will be happy to answer your questions and show you some of our archive material. It’s always a popular day and we will be very pleased to meet you.
There is a small admission charge of £1 – but under 18s are free!

Ran-tanning and Riding the Stang
2026-02-18 19:30 - 20:30 | Horncastle Community Centre, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF, United Kingdom
Public disapproval used to take a very visible and audible form: “ran – tanning” or “riding the stang” consisted of a crowd gathering outside someone’s house, banging pots and pans and making as much noise as they could. The custom has now largely died out, at least in physical form. Historian Andrew Walker describes what this noisy penalty used to involve.
Presented by Dr Andrew Walker.
Entrance fee £2 for members, £5 for non members

TALK: Torrington's Tour of Lincolnshire, 1791
2026-03-18 19:30 - 20:30 | Horncastle Community Centre, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF, United Kingdom
John Byng was a sometimes irascible diarist who documented his travels on horseback throughout Great Britain between 1781 and 1794. His journeys across Lincolnshire include several testy and irritable descriptions of our local towns, villages and people, but also some endearing recollections of life in this country over 200 years ago. He later succeeded to the title of Viscount Torrington.
Presented by Brian Davey.
Admission charge £2 members, £5 non members

TALK: W K Morton, Media Baron of Horncastle
2026-04-15 19:30 - 20:30 | Horncastle Community Centre, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF, United Kingdom
William Kirkham Morton was a printer and stationer in Horncastle who went on to found the Horncastle News. The first edition of our local nespaper was printed in 1885.
Robert Bell presents this fascinating account of Horncastle’s very own media baron.
Entry is £2 for members and £5 for non members.

Society AGM
2026-05-20 19:30 - 20:30 | Horncastle Community Centre, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF, United Kingdom

TALK: Marwood's Long Drop
2026-06-17 19:30 - 20:30 | Horncastle Community Centre, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF, United Kingdom
From cobbler to state executioner: hear the extraordinary story of how a local man offered his services to the national justice system in Victorian Britain and Ireland. Convinced that his “long drop” system of execution offered a far more humane method of executing prisoners convicted of capital offences, William Marwood became famous across the country. This account includes some background history about the development and eventual abolition of capital punishment.
This talk will link in to our William Marwood exhibition at the Sir Joseph Banks Centre, which starts on June 25.
Please note that due to the subject matter, the talk may not be suitable for all.
Presented by Adam Cartwright.
Admission charge: members £2, non members £5

TALK: Lincolnshire Links with New Zealand
2026-07-15 19:30 - 20:30 | Horncastle Community Centre, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF, United Kingdom
Admission charge £2 members, £5 non members

Horncastle Horse Fair 2026
2026-08-08 | Horncastle Community Centre, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF, United Kingdom
Save the date! Horncastle’s community arts and heritage celebration is back for the fourth year this August, with a range of activities and events taking place in the town centre, around the ‘Mane Event’ on Saturday 8th August 2026.
The event takes its inspiration from the town’s ancient summer fair held since at least 1229 at the Feast of St Lawrence. Horncastle’s Horse Fair was said to be the largest fair for horses in the world, bringing buyers from across Europe and beyond.
Today we invite locals and visitors alike to join in the fun and help create new traditions.
This page will be updated as more details are announced.

TALK: John Cussons: Horncastle's American Civil War hero
2026-09-16 19:30 - 20:30 | Horncastle Community Centre, Manor House Street, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, LN9 5HF, United Kingdom

TALK: Oliver Cromwell was here?
2026-10-21 19:30 - 20:30 | Lincolnshire

TALK: The Sir Joseph Banks Centre building restoration in 2005
2026-11-18 19:30 - 20:30 | Lincolnshire
