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Events

Hear first-hand from world experts, catch a medieval spy, or investigate what the map means for the present day.

Join us for a series of events exploring the Hardyng Map and St Andrews in the medieval period. All events are free unless otherwise stated.

SpyCatcher Experience
When: Tuesday evenings, 5pm – 7pm, between 19 April and 10 May
Where: Wardlaw Museum
Who: Everyone, up to six people per group
Booking: Essential. Pay what you can £7/£12/£18 per group. Bookings here.
We have a mission for you. Solve the clues and catch medieval spy John Hardyng before he shares the secrets of his map with the English king.
Become a #SpyCatcher in our Escape Room Experience. Have you got what it takes? Time to catch John Hardyng.

Critical Conversations: The Hardyng Map and Scottish Independence
When: 
Live on Tuesday 8 February, 7:30pm to 8:15pm
Where: 
Microsoft Teams. Click here to join the event.
Who: 
Adults
Booking: No booking required
Whose voices are missing from museums? Which stories are not told? Which uncomfortable histories remain hidden? And how can museums move forward? From empire and colonialism to climate, identity and more, Critical Conversations bring together voices from a variety of perspectives to consider the critical issues. You will also have the opportunity to submit your thoughts and questions for the panel’s consideration. This month we’ll discuss what this medieval map of Scotland, created to encourage claims of English sovereignty over Scotland, can tell us about Scottish independence.


Museum Storytime: Papal Bull
When: Available from Wednesday 16 February
Where: AnchorSpotify and other podcasting platforms
Who: All ages
Join us for a moment of calm. Our collections are full to the brim with objects that have interesting stories to tell. Take 10 minutes out of your day to hear them in Museum Storytime. Today we’ll be exploring the story of the Papal Bull and the Foundation of the University in 1413.

The Curiosity Conversation
Professor Michael Brown and Dr Bess Rhodes: Cult, Church, City

When: Available from Thursday 24 February
Where: AnchorSpotify and other podcasting platforms
Who: Adults
The Curiosity Conversation speaks with a different expert every month to explore the world through the unexpected, ground-breaking or contested aspects of the stories museums tell. This month Professor Michael Brown and Dr Bess Rhodes talk about St Andrews in the Middle Ages and what it means for us today.

I Want To Be… A Spy
When: Saturday 26 February, 10am-12pm
Where: Wardlaw Museum
Who: Families
Booking: Drop in, no booking required
Drop into the Wardlaw Museum to get insider experience into different kinds of jobs that University can lead you to, and spend some time with the people who know all about them. From virtual reality to experiments to code-busting, we’ll explore a different job every month. Today, learn from medieval spy John Hardyng what it takes to be the next James Bond, try your hand at solving some clues and meet a Professor of International Relations and former diplomat who knows a thing or two about collecting intelligence.

Museum Storytime: John Hardyng’s Map of Scotland
When: Available from Wednesday 2 March
Where: AnchorSpotify and other podcasting platforms
Who: All ages
Join us for a moment of calm. Our collections are full to the brim with objects that have interesting stories to tell. Take 10 minutes out of your day to hear them in Museum Storytime. Today we’ll be exploring a story of the medieval spy, John Hardyng, and his map of Scotland.

Critical Conversations: Religious Division in Museums
When: 
Live on Tuesday 8 March, 7:30pm to 8:15pm
Where: 
Microsoft Teams. Click here for the event.
Who: 
Adults
Booking: No booking required
Whose voices are missing from museums? Which stories are not told? Which uncomfortable histories remain hidden? And how can museums move forward? From empire and colonialism to climate, identity and more, Critical Conversations bring together voices from a variety of perspectives to consider the critical issues. This month we’ll examine religious division at the end of the Middle Ages and explore how we can sensitvely tell these stories in museums. You will also have the opportunity to submit your thoughts and questions for the panel’s consideration. 

Museum Storytime: Pilgrimage to Medieval St Andrews
When: Available from Wednesday 16 March
Where: AnchorSpotify and other podcasting platforms
Who: All ages
Join us for a moment of calm. Our collections are full to the brim with objects that have interesting stories to tell. Take 10 minutes out of your day to hear them in Museum Storytime. Today we’ll be exploring the story of pilgrimage to St Andrews in the Middle Ages.

Explore the Medieval Library
When: Friday 18 March, 2pm-3pm
Where: Martyrs’ Kirk Reading Room
Who: Adults
Booking: Essential. Bookings here.
A rare opportunity to explore manuscripts and early printed books from medieval St Andrews with archivist Rachel Hart. Rachel brings these treasures out from storage so that you can see them up close and unlock the secrets they hold. Some of the items are linked to the medieval priory and even belonged to the Archbishop.

I Want To Be… A Computer Scientist
When: Saturday 26 March, 10am-12pm
Where: Wardlaw Museum
Who: Families
Booking: Drop in, no booking required.
Drop into the Wardlaw Museum to get insider experience into different kinds of jobs that University can lead you to, and spend some time with the people who know all about them. From virtual reality to experiments to code-busting, we’ll explore a different job every month. Today meet the computer scientists who created virtual recontructions of medieval St Andrews and find out what it takes to recreate the past using 21st century methods.

Museum Storytime: The Cult of St Andrew
When: Available from Wednesday 30 March
Where: AnchorSpotify and other podcasting platforms
Who: All ages
Join us for a moment of calm. Our collections are full to the brim with objects that have interesting stories to tell. Take 10 minutes out of your day to hear them in Museum Storytime. Today we’ll be exploring the Cult of St Andrew in the medieval period.

Medieval Manuscripts
When: Tuesday 5 April, 11am – 2pm
Where: Wardlaw Museum
Who: Families
Try your hand at the art of calligraphy and make your own medieval manuscript. Learn how scribes in the middle ages wrote and illustrated manuscripts like the ones in the Cult, Church, City exhibition. Drop in, no booking required.

Shining Stained Glass
When: Thursday 7 April, 11am – 2pm
Where: Wardlaw Museum
Who: Families
Drop into the Wardlaw Museum to design and make your own decoration inspired by medieval stained glass. Hang your decoration by a window and watch the colours shine through. No booking required.

Secret Seals
When: Tuesday 12 April, 11am – 2pm
Where: Wardlaw Museum
Who: Families
Seals were often used to keep medieval documents a secret. Make your own seal matrix to take home and personalise your top-secret letters. Drop in, no booking required.

Pilgrimage to Medieval St Andrews with Dr Ian Bradley
When:
Monday 11 April, 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Where:
Wardlaw Museum.
Who:
Adults
Booking:
Essential. Bookings here.
Join Dr Ian Bradley, expert in Celtic Christianity and author of the guide to the Fife Pilgrim Way, for a talk about Pilgrimage to Medieval St Andrews. Discover more about the cult of St Andrew and the experience of pilgrims to the town from a leading expert. The talk will end with a book signing.

Museum Storytime: Archbishop William Scheves
When: Available from Wednesday 13 April
Where: AnchorSpotify and other podcasting platforms
Who: All ages
Join us for a moment of calm. Our collections are full to the brim with objects that have interesting stories to tell. Take 10 minutes out of your day to hear them in Museum Storytime. Today we’ll be exploring Archbishop William Scheves.

Museum Storytime: St Andrews Cathedral
When: Available from Wednesday 27 April
Where: AnchorSpotify and other podcasting platforms
Who: All ages
Join us for a moment of calm. Our collections are full to the brim with objects that have interesting stories to tell. Take 10 minutes out of your day to hear them in Museum Storytime. Today we’ll be exploring the story of St Andrews Cathedral.

I Want To BeAn Archaeologist
When: Saturday 30 April, 10am-12pm
Where: Wardlaw Museum
Who: Families
Booking: Drop in, no booking required
Drop into the Wardlaw Museum to get insider experience into different kinds of jobs that University can lead you to, and spend some time with the people who know all about them. From virtual reality to experiments to code-busting, we’ll explore a different job every month. Today try your hand at archaeology and meet a real-life Indiana Jones.


Medieval Life Tour with Dr Bess Rhodes
When: Tuesday 17 May, 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Where: Meet at the Wardlaw Museum
Who: Adults
Booking: Essential. Bookings open soon.
Join Dr Bess Rhodes, an expert in medieval St Andrews, as she takes you on a tour of the town and explains what life was like for the everyday person in the Middle Ages.