What's On

We are delighted to be hosting our second touring exhibition throughout April at the Rumble Museum: the Jewish Heritage of England and the South East Exhibition.

JTrails, the Official UK Jewish Heritage Trail (part of one of the official Routes of European Heritage, supported by the Council of Europe), in conjunction with the Oxford University Chabad Society, have created a mobile exhibition covering the history and heritage of the Jews of the South East England, from medieval to modern times, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The places covered by the exhibition include Brighton and Hove, Hastings and St Leonards, Dover, Canterbury, Chatham and Rochester, Guildford, Sheerness and Blue Town, Oxford, Brackley, Bletchley Park, High Wycombe, The Rothschild Houses in Buckinghamshire, and Ramsgate.

This exhibition celebrates a fascinating, if little known, part of the national heritage and highlights the participation of  a minority community in England, over nearly 1,000 years and explores important contemporary themes.

Please contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you would like to book a viewing.

We are delighted to announce the Iris Festival of Natural History, Classics, Art and More on 27th March, 2019.

This event will be a large community event to celebrate the Rumble Museum at Cheney School as it continues the process of becoming the first Arts Council Accredited museum in a state school.

There will be five main discovery zones: Natural History, Art, Classics and Archaeology, Storytelling and Anthropology. Each zone will contain activities, stalls, exhibitions, workshops, and a wide range of visiting museums with artefacts to handle and explore. There will  be live shows including animatronic dinosaurs, as well as the opportunity to see birds of prey! There will also be fossils pits, printing at a vintage printing press, the Story Museum's Little Shop of Stories, an ancient Greek daily life museum, Roman music and mosaics, artists' exhibitions, as well as a cafe serving refreshments and hot and cold drinks.

In each zone, there is a wide range of visiting museums bringing artefacts to handle and explore, as well as a range of organisations running exciting activities ranging from floating magnets to ball pits!

The event will include expert talks as well as a wide range of stalls, activities and exhibitions. Visitors will be able to follow an exciting new model Dragonfly Trail as they explore the site, with each discovery zone containing striking decorations, workshops, stalls,  performances and activities themed on different aspects of museum learning.

A brochure is available to download here.

The stalls, activities and exhibitions run from 3.30 until 6pm. It is free and caters for all ages. Primary and secondary school groups are warmly welcome.

The following talks will also take place throughout the afternoon and evening:

3.30 - 4pm - Professor Richard Fortey, Natural Historian and Palaeontologist

4.15 - 4.45pm - Professor Helen King, 'Ancient Greek Magic and Medicine'

5.15 - 5.45pm - Peter Randall-Page, Artist and Sculptor, Royal Academician

6 - 6.30pm - Will Gompertz, BBC Chief Arts Correspondent

followed by drinks

The festival itself does not require booking unless you are visiting with a school group. Talks do need to be booked, and can be done so by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.