Stapleford Granary Arts Centre - Cambridgeshire

24/06/2026

Jenny Gibson and Emily Shingler often work side by side, responding to the same type of subjects – such as animals, nature, or organically shaped ceramics. They both enjoy visiting museum collections and art galleries, finding inspiration in the work of other artists.

Jenny Gibson’s work shows her many years of artistic experience; her drawings and paintings are mature with great confidence in light strokes. She’s able to give life to her subject with just a couple of delicate lines. Jenny’s passion for art informs her rich visual vocabulary and understanding of different techniques.

Emily Shingler is in a much earlier phase of her artistic journey, freely experimenting with a variety of techniques. Her paintings demonstrate an impressive sensibility for combining exuberant colours, strong patterns and daring compositional choices.

By showing their works together in this exhibition, their individual artistic voices are highlighted and enforced.

Founded in 1984, Rowan is an arts centre and forest school for adults with learning disabilities. It provides a safe, creative and enriching environment where the arts are used to bring people together, build confidence and tackle social exclusion. Rowan offers a wide range of hands-on creative workshops including woodwork, ceramics, textiles and printmaking, encouraging personal growth, skill development and self-expression through creativity.

Their work will be on display on the Granary cafe wall 25 June - 4 August.

24/06/2026

Due to the extreme heat this week, we’ve taken the decision to close the café early at 2pm on Thursday and Friday. ☀️

With temperatures climbing, and especially in a busy kitchen environment, we’re making this small change to support the wellbeing of our team and help everyone stay safe in the heat.

Thank you for your understanding. Do pop in for coffee, cake or lunch before 2pm if you’re passing by.

Stay cool, stay hydrated, and take care of yourselves out there.

24/06/2026

MESSY TUESDAYS & CRAFTY THURSDAYS 🎨

Looking for fun ways to keep little ones entertained this summer? We’ve got you covered at Stapleford Granary!

Join us for a series of creative, hands-on sessions where imagination takes centre stage. From colourful crafts to magical makes, there’s something exciting happening every week…

What’s on:
21 July – Paper Plants
23 July – Kings & Queens, Wizards & Witches
28 July – Hopping Frogs
30 July – Paper Pizza Party
4 August – Recycled Robots
6 August – Safari Animals

Sessions at 9:30am, 10:45am, 1:00pm & 2:15pm
Suitable for age 3+ (children must be accompanied by an adult)
£4 per child – all materials provided

Booking is recommended as our crafty days are very popular!

Find out more & book via the link in the bio.
Or call: 01223 849004

Get ready for a summer full of creativity, colour and fun.

22/06/2026

On Friday we welcomed Lady Maisery alongside Jimmy Aldridge and Sid Goldsmith for their beautiful Wakefire: An Incantation to Summer performance here in our courtyard at Stapleford Granary. The combination of rich harmonies, storytelling and spellbinding musicianship felt even more magical in the heat of a golden midsummer evening, the perfect setting for songs celebrating the season.

We’re now fully into our Summer Courtyard Concert season, and there are only limited tickets left for the remaining shows including Dallahan on 11 July, with Matt Ford Trio already sold out.

19/06/2026

The Day It Rained Chocolate Buttons - Storytelling by Andy Lawrence, Theatre of Widdershins

Mr Brusseltop, a dedicated turnip farmer, discovers treasure in his field one day, but is worried that his very talkative wife will let the greedy Tzar find out. How can he stop the gossip?

Theatre of Widdershins was created by Andy Lawrence in 1994, performing eight major productions in festivals, theatres. libraries and schools. Andy is a self-taught puppet marker whose previous work includes costume commissions for the Light Entertainment Department of the BBC, puppet and prop making for theatre companies and collaborations with the Norwich Puppet Theatre and the Roald Dahl Story Company.

To find out more about our storyteller in residence, head to our website https://www.staplefordgranary.org.uk/

15/06/2026

Looking forward to this!

TOOUUURRRR!

Can’t wait to head out on tour this autumn. We’ll be hopping on the train and bringing a bunch of folk songs and tunes to lots of lovely venues!

Tickets are on sale now - we sold out quite a few dates on the last tour, so get a head start and book today! (ticket link in comments)

See you there!

06/11 - Beehive Folk Club, Sheffield

07/11 - The Assembly Rooms, Presteigne Mid Border Arts

12/11 - The Stables MK Milton Keynes

13/11 - Squire Performing Arts Centre, Nottingham

14/11 - Hepworth Live, Holmfirth

15/11 - Otley Courthouse

18/11 - The Fleece Inn, Bretforton

19/11 - Greenbank Folk Club, Bristol

20/11 - Calstock Arts, Cornwall

21/11 - The Acorn, Penzance

25/11 - Stapleford Granary Arts Centre - Cambridgeshire

26/11 - The Barn At Baston, Peterborough

27/11 - St George's Hall Bewdley

28/11 - Coniston Institute, Cumbria

Photo by Declan Creffield

[ID: Tour poster featuring the dates listed above. Photo of Lewis, George, and Cohen standing in front of a metal fence with a bright blue sky. They’re all wearing sweatshirts and hoodies and are looking directly down the lens, with their faces glowing in golden hour light.]

15/06/2026

Cabinet of Curiosities: Ulla Frisch. 18 June - 25 August.

Ulla Blau was born in Vienna in 1921. Her father was an engineer with a Jewish background, and her mother was from Hamburg. Ulla came to England as a refugee in 1938 aged 17 and lived mostly in Cambridge until her death, aged 98. She enjoyed a long and fulfilling creative life as a graphic designer and artist working in various media. Her works range from tiny wood engravings to much larger lino cuts, collages, drawings and paintings, and three-dimensional items.

Her talent was recognised at an early age; she left school at the age of 14 to work in the graphic design studio of Julius Klinger in Vienna. Klinger was one of the leading poster designers in history, responsible for developing many of the principles of design still used today. Recognised as a trendsetting, forward-thinking innovator during his lifetime, Klinger sought to reconcile the applied arts with commerce and industry by reevaluating the role of the graphic artist in society. In a reference, he described Ulla, then only 17, as ‘an exceptionally gifted graphic artist, who produced special and individual work, in particular in the modern techniques of publicity graphics. The precision and accuracy of her work in the field of script are outstanding.’

This Cabinet of Curiosites includes examples of Ulla’s prints, collages, sculptures and craft activities. The materials for the exhibition are kindly loaned to us by Monica Frisch, Ulla’s daughter, who lives in Cambridge.

For more information please head to the exhibition page of our website ➡️ https://www.staplefordgranary.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions-overview

11/06/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us last night for our Pop-Up Bar and the preview of Shirley Baker: Children at Play. It was fantastic to see the Granary buzzing with conversation, visitors exploring the exhibition, and people gathering together to celebrate the opening of our summer show.

Shirley Baker (1932–2014) was one of Britain’s most compelling documentary photographers. Her images capture children at play in the streets of Manchester and Salford during a time of enormous social change, documenting not just childhood, but community, creativity and everyday life. The exhibition runs from 11 June to 25 August.

If you couldn’t make the preview don’t worry, the exhibition is now officially open and we would love to welcome you over the summer. Take your time exploring these remarkable photographs, pick up an exhibition booklet, enjoy a coffee in the café and perhaps share some of your own memories of playing out as a child.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the evening so special. We look forward to seeing many more of you over the coming weeks.

08/06/2026

Do you remember the games you played outside as a child?

The made-up adventures. The endless summer evenings. The chalk drawings, dens, skipping ropes, footballs, bikes and the call to come home when it started getting dark.

This week, our Summer exhibition Shirley Baker: Children at Play opens at Stapleford Granary, celebrating the remarkable work of pioneering British photographer Shirley Baker, whose compassionate photographs captured children at play and the communities around them during a time of huge social change.

Alongside the exhibition, we’d love to create a shared collection of memories about what playing out meant to different generations.

We’re inviting you to dig out your childhood photos, share your favourite playground games, rhymes and memories, and tell us what outdoor play looked like where you grew up.

Share a photo of yourself playing outside as a child.
Tell us about your favourite game or playground rhyme.
Post your memories on Facebook or Instagram using and tag Stapleford Granary so we can share some of our favourites.

Whether you spent your days climbing trees, building dens, playing hopscotch, kerby, British Bulldog or making up games with friends, we’d love to hear your stories.

Let’s celebrate the joy, freedom and imagination of playing out. What are your favourite childhood memories?

07/06/2026

A little reminder that our much-loved Pop-Up Bar is back this Wednesday evening, and if you’re planning to join us, we strongly recommend booking a table in advance.

This month’s Pop-Up Bar coincides with the opening preview of Shirley Baker: Children at Play, a beautiful exhibition celebrating the joy, creativity and community spirit of childhood through the lens of one of Britain’s most compelling social documentary photographers. The preview evening also includes a screening of Shirley Baker: Life Through a Lens, making it a wonderful opportunity to enjoy an evening of art, conversation, food and drink. The exhibition opens officially on 11 June and runs until 25 August.

Whether you’re coming to explore the exhibition, catch up with friends over a glass of wine, or simply enjoy a relaxed summer evening we’d love to see you.

Tables are filling up quickly, so book now to avoid disappointment. [email protected]