Events

This page provides details of the events that The Sand House Charity has arranged and others that it will be involved in. Click on any event that has a pale grey background in order to expand the description and see all the details.

Where the event is an illustrated talk at the request of a host group (for example, at a local history society or a Women’s Institute branch) we suggest that you make contact with that group to check that they allow visitors, before attending.

If you are interested in arranging an illustrated talk about the Sand House for a group that you are involved with, please note that, for the time being, our talks are mostly restricted to daytimes only. For more details please contact us.

Please keep checking back on this page for updates. Thank you.

Discover the Sand House: A Guided Walk - Sunday 3rd August 2025, 3pm

The Sand House and its tunnels may have disappeared, but the clues to their former existence are still there to be found. See them for yourself on this 90-minute guided walk (BOOKING ESSENTIAL).

This is a walking tour of the locality of the former Sand House led by Richard Bell, a direct descendant of the Sand House’s creator, Henry Senior. With the help of old plans and historic images you will discover how the house developed and where it and its tunnels once lay in relation to the modern layout. You will stand directly above the Elephant and Mahout carving, which is the iconic image of the Sand House.

For full details and to book tickets, please visit: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/EZKW

Sand House at the Doncaster Family History Fair - Saturday 16th August 2025, 10am to 4pm

For the first time, Doncaster & District Family History Society will be holding its annual Family History Fair in the newly restored Corn Exchange, Market Square, Doncaster. We are excited to participate and look forward to seeing lots of visitors in this wonderful Grade II* listed building.

More details to follow in due course.

"A Storytelling Hand" - An Architectural Drawing Workshop - Saturday 20th September 2025, 10:30am

Learn the secrets of architectural sketching/drawing! This event will demonstrate how such drawing can embolden connections and illuminate narrative, in this case to a unique part of Doncaster’s heritage: The Sand House. It is brought to you by The Sand House Charity as part of Heritage Open Days 2025, and will be led by Jacob Peplow, a qualified architect.
PRE-BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL due to limited capacity.

The session will begin with a short presentation about architectural drawings and theory, with examples from global practices, before moving on to a short workshop of drawing the Sand House.
The event is free of charge and is open to adults and children over 12.

For further details and to book places, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/uk/EZHF

"The Sand House - An Architectural Marvel", illustrated talk for Heritage Open Days - Saturday 20th September 2025, 2pm

Heritage Open Days is an England-wide annual festival of history and culture. This year’s theme is ‘Architecture’, which means that the Sand House is a real shoo-in. Richard Bell will be giving an hour-long illustrated talk about the architecture of the Sand House, including some new material not included in previous talks. This event will be free, but TICKETS MUST BE PRE-BOOKED due to limited capacity. You may book your free tickets from 2nd June onwards by clicking this link.

The venue is Danum Gallery, Library and Museum, Waterdale, Doncaster DN1 3BZ.