History of The Friends
The Friends of Lancaster Judges’ Lodgings came into being in 2016 when a group of local people got together to try and keep the venue open as a museum and community asset.
This was at a time when, due to funding cuts, museums across the county were being threatened with closure. The Judges’ Lodgings did in fact close in September 2016.
A charitable Trust was formed – The Lancaster Judges’ Lodgings Museum Trust – After negotiations with Lancashire County Council, the Council decided to work towards its reopening for three days each week, nine months of the year.
The Trust and the County Council share a Memorandum of Understanding to promote the best interests of the Judges’ Lodgings.
In March 2019 Lancaster Judges’ Lodgings reopened staffed by a mixture of paid staff and volunteers and since then there has been a busy programme of events organised by the museum and the Friends to help make it a successful and welcoming destination in Lancaster.
What do the Friends do?
The Friends of Lancaster Judges’ Lodgings is a group working within the Trust to assist in maintaining and promoting the Lodgings as one of the premier heritage attractions in Lancaster.
The Friends take part in a range of activities, sharing in events organised by the Library, Museum, Culture & Registrar Service.
They also run their own events to help raise money for the development of the museum. These have included talks, concerts, art exhibitions, workshops and social occasions. A Victorian Tea Room is organised once a month on the first Saturday of the month held in the Education Room and weather permitting in the courtyard. It is now a popular event and raised over £2800 for the museum on 2025. If you would like to help at the tearoom or baking a cake, please email the secretary on [email protected].
Volunteers from the Friends act as room stewards and help maintain the Judges’ Lodgings garden. On top of that, they run regular meetings every other month and provide a monthly e-newsletter.
Find out more about joining The Friends – membership details and pricing here >