Petit Fours

(18 March, 2026)

🧢 Take time out to discover “one of Cambridge’s most underrated museums”

David Parr House - the home of Victorian working-class artist David Parr - has been ‘discovered’ by Time Out. “Cambridge is mostly known for its gothic spires, its grand university buildings and the enormous treasure trove of art and antiquities that is the Fitzwilliam Museum,” began its piece about this remarkable property “But elsewhere in the city,” it added, “There’s an unassuming little house that contains its own treasure trove”. Describing it as one of Cambridge’s most underrated museums, the article talked of the programme of exhibitions and talks on the theme of ‘Maps, travel and journeys’ it is staging this year, and also highlighted the new walking trail of the city that is being launched on 1 April by David Parr House.

David Parr House, Cambridge.

🧢 Lara Croft - 30 years later

One of Derby’s most famous ‘daughters’, Lara Croft, turned 30 on 14 February - at around the same time it was announced that actress Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) will play Crystal Dynamics’ Lara Croft in the new Amazon/MGM studios Tomb Raider live-action TV series, with co-star Sigourney Weaver, from executive producer Phoebe Waller-Bridge for exclusive streaming on Prime Video. With shooting for the movie already under way, Visit Derby is currently preparing for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that is likely to strike a “set-jetting” chord for the UK tourism industry. The current Tomb Raider Trail of Derby, which already attracts visitors from around the globe to the city, is being revised and refreshed; an exhibition entitled Lara Croft - 30 Years On will include making one or two areas of Pickford House look similar to the interior of Croft Manor; a plan is in place to raise funds for a Lara statue in the city; and, while the annual Tomb Raider event in the city in October has already sold out, there are plenty of other ideas to transform Derby into the place to be for all Tomb Raider fans in 2026 - and beyond. Watch this space for further details. The series itself does not yet have an official release date - although it is expected to be in 2027.

The Lara Croft star in Iron Gate, featured in a trail of famous Derby people around the city centre.

🧢 This week’s ‘Top Pick’ @WeightmanPR: Puppets Galore!

For over 60 years, the Temps d’M Festival in Charleville-Mézières has celebrated the art of puppetry and cultures from around the world, combining artistic excellence with a friendly atmosphere. Staged every two years - and alternating with the biannual World Puppet Festival in Charleville-Mézières - this event brings together artists, creators, puppeteers, and spectators from all walks of life to share original and creative experiences. As ever, the 2026 programme between 16 and 20 September includes professional and amateur shows, workshops, meetings, and performances that highlight the diversity of forms, aesthetics, and cultures. The French Ardennes and Charleville-Mézières, in particular, is a world capital of puppetry. The next World Puppet Festival will be staged here in September, 2027. For a true flavour of what this offers, sit back and enjoy this video of some of the highlights from the Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes 2025.

World Puppet Festival, Charleville-Mézières, The French Ardennes. (IMAGE CREDIT: David Truillard).

🧢 Beyond the Bottle Oven

Two iconic names in Stoke‑on‑Trent ceramics are coming together to celebrate the industry’s past, present and future. The Beyond the Bottle Oven experience was officially launched by The Great Pottery Throw Down judge Keith Brymer Jones, last week. From the end of March, monthly tours will allow visitors to explore the historic Gladstone Pottery Museum before stepping inside the nearby Duchess China factory. The combined visit connects traditional bottle kilns and workshops with contemporary fine china production, showing how long-established skills continue to shape the industry today. Brymer Jones said: “You come to this heritage site, and you walk literally through the years of people creating wonderful work. You then walk across the road, and you go to Duchess, and they’re doing the same thing in the 21st century. The more we can do to expose the talent and creativity of the wonderful city of Stoke the more people will be invested in what people do here. That’s what I think is so exciting about this initiative of marrying the old and the new.

Keith Brymer Jones ceramicist, and expert judge on TV’s Great Pottery Throw Down, at the launch of the new visitor experience at Gladstone Pottery Museum.