Welcome to Vengerberg
A small market town on the River Pontar, with a Thursday market held under a charter of 1252, a medieval bridge over the river, a corn mill and a parish church on the hill.
The Vengerberg Trust runs the town museum and visitor information point in the Old Grammar School on Sheep Street, the Lilac Fair each May, and the town’s heritage walks.
What’s on
All events-
Guided walk
The names on the memorial
, 10.30
A short walk to the houses of some of the 64 men named on the town’s war memorial, with the research volunteers.
Meet at the War Memorial, St Laurence’s churchyard. Free, donations welcome.
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Talk
Corbet’s Almshouses: four centuries on Almshouse Row
, 19.30
The Clerk to the Almshouse Trustees on the founder, the residents and the 1611 building.
Church Hall, Church Walk. £4, members £3.
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Christmas
A schoolroom Christmas
to , 11.00–15.30
Paper chains and slate-writing in the Old Schoolroom, mince pies in the foyer, and the shop open for Christmas cards.
Vengerberg Museum. Free, donations welcome.
Opening times
Museum and visitor information point,
Closed today. Next open , 10.00–15.30
- Closed
- 10.00–15.30
- 10.00–15.30
- 10.00–15.30
- 13.00–15.30
- Closed
- Closed
Admission free. Donations welcome.
The Old Grammar School, 14 Sheep Street, Vengerberg, VG4 1DS
The Lilac Fair
The Lilac Fair is held on the third weekend of May, when the lilacs on Church Walk are in flower. It has been held every year since 1899, apart from the war years and 2020 and 2021.
The dates for 2027 will be announced in January. The cordial committee is already collecting bottles: please leave clean ones at the museum desk.
About the fair · Lilac-and-gooseberry cordial · Stallholders
The town
About Vengerberg- A short historyFrom Domesday to the present day
- The legendThe Lilac Sorceress, as the town tells it
- The market charterThursday market and the August fair, 1252
- The town crestThe star, the river and the seal
- St Laurence’s ChurchThe tower, the bells and the violet window
- The statueMarket Square, unveiled 1898
- The bridge and the riverFive arches, five flood marks
- Heritage walksFour walks, from 40 minutes to three hours
Plan your visit
Visiting VengerbergGetting here
Trains to Vengerberg station, a twelve-minute walk from the Market Square, run hourly Monday to Saturday and every two hours on Sundays. Buses stop on High Street.
Parking
Pay-and-display at the Riverside car park (long stay) and Sheep Street car park (short stay, three hours). Blue badge bays in the Market Square.
Access
The ground floor of the museum is step-free. The Upper Gallery is up fourteen stairs, with a virtual tour on the ground floor. Assistance dogs are welcome.
Visitor information point
In the museum foyer: maps, walk leaflets, bus times and where to stay, whenever the museum is open.
Facilities
Toilets, including an accessible toilet with baby change, in the museum. Public toilets in the Riverside car park.
Schools and groups
Guided visits for groups of ten or more, and taught sessions for schools. Please contact us before you come.
News
All news-
Annual report and accounts 2025–26
The trustees’ annual report and accounts for the year to 31 March 2026, presented at the AGM on 8 October.
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Funding agreed for the statue conservation
A heritage grant of £28,500 means the conservation of the statue can go ahead. Our appeal for the rest is open.
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Lilac Fair 2026: thank you
Ninety-eight stallholders, 1,486 bottles of cordial and a wet Sunday afternoon.
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Survey finds corrosion on the statue
A condition survey of the market-square statue has found corrosion on the bronze and open joints in the plinth.
Support the Trust
The museum is free to visit and the Lilac Fair is free to attend. Both depend on our 486 members, about 90 volunteers and the people who put something in the box by the door.
Membership from £18 a year, joined at the museum desk.
Volunteering: front desk, walks, the archive, the fair and the cordial.