With half-term and Halloween fast approaching, Oliver Cromwell’s House in Ely is coming back to life like never before - with a range of colourful characters and creepy tales.

Starting on Monday October 25, there will be a range of activities taking place.

Following the recent trend of ‘working from home’, the former ‘master of the house’ is coming back to his former office... Oliver Cromwell is back and bewildered by modern technology.

He’ll be in the museum’s oak-panelled Tithe Office at 11am to midday, 2-3pm and 4-5pm.

Why not visit, tour his former home, and then bring any of your questions and ask them directly to the man himself?

This activity is included in the usual admission price, as is the Barber Surgeon who will be joining on Tuesday October 26.

He’ll be there all day with his range of cures, preventatives and frankly worrying interventions for common, uncommon, and unheard-of conditions and illnesses.

Have you ever wondered where to pop a leech? Or perhaps the 17th century cure for toothache? Well, now you can find out.. in gruesome detail.

On the note of gruesome and unpleasant afflictions, Oliver Cromwell’s House has apologised in advance for the sudden reappearance of Professor A. Bismal.

Also known as the Guru of Gore, the Magus of the Macabre
and the Professionally Putrefied, he has returned for the first time in over three years to lead a tour of Oliver Cromwell’s House.

The ‘horrid house’ tour will guide people through work, life, disease and death in the 17th Century with nothing hidden - all the wobbly and weird bits of history are left in.

Tickets are priced at £5 per person and can be booked online or via the Tourist Information Centre at Oliver Cromwell’s House.

But that isn’t all because Oliver Cromwell’s House is opening the ‘black door’ on the evening of October 28 for a children’s Halloween event.

There is nothing as scary as children bored during the school holidays, so why not let them experience something spooky?

With amusements in every room of the spooky house and sweet treats for all after every activity, there'll be spooky tales aplenty plus a gift bag at the end for every young person attending.

Adults aren’t forgotten either, as they’ll receive a few treats and maybe a trick or two.

Children’s tickets cost £5 and adult entry is £8. Timed slots are available from 5-7pm.

Anna Bennett, tourism, town centre and events manager at Visit Ely, said: “We’ve really worked hard to create something really rather unusual for this half-term.

“It’s been a long couple of years, and we wanted to do something light-hearted, entertaining, and enjoyable for our younger visitors.

“That doesn’t mean parents, grandparents or guardians will be left out. This is truly a week of events for children and children at heart!”

Bookings for all events that require pre-booking can be made at www.olivercromwellshouse.co.uk or by calling 01353 662062.