For the first time, this year the Heritage Open Days will run for 10 consecutive days between the 13th and the 22nd September. 2019 celebrates 25 years of the Heritage Open Days, England’s contribution to the European Heritage Days.
The first event in 1994 had 701 events. The event has now grown to be the country’s largest heritage festival with over 5,000 free events taking place across the country. The festival gives visitors the opportunity to explore places not normally open to the public, learning more about their local heritage.
Below are just a small sample of some of the events taking place this year:
575 Wandsworth Road, South West London
Sunday 15th September and Sunday 22nd September.
Special childrens’ tours will be taking place at the National Trust property in South West London, where children can search for carved animals, birds and figures in the property decorated by Kenyan poet, Khadambi Asalache. Pre-booking is required to attend.
Dr Johnson’s House, London
Sunday 15th September.
Try on Georgian costumes and explore this 300 year old period townhouse which will be open to the public for the day for free. No booking is required to visit.
Former County Police Station, Abingdon
Saturday 21st September.
Originally the Berkshire County Police Station, the police station remained in use after Abingdon moved to Oxfordshire before recently being converted to housing. The central part of the former police station, which still includes three police cells will be open for visitors to learn about the history of the building. Prior booking is not required.
See Costumed 12th Century Life in Guildford
Saturday 14th September.
Watch re-enactments of medieval life and fight demonstrations at Castle Green by Guildford Castle. Adults and children will also be able to have a go at archery at a cost of £1 for 5 arrows. No booking is required to attend.
The story of the regicide of Charles I, Winchester
Saturday 21st September at 2:30pm.
Historian Rebecca Rideal will be holiding a talk and Q&A at the Winchester Discovery Centre on Charles I and how he came to be beheaded as a traitor in 1649. Pre-booking is required for this event.
Thatcham’s History Walking Tour
Saturday 15th September.
Starting at the Old Bluecoat School, take a self-guided tour of 3 historically significant heritage buildings in Thatcham. In addition to the Old Bluecoat School, the tour will also visit James J Money’s Chapel in London Road Cemetry and Thatcham Parish Hall. Historians will be on hand throughout the day to answer any questions that you have about Thatcham’s history.
The Gothic Temple, Buckingham
Saturday 21st September and Sunday 22nd September.
Not normally open to the public, the Gothic Temple was built in 1741 by James Gibbs. Since the 1970s it has been let by The Landmark Trust for holidays, but for this weekend the building will be open to the public for free. No booking is required.
Replacing or Repairing Your Timber Windows
Older heritage buildings require exceptional attention to detail as they would have originally been built by highly skilled craftsmen and would not have been built to a ‘standard’ size. This means that when replacing period features, such as timber windows, they need to be bespoke.
Do you live in a period property with timber windows? Established in 1994, The Sash Window Workshop has extensive experience manufacturing, installing and repairing timber windows in period properties across London and Southern England. We also offer a supply only service for new joinery nationwide.
Our new timber windows are manufactured in our workshop in Berkshire by our specialist craftsmen. All the windows are bespoke, made to your exact specification. Where necessary, we can comply to conservation area or listed building requirements.
For a free, no obligation quotation to replace or repair your timber windows, contact us on: 01344 868 668.
Please note that the above events are subject to change. For a full list of the events taking place, visit the Heritage Open Days website.
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