Last year, Heritage Open Days attracted over a million visitors - and with 90 per cent of the population living within 30 minutes of a Heritage Open Day event, more and more people are taking part. The four-day annual event takes place from Thursday 6 to Sunday 9 September and is co-ordinated by the Civic Trust with support from English Heritage and an army of 30,000 volunteers.
Some of the highlights of this year's Open Days events across our region include:
- Guru Teg Bahadur Sikh Gurdwara, Heritage Trail and Temple, Lenton, Nottingham - the Guru Teg Bahadur Gurdwara is housed in a Grade II listed Victorian school, within the Lenton Conservation Area.
- Life Through My Eyes, Chase Neighbourhood Centre, St Ann's, Nottingham - an English Heritage community project with Youth Inclusion Project and Nottingham City Youth Service.
- Magpie Mine, near Sheldon, Bakewell - visit the best surviving remains of a lead mine, with engine houses, an agent's house, explosive store and plenty of safely capped shafts to peer down.
- St Mary's Bridge Chapel, Sowter Road, Derby - Dating from the beginning of the 14th-century, this building is one of only six bridge chapels remaining in England.
- Dogdyke Steam Pumping Station in Tattershall Bridge, Boston - come and see the 1855 beam engine powering the scoop-wheel land drainage pump. It is the last remaining example still in steam in the UK.
- Ghosts, Gangs and the Gambia, All Saints' Church, Church Lane, Haugham - graveyard ghosts include a farming family linked with Eve and Renshaw's shop in Louth, farm labourers and a curious memorial to a governor of the Gambia.
- BBC Radio Northampton, Broadcasting House, Abingdon Street, Northampton - guided tours of BBC Radio Northampton studios, with a chance to watch programmes to go out on air, meet presenters and production staff.
- Northamptonshire Archaeology, 2 Bolton House, Wootton Hall Park, Mereway, Northampton - visit the archaeology unit offices, displaying finds and photographs with staff on hand to talk about archaeology and sites.
- Peace Pilgrimage, Leicester - this event is an organised bus tour with the opportunity to walk parts if prefer taking in all of the religious locations on the Faith Trail.
- Leicester Abbey, Abbey Park Road, Leicester - Leicester Abbey dates back to 1143. Find out what medieval life was like for the canons and how the Abbey once looked, with re-creations of some of the buildings and gardens.
Anthony Streeten, English Heritage Regional Director said:
"More than a million people from across the country take part in Heritage Open Days, making it the largest annual cultural event in the UK.
"This year is set to be even bigger than last year, so even if you are a regular Heritage Open Days-goer there will be something new for you to see and do. This is a chance to explore not just country houses but the history and culture of everything from Buddhist temples and Masonic lodges to mines, farms, pubs and factories."
Heritage Open Days is part of the European Heritage Days initiative, taking place across 49 countries during September as part of a mass celebration of Europe's cultural heritage. The Heritage Open Days on-line directory listing all the events taking place in England will be launched on the July 16, details on all the events taking place can be found at the link below.
