'Heritage Open Days' To Return In September

Heritage Open Days (HODs) returns this September with thousands of free events and experiences.

The event, organised by the National Trust, supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery and run by thousands of local organisations and volunteers, aims to bring people together to celebrate their heritage, community and history. 

The packed programme of more than 5000 events features everything from historic houses to factories, museums to music halls, formal gardens to graveyards, places, spaces and communities across the country who are once again hosting free events this autumn.

Hundreds of activities will adopt this year’s theme, Creativity Unwrapped, sharing England’s colourful history of creativity. The festival will celebrate the experts and enthusiastic amateurs whose passions and skills add something special to our daily lives.

Liam Montgomery, Heritage Open Days Marketing & Projects Manager says:

“Whether it’s art, music, writing, or another outlet, creativity moves us and shapes our history and culture. This year organisers have once again come up trumps and created a stellar programme of events which put the spotlight on the people and places who give England’s heritage the X-factor and inspire festival-goers to engage with thousands of years of creativity.

"And it is the organisers who make this possible, and whose hard work enables over a million people to engage with heritage, for free, on their doorstep, every September.”

The festival features thousands of events and activities across the country including a wide range of places that usually charge, free sites that put on extra special events for the festival and places that aren't usually open to the public.

An example of some of the events happening in Sussex includes:

• Aubrey Beardsley’s Brighton tour: Alexia Lazou, Mistress of Line, will lead you on a gentle 90 minute stroll through Brighton, exploring the buildings and places associated with the early life of artist Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898).

• Aspects of North Laine - Brighton Old & New: A walk through the North Laine area noting its historic features and rapid urban change. Walk led by Dr Geoffrey Mead

• Arundel Museum: Visit Arundel Museum for free on Saturday 9 September 10am-4pm. 

• Pallant House Gallery: Open Day: Visit Pallant House Gallery for free! Join us for our Open Day on Saturday 16 September to learn more about the Gallery, explore our artworks with the Collections team, and participate in drop-in activities and workshops.

• Nymans: Discover Nymans Garden and House with free entry on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th September. 

• Petworth Cottage Museum: The museum, a.k.a. Mrs. Cummings's Cottage, is an Estate worker's house restored, furnished and equipped as if it were 1910. Mrs. Cummings was a seamstress who worked at Petworth House and at home. Nostalgic and educational.

These and hundreds of other events are available across Sussex - visit  www.heritageopendays.org.uk for all the details.

About Heritage Open Days

Founded in 1994, Heritage Open Days has captured imaginations for almost 30 years. Last year more than 45,000 organisers and volunteers ran nearly 5,000 events across the country, attracting one million visits. Around one-third of visitors had not visited a heritage site/event in the past year while 80% of festival-goers said their visit made them more proud of their local area.

A visitor from 2022 said:

“Such passionate individuals who were generous enough to share their knowledge. Forever grateful for their time and effort. It allowed me to connect with sections of the society that I do not normally interact with within the specific context.”

And organisers see a real benefit:

“I feel that Heritage Open Days is really important, both to provide access to less visited/usually closed places and also to bring about more of a diverse audience than usual, opening up places for people who may usually avoid heritage attractions.”

Laura Chow, head of charities at People's Postcode Lottery, said:

“Once again Heritage Open Days organisers have come out in force for this fantastic opportunity to explore, celebrate, and enjoy England’s national heritage.

"It's wonderful that our players are helping to ensure Heritage Open Days events are accessible and free for all. In fact, Postcode Lottery players have now raised over £1.1 billion to support thousands of great causes, including this amazing event and many others run by the National Trust.”

Every single Heritage Open Days event is free, including access to many sites that usually charge for admission.