Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (2024)

News

12 Jun 2024

by Heritage Open Days

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (1)

To celebrate our 30th anniversary we're creating a special gallery page on our website. A 30 for 30 showcase of the wonderful sites, stories and people that have made Heritage Open Days so magical over the years.What should those stories be though? There are thousands upon thousands to choose from, so we need your help!

We've sifted the nominations down to a shortlist, but it is time to make the final choices. The national team shouldn't and couldn't pick them all - this is YOUR festival, what stories would you like to represent it for the years to come?

How to vote!

Expand each tab and click on the images to read the stories, then vote for your favourites.

North West

Click on the images to read the stories.

Then choose from the lists and click the pink submit button to vote for your favourites!

The Walkers

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (3)

The Walkers

Kirkby Stephen & District Walkers are Welcome, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria

Our story shows that anyone can organise a Heritage Open Days celebration, it just needs a little imagination! We don't really have any attractions to open so every year we do a selection of walks that celebrate our beautiful countryside and fit the national festival theme, which is always useful to inspire us. For ‘Edible England’ we did an historical pub tour, which we have since published. For ‘Creativity Unwrapped’ we showcased art in our landscape with The Watercut sculpture, Andy Goldsworthy Pinfold and Kirkby Stephen Poetry Path stones. We are excited about the 2024 theme of ‘Routes-Networks-Connections’, which fits us perfectly – we plan to celebrate droving roads, packhorse routes and medieval lanes with a special Visitor Centre display and series of walks.

(Image: Walkers take a break at The Watercut Sculpture / supplied by Kirkby Stephen & District Walkers)

The Factory

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The Factory

Standfast & Barracks, Lancaster, Lancashire

We have beenopening our factory doors to the public for 8 years now as part ofHeritageOpenDays. Visitors see the journey of the fabric from preparation, conventional and digital printing, and finishing, alongside a visit to the design studio to see how the life of a design begins. A favourite is always a glimpse into the archive, where we house over 20,000 documents ranging from textiles, quilts and wallpaper dating back to the 17th century. Fabrics have been printed on this site since 1924, making this year (2024) extra special for us as we celebrate our centenary. The building, which dates back to 1864, has a rich history as a wagon works and prisoner of war camp. Our tours are led by the people who work at Standfast & Barracks, making them personal and insightful.

(Image: Standfast & Barracks)

The Masonic Hall

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The Masonic Hall

Preston Masonic Hall, Preston, Lancashire

Masons met at the Bull and Royal Hotel until 1944 when the Mayor of Preston found a new home for the lodge at Saul Street Primative Methodist Chapel. The chapel made a great lodge room with seats bought new from Gaumont Kalee, manufacturers of theatre and cinema seating. Those chairs, along with masonic chairs from the mid 1800s are still in use today. Participating in Heritage Open Days enables us to showcase this historical furniture and work with local groups – in 2023 the superb ballroom was turned over to local artists and photographers to curate a free exhibition. Opening the Hall for the festival has demonstrated what a great community asset there is in Preston and now many groups use it that would not have known about it before.

(Image: Masonic tools symbolically laid on the chequerboard 'tunnel' / supplied by Preston Masonic Hall)

The Hip Hop Crew

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The Hip Hop Crew

Powered by Hip Hop (UC Crew), St Helens, Merseyside

Our crew has run festival events since 2020 but the perfect theme of Creativity Unwrapped in 2023 led to the best yet. The Hip Hop Heritage exhibition with a graffiti and music focus played a significant role in celebrating and reviving the local Hip Hop community and its hidden culture. It gave visitors the opportunity to delve into our town's vibrant Hip Hop history through a mix of visual and musical experiences that highlighted local talent and uncovered historical findings. The exhibition included an array of activities and showcases, such as graffiti art classes, break dance performances, DJ-ing workshops, and displays of local Hip Hop legends. The interactive workshops educated visitors about the significant role graffiti art, rapping and DJ-ing played in the local cultural landscape and how it impacted the world, all from the most unlikely town in the North West of England.

(Image: © Tom Glynn)

North East

Click on the images to read the stories.

Then choose from the lists and click the pink submit button to vote for your favourites!

The Farm

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (11)

The Farm

Cragend Farm, Rothbury, Northumberland

We have a unique farm with hydraulic machinery installed by Lord Armstrong of Cragside in the 1880s to show that water power could drive anything. As an engineer and inventor of machinery that used natural resources he was a leader in taking care of what we now know as our carbon footprint. He knew that fossil fuels have a finite life and looked to water to help power other areas that had historically been driven by coal and steam. We have renovated this ancient farm and so his vision, the turbines and hoist used to power agricultural machinery can be seen today. We love sharing this unique history of our site with visitors on special Heritage Open Days tours alongside the wildlfe and British rare-breeds that roam the estate. One year a guest commented that they’d come along as a member of their family was known to have stayed at Cragend Farm in the early 20th century. We were able to look up their name on a Graffiti Report done by archaeologists for a wider project recording the historic detail of the farm, and there it was! In 1903 the visitor’s grandfather had stayed at our farm and went on to be a cattle judge in the Peak District, wow!

(Image: Rare Breed Whitebred Shorthorn cattle 'Queenie' and 'Holly' / © Cragend Farm)

The Theatre

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The Theatre

Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear

Tyne Theatre & Opera House is a Grade I listed theatre of huge historic importance, having one of the only surviving examples of Victorian wooden modular stage machinery in the UK. Since 2016 we have welcomed visitors for the festival, giving them tours of our front of house, stage, and understage areas. Their highlight is often the demonstration of our Thunder Run (originally built in 1867), along with the ghost story that accompanies it. We are delighted that some festival visitors have now become volunteers, working with us to restore and maintain our stage machinery, or to develop a searchable database of productions at the theatre between 1867-1919. Heritage Open Days allow us to reach a wider audience, engage with the community, and to share the unique history of our theatre. We hope to continue doing so for many years, with our ongoing restoration projects bringing something new each time, so watch this space!

(Image: Boxes stage right at the beautiful Tyne Theatre & Opera House /© TT&OH)

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (15)

The Tunnel

Ouseburn Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear

Heritage Open Days is an opportunity for us to trial new types of events, whilst giving our volunteers the opportunity to get creative. Over the last ten years, we’ve hosted historical reenactors and collaborated with other local organisations. The festival always attracts new audiences who may not have joined us for an underground adventure otherwise. As a paid, pre-booked experience, the Victoria Tunnel attracts audiences who are actively seeking our heritage experiences but HODs helps us swing open our doors and invite new people to visit the space. In 2021, a cycling group of over a dozen people randomly stumbled across some hustle and bustle outside a big red door. They stopped to take a look and discovered an underground historic marvel. This was a particularly special experience given the pandemic closures the Tunnel faced the year before.

(Image: © Iain Kitt)

The Museum

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (17)

The Museum

Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear

At our museum visitors can explore a fascinating collection of local history, including ‘Wallace the Lion’ from a Victorian travelling show, art exhibitions and a 21st century temperate garden, all under one roof! We started Heritage Open Days in 2005 with a Vintage Bus Trip in partnership with the North East Bus Preservation Trust to heritage sites in Sunderland. As a nationally recognised festival it helps us to raise the profile of our events locally and regionally and brings new audiences to our venues. Each year comes with a different theme which helps spark ideas about new ways to interpret our collections, offering visitors a chance to delve deeper into different topics, e.g. we created a special quiz for Edible England, and for Astounding Inventions we planned a programme of talks about local inventors. In 2023 we took part in New Wave and created a very special ‘Proggy Pride Party’ led by young people. The project helped us recruit lots of new members to the Celebrate Different Collective, and we’ve since shared our learnings and experience more widely with the festival community, helping to further raise our profile.

(Image: Jolly Creative helped participants explore the area's mining history and links to the LGBTQIA+ community for Heritage Open Days 2023 /© Jack Herron)

Click on the images to read the stories.

Then choose from the lists and click the pink submit button to vote for your favourites!

The Print Studio

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (19)

The Print Studio

Eastgate Studio, Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire

Eastgate Studio is an artist run print studio and gallery with six traditional printmaking workshops and a gallery showcasing a wide range of print techniques including mezzotint, linocut and dry point. Its aim is to raise awareness of traditional printmaking so over Heritage Open Days we give visitors the opportunity to see their 1888 Albion flatbed press and locally made Hawthorne etching press in operation. Studio members pull prints from plates relating to the historic town of Beverley that have been created at the studio. The Albion Press once belonged to the Curwen Press of Plaistow, East London, which pioneered the collaboration between artist, printing and publishing. So famous artists such as Paul Nash, Graham Sutherland, and Eric Ravillious, could have taken prints from this very press!

(Image: © Eastgate Studio)

The Flats

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (21)

The Flats

Park Hill Residents’ Association, Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Park Hill is a major local landmark and a modernist building of international importance. Guided visits were largely for professional and academic groups but participation in Heritage Open Days introduced it to a wider public audience. The popular tours are entirely resident led, with several enthusiastic volunteers either acting as guides or opening up their flats for visitors to see. A key part of Park Hill’s history is its original purpose as social housing, with residents rehoused prior to its recent renovation.Often on low incomes, the free tours offer accessible opportunities for some of these former residents to return and see the changes, and by sharing their own stories give added insight of life here in the past to the other guests. Participating in the festival has also boosted the local economy as visitors use the nearby café and store, plus it has served as a springboard and template for weekly paid tours throughout spring and summer, income from which supports the community-building activities of the Residents’ Association, such as summer parties and refreshments for the monthly litter pick.

(Image:©Park Hill Residents’ Association)

The Bowls Club

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (23)

The Bowls Club

Harehills Park Bowling Club, Leeds, West Yorkshire

Bowls is an intergenerational sport where a nine-year-old can play against a 90 year old and they both have the same chance of winning! As funding for councils decreases though our bowling greens are at constant risk of closure – we decided to get involved in Heritage Open Days in 2023 to increase awareness of our wonderful heritage. We hosted two events including the inaugoration of The Heritage Cup, a competition open to players across Yorkshire that is now an annual event! Taking part in the festival has helped us build relationships with other organisations, clubs and players across the country, which has supported our success in being chosen to host future competitions. This helps bring in revenue from refreshments that has enabled training for our volunteers, who are now more confident showing new people how to play and has increased the club’s capacity to offer this free for the local community.

(Image: supplied by Harehills Park Bowling Club)

The Cathedral

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (25)

The Cathedral

Bradford Cathedral, Bradford, West Yorkshire

On Heritage Open Days weare aplace and space where everybody feels welcome and where those who visit, of whatever age, faith or background, see it astheirBradford Cathedral. For many years though,the Cathedral was an under-visited and little-known destination, even within the local area. This changed afterwe began participating in the festivaland new engagement posts were added to the team in 2018. Running free events that inspire wonder,deepen knowledge and spark questions, have helped us to change people’s perceptions of the city, both locally and beyond. They’ve given us opportunities to test things out and highlight that Bradford’s story goes much further back than the Industrial Revolution. In 2019, inspired by the festival’s ‘People Power’ theme, we explored the little known history of a local Civil Warskirmish and its link to the woolsack icononourCathedral crest. It really resonated with visitors,so we have built on this to include the story on all educational visits and guided tours. We look forward to continuing this work, showcasing the Cathedral as a treasure trove on people’s doorsteps, ripe for exploring.

(Image: Tusselling over the woolsack /© Bradford Cathedral)

Midlands

Click on the images to read the stories.

Choose from the list and click the pink submit button below!

Nb. The Midlands is already going to be well represented in the gallery as there are some stories with national significance in the region., so you only have one vote here.

The Port

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (27)

The Port

Associated British Ports (Kasbah Quarter, Port of Grimsby), Grimsby, Lincolnshire

The Port of Grimsby is the world’s largest offshore wind operations and maintenance hub, the UK's largest automotive distribution centre, and home to the UK's largest seafood processing centre. We’ve been running events to engage visitors with its historic Kasbah Quarter through the festival for several years – including virtual options during the pandemic. 2023 was our best year yet; 2,000 people explored the buildings being renovated, joined a guided walk, listened to a talk, or viewed an exhibition about the history of the port and the important part it’s played in the town. People's enthusiasm for the site has seen us continue to share its history through other events and inspired our tenants to showcase their buildings too. We’ve also connected with the retired fishing community engaging them in talks and delivering guided walks for the festival and beyond, sharing their rich stories and experiences with local schools.

(Image:© Associated British Ports)

The Research Group

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The Research Group

Trentham Heritage Project, Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

Our research group uses Heritage Open Days as a platform to share our work. In September 2021 we found out that a former Trentham resident, Rita Baines, had been an Air Transport Auxiliary pilot in World War II. Group members swung into research mode and began amassing information, discovering she had a daughter living in the area. She had boxes of her mother’s diaries, photo albums and ATA uniform in the loft. With this unexpected treasure trove, plus her daughter’s reminiscences, we were able to piece together Rita’s unique life story. To reflect her achievements we produced a series of display panels and made a film called Flying the Dream. These were shown at our Heritage Open Day in 2022 attracting 450 visitors. Since then, the Potteries Museum included a display of Rita’s memorabilia in its Spitfire Gallery; her daughter now regularly gives talks to schools and community groups, and a walkway across the road from where she lived, is being named Rita Baines Lane with a blue plaque.

(Image:©Lafayette Photography)

The Meeting House

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The Meeting House

The Old Meeting House, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire

Founded in 1664 and still going strong, our intriguing Chapel is a hidden gem with a lot of heart. So well hidden, visitors drawn in by pink Heritage Open Days bunting often remark that they did not know we are here in the very centre of town. The festival has been a highlight of our yearly calendar since 2013, enabling our enthusiastic volunteers to work in partnership locally and beyond to create a weekend of fun and friendship with talks, displays and activities for all generations. In 2020 we planned an ambitious programme, “Hands Across The Ocean”, inspired by the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower Pilgrims, linking with Mansfield Massachusetts, close to Plymouth Rock, USA. Covid threatened it all, but learning new technology quickly and with helpful advice from the national team, we overcame restrictions and created something extra special.Talks by entertaining historians in both Mansfields were zoomed successfully and whilst we could not take people on our popular heritage walk, a virtual tour of our Chapel worked well. Zoom also enabled a dual service and organ recital to be streamed on both sides of the Atlantic simultaneously. This successful weekend changed our approach, opening up ways of presenting our topic far beyond the confines of our homes, Chapel and town and proved to be an inspiring experience for everyone.

(Image: One of the beautiful windows at Mansfield Unitarian Meeting House / supplied by Mansfield Unitarians)

Eastern

Click on the images to read the stories.

Then choose from the lists and click the pink submit button to vote for your favourites!

The Virtual Town

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (33)

The Virtual Town

Virtual Wisbech (aka Minecraft Wisbech), Wisbech, Cambridgeshire

Minecraft Wisbech is a map of our historic market town within the virtual open world creative game of Minecraft. We have also created an arts trail in it – adding real images of artworks to virtual stands and the sides of buildings. During Heritage Open Days, we invited players to join us (and broadcast as a zoom) walking (and flying) through the town centre as if we were tour guides! Talking about the history of the people and places – including one building recreated within the virtual space as it might have looked a few hundred years ago. As a gamer and enthusiast of all things creative I love how this brings those elements together and reaches new audiences across the world, with a common language of fun and curiosity. As a Trustee of the Wisbech Society, I wanted to bring this new way of viewing our amazing heritage to audiences who might not engage with the buildings, but also showing those who enjoy heritage a new way of talking about it. My favourite story from showing this was that grandparents were able to “show off” to their grandchildren abroad that their town was in Minecraft - and they each understood more about what their generation enjoyed doing.

(Image supplied by Virtual Wisbech)

The Exhibition

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (35)

The Exhibition

The Forum Trust - Portraits of Life, Norwich, Norfolk

After WWII and redevelopment in the 70s, some of the streets of Norwich looked very different; gone were the rows of terraced houses and narrow shopping streets. A professional photographer, Jack Roberts, captured some of those areas before they were redeveloped, but his negatives lay forgotten until 2019 when they were digitised and exhibited for the first time. Uncovering further this period of Norwich’s social history, 25 people responded to a call-out to local residents who had lived and worked in the area. Their stories and memories were produced as oral history recordings and an interactive map helped bring Jack’s photographs to life. Around 3,500 people visited the exhibition. Local residents to international visitors from as far afield as the USA and Brazil enjoyed exploring Norwich’s rich history and learning about its way of life from the very people who defined these communities. The visual, audible and interactive elements made the exhibition fully accessible and the digital images and oral history recordings were deposited at Norfolk Record Office for preservation and continued access.

(Image:© Jack Roberts)

The Town Hall

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (37)

The Town Hall

Lowestoft Town Hall, Lowestoft, Suffolk

In 2017 the Grade II listed town hall at the heart of Lowestoft’s old High Street opened for tours over Heritage Open Days for the first time since its closure in 2015. Visitors were thrilled to step inside; people who had worked there shared memories such as the graffitti on a vault door, while others marvelled at the grand Council Chamber, a hidden gem on their doorstep. The local council built on this postive response with further events and for 2022’s festival created a ‘Town Hall Takeover’. With a multi-million pound restoration project planned, the event invited visitors to look around the building and showcased its varied history from small chapel to civic centre. There were talks by celebrated local historian David Butcher in the original Council Chamber and activities for children. Visitors were also able to view plans for the building and learn about its future as a multi-use community centre as they shared their memories of this special place.

(Image: Lowestoft Town Council)

The War Huts

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (39)

The War Huts

Great War Huts, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

Nestled in the beautiful Suffolk countryside, Great War Huts has proved to be an important heritage project, restoring and preserving original surviving First World War buildings. These huts have given the Great War Huts team the opportunity to host engaging exhibitions and displays including the popular Heritage Open Days event ‘Drawers for Wars’, showcasing military underwear from 1900 to the present day! By choosing subjects that the wider public can relate to, and looking at many aspects of the war not usually covered, Great War Huts is reaching a much wider audience than originally anticipated. Visitors and schools now travel to the site from every part of the United Kingdom to visit the huts, and the carefully reconstructed Trenches, to learn about this important part of our history.

(Image supplied by Great War Huts)

South West

Click on the images to read the stories.

Then choose from the lists and click the pink submit button to vote for your favourites!

The Barn

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (41)

The Barn

Winterbourne Medieval Barn, Winterbourne, Bristol

Winterbourne Medieval Barn is a building of national importance. One of only six Grade II* listed barns in our county it was built in 1342, an extraordinary survivor of our medieval past. After falling into disrepair and being threatened with demolition by a developer the local community campaigned to save it, and in 2004 the Winterbourne Medieval Barn Trust was formed by local volunteers. To raise awareness the group opened the barn to the public for the first time over Heritage Open Days and have been taking part ever since – even offering hard hat tours during their “Big Build”! The aim is for the barn to be part of the community; used and enjoyed, not just stand as an empty historic shell and Heritage Open Days is a hugely important part in this. Being part of the festival allows us to invite new visitors to see our beautiful site, meet our volunteers to learn about its exciting history, and appreciate the craftmanship, both old (90% of the roof timbers are still original) and new, that are part of this important building.

(Image: The restored barn /©Simon Goodwin, Platinum Photography)

The Sailing Barge

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (43)

The Sailing Barge

Lady Daphne, Charlestown, Cornwall

Lady Daphne is a 101 year old sailing barge relocated to a UNESCO Heritage Port in Cornwall as part of her ongoing journey. She carried goods from London to Cornwall in the 1920s and 30s, returning with China Clay for the paper mills of Kent. As current custodians we sailed her back to Charlestown to celebrate this history and share her story. Since being here we have built a strong connection to the local community and offer a wide variety of events onboard. We love showing visitors around the barge and in September 2023 we ran our first Heritage Open Days, which drew a record number of visitors over the weekend to look at our onboard exhibition about her unique history. Today we have been appointed as Static Flagship for 2024 by National Historic Ships in recognition of the extensive programme of events we have planned. This is a great honour and wonderful recognition of how far we have come since our early days of ownership when we had to take on significant restoration to save Lady Daphne from certain decline.

(Image:© Paul Gast)

The Creative Town

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (45)

The Creative Town

Liskeard Unlocked, Liskeard, Cornwall

Liskeard Unlocked brings together a wide range of local organisations (Town Council, museums, community centre and other buildings), developing and publicising activities for the festival. We’re incredibly proud of our programme and how everyone comes together to pull it all off. Each year the event morphs a bit and changes, but it’s always good – in 2023 we loved the Creativity Unwrapped theme and set up selfie frames round the town encouraging people to see local places from new angles. We also held workshops for adults and children to create artwork based on the town's historic buildings and displayed the results in bus shelters. Heritage Open Days has provided a focus for us to work together and develop new activities celebrating the town's culture and heritage.

(Image supplied by Liskeard Unlocked)

The Synagogue

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (47)

The Synagogue

Cheltenham Hebrew Congregation, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Opening in 1839, Cheltenham Synagogue has been a focus for worship, learning and joy in the community. The building is Grade II* listed and the furniture is even older than the site - donated from another Synagogue in London, it is the oldest Ashkenazi Synagogue furniture in use in the UK. The congregation has welcomed visitors for Heritage Open Days for over 20 years with displays and activity sheets available for younger visitors. We listen to the stories of our guests, have supported individuals to connect with their Jewish heritage and for the wider community helped demystify the faith, emphasising core values that we share. A highlight is always seeing the Torah scrolls and their beautiful lettering, written by hand on parchment - one is around 200 years old! There is no doubt that Heritage Days have helped bring us all together.

(Image: The everlasting light /© David Savill)

South East

Click on the images to read the stories.

Then choose from the lists and click the pink submit button to vote for your favourites!

The Ancient Monument

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (49)

The Ancient Monument

Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes City Discovery Centre, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

Bradwell Abbey is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, a hidden gem in the heart of a new city. We’ve been participating in Heritage Open Days for over 14 years, running a medieval themed day with family-friendly activities such as archery, birds of prey demonstrations and re-enactors. This has helped us connect with the local community to build pride in the area and a sense of place. As a public site it is able to be visited any time but running these events has built support and awareness. This has enabled us to work with the local council to raise funds for vital conservation work. Local people have also formed a Friends group, which supports us by running tours, volunteering at events and gardening. Maintenance of the site has been vastly improved and local people are able to enjoy more of it, such as the woodland walk, public art and restored pilgrimage chapel.

(Image: The extraordinary medieval wall paintings conserved for future generations at the Abbey /© City Discovery Centre)

The Jewelsmith

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (51)

The Jewelsmith

Pruden and Smith, Ditchling, East Sussex

Our special festival workshop tour focusses on the history of our business and its links to the craft heritage of Ditchling. This includes showing visitors some of our tools that used to belong to my grandfather. He was a silversmith in The Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic, a Roman Catholic community of artists and craftspeople founded in the early 1920s as part of the Arts and Crafts movement. Part of the tour mentions my grandfather‘s memoirs, in which he says he thought the family were related to French Huguenots. Tours always spark conversations and one day, a visitor said she was related by marriage to the Pruden family, she was doing a family tree and would look into the story. A few days later, she contacted me to confirm that I was indeed related to French Huguenots, who were Lacemakers! As a Goldsmith and professional craftsman, it was fascinating to think that my craft heritage goes back that far. Sharing these wonderful stories about our collective craft heritage is what makes this event so special.

(Image: The workbench /© Pruden and Smith)

The Cars

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (53)

The Cars

Winchester HODs / Winchester MG Owners Club, Winchester, Hampshire

We’ve been participating in the festival since 2017 with a display of classic and sports cars spanning the ages. Engaging club members and other enthusiasts with the public, who would reminisce about cars that they, their parents or even grandparents owned. Children especially loved the chance to sit in the driver’s seat for a photo opportunity. In 2020 COVID restrictions threatened to put an end to this event, which gave so much pleasure to visitors and club members alike. An online offer would not be the same, so a different approach was taken. More than 80 vehicles formed a parade through the town thrilling visitors with a moving classic car show. It was so successful it was repeated the following year and has become a staple of the local programme. The parade marshalling point is now shared with the King Alfred Buses display and HODs has become a permanent feature in the club calendar as a great way of engaging with the public and also networking with other local enthusiasts and heritage organisations.

(Image: Cars on parade! /© Steve Favell)

The Almshouses

Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (55)

The Almshouses

Watts Almshouses - Richard Watts Charities, Rochester, Kent

Since 2013 residents at Watts Almshouses have opened their home to over 2,000 visitors during Heritage Open Days. The enthusiasm and genuine delight people show as they walk through the doors is contagious. Many are local, and having passed by for years wondering what goes on behind the beautiful façade, finally see for themselves when they are welcomed in. Some are visiting due a family connection – one lady remembered visiting her aunt, a resident here in the 1950s, and pretending to her friends that she lived here herself. For others it is all about the building, for some the cake! The mystery around the building comes in part from the layout; most residents’ doors open at the rear of the grounds, so it’s in the back street away from the public gaze that most of the comings and goings takes place. Watts Almshouses continue to bring people together, with Heritage Open Days helping more people soak up its special atmosphere of community and conversation.

(Image: © Deryck Obray)

What happens next?

25 JuneFirst reveal: 10 stories will be revealed at our celebratory showcase event for stakeholders. These have already been chosen as representing key aspects of our festival's history
30 JuneVote closes
JulyFinal reveal: Watch this space for the final gallery reveal in the first week of July!

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Anniversary Gallery - Vote now! (2024)
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