Welcome to England’s largest festival of history and culture!

Every September thousands of volunteers across England organise events to celebrate our fantastic history and culture. It's your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – all of which are FREE to explore.

Heritage Open Days 2023 - 8th-17th September

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Noticeboard

BLOG: Curious Collections

Can you believe what you see?

Come closer, these images will be worth a second look! From a smoking urn to a hallway hiding in a cupboard, turns…

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BLOG: Guest Posts

Disability History: ‘Any Work’ at the Mill

Think of a Victorian mill working at full tilt - it's big, noisy, terrible working conditions that…

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BLOG: Curious Collections

Buckinghamshire Archives - Treasures of the dark tower!

Think archives are just full of dusty old documents? Think again! Creaking open the door of their 'dark…

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HODs news

Festival Review 2023

This year’s festival began in unexpected Summer heat and ended in Autumn rain, but the odd weather…

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HODs Newsletter

All the latest news about HODs and beyond

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Meet some organisers

Our organisers are very diverse but all share a commitment to celebrating their local treasures, be that buildings, objects, traditions or stories.

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How to become an organiser

Register with us to join the community

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