Time for a (bookish) treasure hunt! It’s the National Year of Reading, so from Thomas the Tank Engine to Hercule Poirot, let’s discover the places that inspired some of our favourite characters. Then why not find a lovely library to pick up your next read, or admire the jewels of their rare book collections!
History doesn’t just live indoors! Enjoy a breath of fresh air this September and discover some of England's historic gardens, landscapes and wild places.
Each year 8 projects across Europe are recognised, and awarded up to €10,000, to celebrate local community heritage. This year the team at Powered by Hip Hop CIC secured this significant grant to invest in their programme.
Are you ready to go behind the strong room door, and discover ‘what’s in the box’? If there even is a box! From papers and scrolls to brass instruments, badges, silk textiles and spoken words, not all archives are the same. Let’s explore a few that are opening up for you this September and the stories they can tell.
Want to take part in Heritage Open Days, but not sure how? Here are our top tips, which will make all the difference when planning, registering & running your HODs events, to make sure that you can make the most of being involved with Heritage Open Days.
Ready? Set?... Go! Yes the event directory is now live, with over 1,600 events for you to hunt through. The team’s first picks range from immersive theatre exploring food histories to a church open day showcasing local farming lives (including a ‘giant’ legend from the 17th century). Heritage Open Days is back on 11-20 September - it’s your passport to explore, so save the dates and make your picks!
From lamps to light your way to sandwich saving tins and revolutionary baths. Explore the working lives of miners with these objects from the National Coal Mining Museum.
Kill or cure – can you tell the difference? Set up to train 17th century apothecaries Chelsea Physic Garden has a history of horticultural innovation and an ongoing legacy as a botanical hub. Here the team take us through highlights of its early years and how traditional skills now blend with modern methods.
Henry saved nearly 900 lives in his lifetime. Emily ran a railway station singlehandedly in 1903. Explore these and other gems of our Everyday Histories with Findmypast. Discover how they fit into the bigger picture and ways you can start uncovering stories of your own!
Meet the first professional gardeners. Wages were low, hours long, and expectations very high. Discover more about their lives and the (immortal?!) rewards they could reap, as you climb the career ladder with Fiona Davison from the Royal Horticultural Society.
What connects a data scientist, a housekeeper, and an archer?! You might be surprised to discover, they all currently work in a ‘castle’! If you’ve wondered just what people do in grand (and sometimes not so grand) old places these days, then read on for a taster. Historic Houses are launching a new careers network - perhaps you could be the next retainer recruited at your favourite castle?!
We're working with Findmypast to look for England’s Everyday History Heroes. The local people and places uncovering and sharing stories of their community’s rich past. Are you one of them, or do you know someone who is?
Where do those graceful hotel flowers come from, and who picks them? Meet the 17th century gardeners and more recent lily-pickers of Middleton Hall. Volunteer, Debbie Jordan, has been researching the estate’s women workers across its centuries of history. She shares some of her discoveries here, but watch out for their event this September where more stories of Everyday Histories will be explored!
Researching a forgotten princess took heritage detective, Sundeep Braich, from Lichfield to Kensington Palace. First sharing the story of Princess Irene Duleep Singh in an event for our festival last year, she was invited to the palace for a special preview of their new exhibition. Excellent as it is though, the exhibition cannot cover everything, so here Sundeep fills in some gaps to highlight the other half of an extraordinary family, and their legacy.
Meet Emma, the Victorian dressmaker with a soft spot for toffee! Princethorpe College have been delving into their archives and have a wonderful story of Everyday History* to share from the site’s former use as a Priory. Their archivist, Joanna Wong, gives us a taster here, but do look out for their event in September where there will be more stories to explore. (*Nb. Everyday Histories is this year's festival theme.)
Captivated by the mysterious beauty of a tilted gravestone, Jeanne Pope has discovered an unexpected connection with a Victorian cook. Unravelling Philadelphia’s past raised more questions than answers though, and highlights how every life has a valuable story to tell.
