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From the tea pavilion housing a rare camellia collection to a very special outdoor swimming pool – England has had some fascinating winners in these prestigious awards. Discover a little more about them, what it takes to win, and what that win can do with Sara Robertson’s introduction. Applications are open now for 2026 - could we be highlighting you next year?

This may be our year of architecture, but we can’t overlook nature’s architects and the abundance of events in amongst England’s flora and fauna. From forests filled with art to glimpses of wildlife, intricately designed gardens to the sounds of nature - there’s adventures aplenty to be found outdoors this September!

Each year 8 projects are recognised across Europe and awarded up to €10,000 to celebrate local community heritage. This year the team at Love Oswestry secured this significant grant to invest in their programme.

Secret spaces and backstage passes – we all love to explore beyond the barriers! Well get ready, this September Heritage Open Days is giving you that VIP access to some hidden heritage – indulge your curiosity with tours of secret gardens, underground streets, and private mansions!

Bring on the cake and candles, railways are celebrating a BIG birthday this year! Have you spotted the bunting at stations yet? It’s been 200 years since the first passengers took a train from Stockton to Darlington so there are lots of stories to explore. Here are just some of our festival events that will help you do just that – from tiny trains to enormous one of a kind bridges it’s full steam ahead this September!

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.

Drumroll please, we’ve cut the (virtual) ribbon and the path to England’s biggest festival of history and culture is now open! Yes, our event directory is up and running with over 1,500 events already registered and ready for you to sift through! From the architecture of chocolate to mythical stories and the nature reserve grown from a brickworks it’s shaping up to be a really creative year. These are the team’s first picks from the listings, but what will you choose?

Discover the story of England’s oldest brick gate – the people who made it and the magnificent material it is made from. Do you know what a squynchion is? Can you spot the difference between a Queen Anne front and a Mary-Ann behind? Follow the Beverley brick road for an insight into the history of this essential building block and a rather special bar made from it!

The winners have been announced for the annual Museums + Heritage Awards and we're delighted to be recognised for our work supporting the Heritage Open Days community!

The country's largest festival of history and culture returns 12-21 September 2025.

Can we help you share new stories and sites?

From providing maps to highlighting quiet times, there are some simple things we can do to make our spaces more accessible, for more people to enjoy. For Neurodiversity Celebration week Justine Reilly introduces us to The Neurodiverse Museum and some of their top tips.

We're delighted to be recognised for our work supporting the Heritage Open Days community!

In the heart of Greenwich stands a church hemmed in by shops and the bustle of tourists off to see the Cutty Sark, or the Painted Hall perhaps. A church built on the site of a saint’s murder in 1012, played in by the famous Tudor composer, Thomas Tallis, and that saved the lives of its community sheltering in its crypt during the Blitz. In short, a church with many stories to tell… including the lives of the 18th century women who sat on its newly installed pews. Especially for women's history month the fabulous team at St Alfege are sharing a taster of some of these stories with us here.