Lincolnshire Heritage Open Days
Heritage Open Days is your once-a-year chance to discover some of Lincolnshire's rarely seen historic treasures, with exciting experiences that bring local history and culture to life, for free! The festival celebrates England’s architecture and culture by allowing visitors free access to interesting properties that are not usually publicly accessible or would normally charge a fee. It also includes tours, events and activities that focus on and celebrate the local heritage of the area. Heritage Open Days is England’s biggest and most popular voluntary cultural event and is also held in a further 48 countries across Europe.
Routes - Networks - Connections
In 2024 we celebrated how people and ideas have moved around and come together throughout history. The transport routes, communication networks, trade unions and social clubs. The travellers who have spread ideas and the hosts who welcome them. There are so many stories on our doorsteps just waiting to be uncovered.
In the 30th year of Heritage Open Days, our theme was encouraging us all to celebrate what connects us – be that ideas or actual transport routes!
Some inspiration:
- What’s in a name? Place names can tell us a lot about the people who settled in an area in the past. Are you in the ‘Viking’ north east or the ‘Celtic’ south west?
- Wish you were here?! Why did people settle in your area, why did they visit, have those reasons changed? Do you have a market place or a village green? Meeting and trading places have hundreds of stories to tell.
- Where does the river run? From source to sea, how has it shaped the land, who travels on it? How has it brought people together?
- Lost links. Are there any ‘forgotten routes’ near you? Perhaps a lost Roman road, railway line, postal path or maybe there’s a street name on an old map that has changed or infilled with building over time?
- Famous faces. Thomas Cook, a pioneer of the package tourism industry, was a Leicester lad. Sarah Guppy whose inventions included an early suspension bridge design was born in Birmingham and lived in Bristol. Who is linked to your local area?
- The world on our doorstep. Look around and there are global influences everywhere. Are there some ‘Corinthian Columns’ in the local architecture – where have these designs come from? Check your local park – plants and trees that seem everyday to us now may have exotic origins!
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Thank You for Your Support
Lincolnshire Heritage Open Days couldn't run without the support of dozens of organisers, hundreds of helpers and volunteers, and local councils for Lincolnshire whose financial contribution keeps the festival running year on year.