Heritage Open Days 2022: The fascinating Yorkshire buildings not normally open to the public that you can visit in September

EAST YORKSHIRE

Lairgate Hall, Beverley - September 9, 11am-4pm

A chance to see inside a Georgian townhouse now occupied by businesses and rarely open to the public. Built in 1760 for the Pennyman family on the site of a medieval hospital. Tour includes the hall, staircase and drawing room with hand-painted Chinese wallpaper.

Beverley Minster's secret garden - September 9, 10, and 11, 10am-4pm (1pm on Sunday)

The location of the secret garden in the Minster grounds is not widely known and it is not usually open to visitors, unlike the quiet and sanctuary gardens. It is described as a wildlife haven and guides will be on hand to answer questions.

Norwood House, Beverley - September 9, 11am-4pm

Norwood House is one of only three Grade I-listed houses in Beverley. It was built for lawyer Jonathan Midgley in 1760, and later inherited by his daughter and her American husband, who was town mayor. It later passed into the hands of Beverley High School but then became derelict until it was restored as offices by the Brantingham Group. It is now owned by the Bostonair Group.

The Wollstonecraft House, Beverley - September 10, 10am-1pm

A rare opportunity to see inside the 1770s house that was once home to Mary Wollstonecraft, the 'original' suffragette and author who pioneered women's rights and whose daughter wrote the novel Frankenstein. The property, 2 Highgate, was later owned by the Lambert family, organists at Beverley Minster. The house's features include an 18th-century Gothick privy. It is now privately owned and used as a business space.

Tour of gardens behind High Street, Bridlington Old Town - September 10 and 11, 10.30am - 4.30pm

Private gardens and yards are open to the public for a tour of the 'backside' of Bridlington's historic High Street.

Self-guided tour starts at 43 High Street, where a plan showing the gardens can be collected.

The Toft, Bridlington High Street - September 10, 11, 17 and 18, 10.30am - 4.30pm

Late 17th-century house built for merchant William Hudson with walled garden including mid-19th century parterre. Built in 1673, this Grade II*- listed property still retains many original features. Some of the key interior rooms are open this year and so is the garden. Called 'The Toft' by Judge Lock who lived there in the early 20th century, the garden is in the process of change and it offers the chance to see a run of the south side backs of High Street premises and even a glimpse of the Priory's south west tower.

Tour of Goole Docks - September 11, 1.30-3pm

A rare chance to tour Goole Docks, a leading inland coal port, with an expert guide. Start at the Lowther Hotel and the route includies South Dock and the No5 Coal Hoist.

Christopher Pickering's House, Coltman Street, Hull Old Town - September 16, 10am-4pm

Number 114 was built in the early 1850s for trawler fleet owner and philanthropist Christopher Pickering, and then occupied by his business partner Samuel Haldane. In the 1920s until 1961 it was a children's clinic, and was turned into flats in 1983. The current owners, Simon and Catherine Kelsey, bought it as a derelict wreck and are restoring it. Their efforts appeared on BBC's Restoration Home.

Hull Prison - September 14 and 15, 10am-2pm

Chance to enter HMP Hull to visit the exhibition Behind These Walls, about the jail's history and that of other historic prisons in the city. Photos and items from the past 150 years are on display. The tour does not take in the main part of the prison for security reasons.

Maister House, Hull Old Town - September 9, 10 and 11, 10am-4pm

The National Trust is opening up Maister House to the public for the first time since 2016. It was built in 1743 for the merchant Henry Maister. The entrance hall and stairway can be viewed but the building is now leased to Culture Music, a repair and tuition business.

Port of Hull tour, September 15, 11am-12pm and 1-2pm - pre-booking required

Associated British Ports are leading this tour of the Port of Hull, which includes the All Weather Terminal, load-out facility for the wood pellet trains serving the Aire Valley power stations, and the Hull Container Terminal with its 60m cranes.

NORTH YORKSHIRE

Grove House, Harrogate - September 16, 11.30am-4pm with tours at 12pm and 2pm

Visit the house and grounds of this Grade II-listed building, the former home of Samson Fox, Harrogate's famous engineering inventor, benefactor, and mayor whose descendants include actors Freddie and Emilia Fox.

Grove House began as a coaching inn in the early 18th century. It was greatly expanded from the 1880s as Samson Fox's home and workplace and has since been used as a school, hospital, orphanage, and convalescent home. It will soon be converted into a care village by Springfield Healthcare, its current owners. There will be a short tour of parts of the house (free-ticketed), hosted by local historian and author Paul Jennings. Visitors will also be welcome to explore the seven acres of stunning gardens (un-ticketed).

Harlow Tower Observatory, Harrogate - September 10 and 11, 10am-5pm

Harlow Tower was built in 1829 as an astronomical observatory. It is 70ft tall and has naval binoculars offering amazing views of the town. A token system will allow 20 people onto the roof at a time.

The Harrogate Club - September 17, 11am-12pm - pre-booking required

Harrogate Club was founded in 1857 on Devonshire Place and moved to its present, custom-built premises in 1886. The building is a double bow-fronted Victorian house containing much original furnishing and decoration. The billiards room on the first floor was once patronised by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sir Titus Salt. The building was extensively redecorated in 2020 with displays of portraits from the council's collection.

Aske Hall, Richmond - September 14 and 15, tours at 10am, 11am and 12pm - pre-booking advised

Aske Hall is an 18th-century house and estate owned by the Dundas family, Marquesses of Zetland. The house is only open for a small number of guided tours each year.

Clifton Castle, near Ripon - September 16, tours at 11am and 4pm

Another privately owned house rarely open to the public on the Marquess of Downshire's estates in Wensleydale. Late Georgian property with pleasure grounds on the banks of the River Ure.

Ripon Courthouse Museum's holding cell - September 10 and 14, 1-4pm

The forgotten holding cell beneath the Georgian courthouse building is only open to the public for Heritage Open Days. Prisoners stood in it while awaiting trial. The cell can be viewed without charge but the rest of the museum's normal admission fee applies.

The Ruin, Hackfall Woods, near Ripon - September 17 and 18, 10am-4pm, pre-booking required

The Ruin is a folly within Hackfall Woods that is not normally accessible to the public. It was rescued from dereliction by the Landmark Trust and is now run as a holiday let. Guided walks of the woodland are also available on the day.

Old Parcels Office, Scarborough Station - September 13, 14, 16 and 17

The Grade II-listed Old Parcels Office was built as a station for excursion trains in 1883. It was a parcels office from 1908 onwards but became derelict and was not restored until 2013. It is now an arts centre.

Fishergate Postern Tower, York - September 10 and 17, 10am-4pm

A rare opportunity to see inside a watch tower built into York City Walls not often open to the public. It dates from 1505 and has a Tudor toilet, spiral staircase and timber roof.

SOUTH YORKSHIRE

Hoylandswaine Nail Forge, Barnsley - September 17, 11am-3pm

Discover the last working nail forge in England, and the only one in Britain with its original hearth and chimney. The building dates from the 19th century and was still producing nails in the 1940s. it is not regularly open to the public.

Chapel on the Bridge, Rotherham - September 17, 10.30am-2pm

The 15th-century chapel has also served as an almshouse, jail and tobacconist during its history. Tours of the crypt and jail including the old cell doors. Civil War cannonball marks are still visible.

Thundercliffe Grange, Rotherham - September 18, 10.30am-3pm

The 18th-century home of the Earls of Effingham later became a hospital for female lunatics and a children's home. It was built on the site of a medieval ironworks owned by the monks of Kirkstead Abbey and the remains of the grange can still be seen in the grounds.

The Earl was involved in local iron and steel production. In 1980, after the home closed, it was bought as a co-operative housing scheme by residents who still live there today.

Sheffield Hospitals History Collection, Northern General Hospital - September 10 and 11, tours at 10am, 12pm and 2.30pm

This is a rare opportunity for visitors to see old hospital instruments and equipment as well as portraits, busts and photographs relating to the history of the Sheffield Hospitals.

Visitors will be shown around the collection of archive material by members of Sheffield Hospitals History Group, all of whom are retired NHS staff. Items in the collection primarily relate to voluntary hospitals such as the Royal Infirmary and Royal Hospitals and also to the Workhouse at Fir Vale (now the Northern General Hospital). Portraits and busts of the founders of the hospitals will be on display in addition to old photographs of patients, buildings, wards and staff. Old instruments and equipment from the hospitals will be displayed.

WEST YORKSHIRE

Th'Owd Towser, Holmfirth - September 18, 10am-4pm

Visit this old jail and hear the story of its most famous occupant. Perhaps the oldest building in Holmfirth dating from around 1595. In its long history it has served as a jail (for which it was built), a fire station, a mortuary and an ambulance station.

Briarcourt, Lindley, Huddersfield - September 10, 10am-2.45pm

This Arts and Crafts mansion built in 1895 is now a private home so this is a rare chance to tour inside. It was built as a wedding present for Herbert Higginson Sykes but was a Kirklees Council facility until 2014.

Heathcote, Ilkley - September 14, 1.30-3.30pm

Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1906 with a garden by Gertrude Jekyll, the house has been until recently a corporate HQ but is now once again a private residence. Local historians from Ilkley Civic Society will be on hand to answer visitors' questions about the history of the house and its earlier residents.

Moorlands School, Far Headingley, Leeds - September 17, 10am-12pm

An open morning at Moorlands School in Far Headingley, formerly Fox Hill. Fox Hill, built in 1863, was the opulent mansion that George Corson designed for William Francis Tetley of the Leeds brewing family, his wife and 14 children. Some interesting original features remain. Moorlands School archives will be on display.

Spenfield, Headingley, Leeds - September 12, tours at 10am, 11am, 1pm and 2pm - pre-booking required

A rare opportunity to visit the communal areas of this magnificent Grade II-listed house in Far Headingley, including the exquisite Peacock Room.

Spenfield (built 1875-1877) was designed by the renowned architect George Corson for Leeds banker James Walker Oxley. After several incarnations and a long period of being unoccupied, it has been converted into luxury apartments.

Pontefract Castle, Under the Keep tour - September 10, tours all day, pre-booking required

Not usually open to the public, the keep gate is often connected with stories about secret tunnels leading to Pontefract Castle. Find out where the gate really leads to, learn about the construction of the castle’s keep and adventure to a place very few people have seen before.