Open days offer chance to study heritage that is all around us

FEW, if any, countries have as many breathtaking and historic buildings as we do here in England.

This rich heritage dates back hundreds of years and next month more than a thousand historic sites and buildings, many of which are usually closed to the public or charge for admission, will be throwing open their doors and offering visitors the chance to look around these architectural treasures as part of this year’s Heritage Open Days.

Set up in 1994 by the Civic Trust as part of England’s contribution to the European Heritage Days, the open days started out with about 700 sites and have since developed into Britain’s largest and most popular grassroots heritage event, with participation more than doubling by 2010.

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This year the annual Heritage Open Days run from September 6 to 9, and offer free access to all kinds of buildings, from castles and city halls, to tunnels and towers, police cells, private homes and even woodland walks. The idea is to raise awareness and interest in local heritage sites that many of us drive, or walk, past every day without even noticing.

The open days, funded by English Heritage, are England’s biggest voluntary cultural event and are run by a huge network, including more than 1,400 organisations and 40,000 volunteers, who share a passion for buildings, history and culture.

Each year more than a million people visit these sites, many of which run tours and host events and activities aimed at bringing this local history to life.

In Yorkshire, there are numerous historic sites taking part and The Churches Conservation Trust, the national charity protecting historic churches at risk, is organising tours around many of the 342 churches it is responsible for in England.

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Among them are All Souls Church, in Halifax, and Holy Trinity Church, in Goodramgate, York.

The church in Halifax, built in 1859, was designed by architect Sir George Gilbert Scott and paid for by local manufacturer Edward Akroyd and boasts a 72-metre-high spire as well as dazzling stained glass created by Victorian master craftsmen.

Graham White, volunteering officer for the Churches Conservation Trust, says all of the churches it looks after are Grade I or II Listed buildings.

“All the churches that end up in our care are no longer used for regular worship and are passed on to us by the Church of England.

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“They are historic treasures and have been at the heart of communities for as long as a thousand years in some cases, so this is a great opportunity for people to find out more about these wonderful buildings.

“Holy Trinity Church has one of the most magnificent 15th century stained glass windows in England and it also has a board commemorating George Hudson, ‘The Railway King’, who made York a major railway centre back in the 19th century.”

The trust needs to raise about £1.5m every year just to carry out essential repair work on the buildings in its care and Mr White says the open days are a great way of encouraging local people to find out more about where they live.

“The Heritage Open days are really important for us and it’s a chance to remind people 
that these buildings remain 
at the heart of their 
communities.”

For more information visit www.heritageopendays.org.uk or www.visitchurches.org.uk