History

Tour

North Yorkshire

York

Join us for a gentle walk with English Heritage landscape historian Dr Al Oswald, from one end of Rievaulx Terrace to the other, and back again. Enjoy glimpses of Rievaulx Abbey in the valley below and learn about the history of the 18th-century terrace, its Neoclassical temples and the ancient woodland on the slopes below.

The round-trip is 1,500 metres (almost 1 mile) on largely level lawn. It is suitable for off-road pushchairs and some wheelchairs. Dogs on leads are welcome. On the return leg, attendees can make their way back at their own pace and choose to follow woodland paths if preferred.

Please note that English Heritage has recently taken over care of Rievaulx Terrace from the National Trust.

This tour is graded as moderate access with few places to stop and rest.

Bookings will open on Wednesday 15 July at 9am.

Members' Event:

Start your weekend feeling refreshed with a session of Community Yoga set against the backdrop of Marble Hill and its beautiful surroundings. A community-based event - just bring a mat and join in!

This event is sutiable for adults and over 12s only.

Visit the Lotus and Laurely Yoga website for more details on how to book in for a session and more information about Community Yoga at Marble Hill.

Community Yoga At Marble Hill

Join Knight Club for the chance to get up close and personal with your favourite medieval fighters during the Belsay Hall Knights’ Tournament.

You’ll hang out with the knights in their camp as they get ready for action before the site opens, and you’ll have the chance to ask them everything you’ve ever wanted to know about their armour, tactics and weapons. When the tournament starts, you’ll get access to a special area to get the best view of the action and every member of Knight Club will get a goodie bag to take home with them.

Knight Club is only for English Heritage members, and it’s suitable for families with kids over 4. And it’s an add-on experience, so you’ll need to buy tickets for the Knight Club for each member of your family, and a separate ticket for the Knights' Tournament on our website, or on the day.

Celebrate a classic Great British Summer at Audley End House and Gardens, inspired by timeless holiday traditions and a fun day out for the whole family.

Enjoy the fairground activities, pick up new tricks at the circus skills station and dive in to some puppet antics. Kick back in a deck chair with a delicious ice cream and soak up the summer.

Plus, kids can grab a souvenir passport and collect special stamps to complete their summer adventure.

Great British Summer At Audley End House And Gardens

Celebrate a classic Great British Summer at Framlingham Castle, inspired by timeless holiday traditions and a fun day out for the whole family.

Enjoy the fairground activities, pick up new tricks at the circus skills station and dive in to some puppet antics. Kick back in a deck chair with a delicious ice cream and soak up the summer.

Plus, kids can grab a souvenir passport and collect special stamps to complete their summer adventure.

Great British Summer At Framlingham Castle

Join us at Goodrich Castle in the summer holidays for The Three Trials of Knighthood. Young squires will test their balance, aim and creativity through a series of exciting knight challenges.

From carrying the Dragon’s Egg to mastering the Ring of Precision and building a mighty Watchtower.

Complete all three trials and earn the honour of knighthood in this unforgettable family-friendly experience.

The Three Trials Of Knighthood At Goodrich Castle

Celebrate a classic Great British Summer at Osborne, inspired by timeless holiday traditions and a fun day out for the whole family.

Enjoy the fairground activities, pick up new tricks at the circus skills station and dive in to some puppet antics. Kick back in a deck chair with a delicious ice cream and soak up the summer.

Plus, kids can grab a souvenir passport and collect special stamps to complete their summer adventure.

Great British Summer At Osborne

Spend a Sunday at Walmer Castle and Gardens listening to live music.

Bring your chairs or blankets, grab a refreshing treat from our café and enjoy a wonderful day of music.

Book early and save 15%

Sunday Music At Walmer Castle And Gardens

Spend a Sunday at Wrest Park listening to live music.

Bring your chairs or blankets, grab a refreshing treat from our café and enjoy a wonderful day of music.

Book early and save 15%

Sunday Music At Wrest Park

Spend a Sunday at Eltham Palace and Gardens listening to live music.

Bring your chairs or blankets, grab a refreshing treat from our café and enjoy a wonderful day of music.

Book early and save 15%

Sunday Music At Eltham Palace And Gardens

Celebrate a classic Great British Summer at Beeston Castle, inspired by timeless holiday traditions and a fun day out for the whole family.

Enjoy the fairground activities, pick up new tricks at the circus skills station and dive in to some puppet antics. Kick back in a deck chair with a delicious ice cream and soak up the summer.

Plus, kids can grab a souvenir passport and collect special stamps to complete their summer adventure.

Great British Summer At Beeston Castle

Spend a Sunday at Down House listening to live music.

Bring your chairs or blankets, grab a refreshing treat from our café and enjoy a wonderful day of music.

Book early and save 15%

Sunday Music At Down House

Celebrate a classic Great British Summer at Dover Castle, inspired by timeless holiday traditions and a fun day out for the whole family.

Enjoy the fairground activities, pick up new tricks at the circus skills station and dive in to some puppet antics. Kick back in a deck chair with a delicious ice cream and soak up the summer.

Plus, kids can grab a souvenir passport and collect special stamps to complete their summer adventure.

Great British Summer At Dover Castle

Celebrate a classic Great British Summer at Stonehenge, inspired by timeless holiday traditions and a fun day out for the whole family.

Enjoy the fairground activities, pick up new tricks at the circus skills station and dive in to some puppet antics. Kick back in a deck chair with a delicious ice cream and soak up the summer.

Plus, kids can grab a souvenir passport and collect special stamps to complete their summer adventure.

Great British Summer At Stonehenge

Join us for a weekend of digging, building and creating as we explore how we find out about the past through the things people left behind.

There will be the chance to handle real archaeological finds from Cleeve Abbey, take part in a simulated mini-dig, dress up as Cistercian monks for a photo or for TikTok and design your own tile floor.

Bring a picnic to enjoy in the beautiful abbey grounds.

This event is included with admission to Cleeve Abbey which you can book in advance below to save 15%. Members go free.

Archaeology Fun Days At Cleeve Abbey

Celebrate a classic Great British Summer at Carisbrooke Castle, inspired by timeless holiday traditions and a fun day out for the whole family.

Enjoy the fairground activities, pick up new tricks at the circus skills station and dive in to some puppet antics. Kick back in a deck chair with a delicious ice cream and soak up the summer.

Plus, kids can grab a souvenir passport and collect special stamps to complete their summer adventure.

Great British Summer At Carisbrooke Castle

Celebrate a classic Great British Summer at Pendennis Castle, inspired by timeless holiday traditions and a fun day out for the whole family.

Enjoy the fairground activities, pick up new tricks at the circus skills station and dive in to some puppet antics. Kick back in a deck chair with a delicious ice cream and soak up the summer.

Plus, kids can grab a souvenir passport and collect special stamps to complete their summer adventure.

Great British Summer At Pendennis Castle

Celebrate a classic Great British Summer at Scarborough Castle, inspired by timeless holiday traditions and a fun day out for the whole family.

Enjoy the fairground activities, pick up new tricks at the circus skills station and dive in to some puppet antics. Kick back in a deck chair with a delicious ice cream and soak up the summer.

Plus, kids can grab a souvenir passport and collect special stamps to complete their summer adventure.

Great British Summer At Scarborough Castle

Celebrate a classic Great British Summer at Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden, inspired by timeless holiday traditions and a fun day out for the whole family.

Enjoy the fairground activities, pick up new tricks at the circus skills station and dive in to some puppet antics. Kick back in a deck chair with a delicious ice cream and soak up the summer.

Plus, kids can grab a souvenir passport and collect special stamps to complete their summer adventure.

Great British Summer At Kenilworth Castle

This summer, Belsay Hall hosts a new exhibition in partnership with Northumbria University.

Make and Mend brings together around 20 artists, inviting their creative responses to Belsay’s rich heritage through a range of disciplines, including textiles, furniture, photography, and architectural studies.

The exhibition blends traditional craftsmanship with contemporary techniques, celebrating both the history of making and the ongoing art of preservation.

This event is included with your general admission to Belsay Hall. Book early and save 15%. Members go free.

Make And Mend At Belsay Hall

Celebrate a classic Great British Summer at Whitby Abbey, inspired by timeless holiday traditions and a fun day out for the whole family.

Enjoy the fairground activities, pick up new tricks at the circus skills station and dive in to some puppet antics. Kick back in a deck chair with a delicious ice cream and soak up the summer.

Plus, kids can grab a souvenir passport and collect special stamps to complete their summer adventure.

Great British Summer At Whitby Abbey

Spend a Sunday at Brodsworth Hall and Gardens listening to live music.

Bring your chairs or blankets, grab a refreshing treat from our café and enjoy a wonderful day of music.

Book early and save 15%

Sunday Music At Brodsworth Hall

Spend a Sunday at Battle Abbey listening to live music.

Bring your chairs or blankets, grab a refreshing treat from our café and enjoy a wonderful day of music.

Book early and save 15%

Sunday Music At Battle Abbey

Audley End is celebrated for its magnificence: beautifully furnished rooms and fine objects, carefully arranged and presented for visitors. Yet above these showpiece interiors lies another, lesser-known world.

Running from May to November 2026, Behind Closed Doors is a new exhibition that offers a rare glimpse into the hidden second-floor rooms, long closed to the public. Once guest bedrooms and servants’ quarters, they now function as store rooms, revealing a quieter side of life within the house.

Through the photographs of Lachlan French and Clive Downes, these interiors evoke a faded splendour, carefully preserved as if a moment frozen in time.

In contrast to the rooms below, they offer a more subtle beauty, shaped by memory, atmosphere, and the traces of lives once lived behind closed doors.

This event is included with general admission. Book in advance to save 15%. Members go free.

Behind Closed Doors:

BACONSTHORPE CASTLE, NORTH NORFOLK

North Nofolk is home to landscapes steeped in memory, and few places hold presence quite like Baconsthorpe Castle. 

Set within the tranquil valley near to the village of Baconsthorpe, the castle ruins date back to the 15th century and were once the seat of the powerful Heydon family. Surrounded by earthworks, water meadows, and ancient stone, the site carries a deep sense of continuity where history, land and silence still speak.

This year we are honoured to bring a ReAlign Alchemy sound bath to the ruins of Baconsthorpe Castle, offering a rare opportunity to experience therapeutic sound within  a site shaped by centuries of Norfolk heritage energy.

  SUNDAY 26TH JULY 2026

Within the castle grounds, surrounded by the moat we will hold a one hour ReAlign sound journey, working with live acoustic instruments attuned to support the nervous system, energetic healing and astral travel.

Featuring:

Grotta Sonora Gongs

Crystal Tones Alchemy Singing Bowls

Tibetan Healing Bowls

Japanese Koshi Chimes

Planetary Tuned Chimes

Quartz Crystal Sacred Geometries

Ritual sounds designed to awaken, clear, and align

ALL MATS, BLANKETS, AND CUSHIONS ARE PROVIDED FOR YOU.

SCHEDULE:

Park in the carpark at the entrance to the site at 12:45 pm.

Sound Bath: 1– 2:00pm

Following the event, you are welcome to stay and explore/reflect within the grounds.

PLEASE BRING:

Layers of warm, comfortable clothing (this is an open-air event)

Water/suncream if required

ACCESSIBILITY:

Parking spaces are available just a few minutes walk from the aoundbath location.

Ground is natural and uneven in places; sturdy footwear is recommended.

In the event of poor weather on the day, this event will be rescheduled.

This is a rare opportunity invited exclusively by English Heritage, it would be a pleasure to share this with you. Let the land, history, and frequency meet you where you are and carry you into a deeper place within. Spaces are genuinely limited, and so if you’d like to join us, please book quickly.

Realign™ Special Sites Sound Bath At Baconsthorpe Castle

English Heritage

English Heritage cares for over 400 historic buildings, monuments and sites - from world-famous prehistoric sites to grand medieval castles, from Roman forts on the edges of the empire to a Cold War bunker. 

Through these, we bring the story of England to life for over 10 million people each year. 

Members' Event:

English Heritage

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