History

Picnic

Tour

Nature & Outdoor Fun

Kent

Canterbury

Bring history to life with a guided site tour of St Augustine’s Abbey.

Founded in AD 598 by St Augustine himself, this once-great abbey marks the rebirth of Christianity in southern England. Your knowledgeable guide will lead you around the site, helping you imagine what the abbey looked like at its height centuries ago. After the tour, enjoy full access to the site—why not bring a picnic, relax in the grounds, and make a whole day of your visit?

Tour dates 2026:

Saturday 18 April, Thursday 14 May, Monday 8 June, Wednesday 22 July, Monday 10 August, Tuesday 18 August, Saturday 12 September.

These tours are £3 extra on top of your general admission ticket. Members go free. You can book a general admission ticket and a tour ticket below. If there are any spaces left on the day, it will be on a first come first serve basis.

The tours are suitable for ages 10+.

There are uneven grounds, so please wear suitable. Also, this tour is outdoors, so dress for the weather.

Tours At St Augustine's Abbey

Join us at Gainsborough Old Hall for a free zine making workshop from 10am - 2pm on Saturday 28 February.

A zine (pronounced as zeen) is a small booklet or magazine that is an independently published work. You can produce a small booklet in relation to your favourite topic or about the Old Hall itself. From kings and queens to the beautiful patterns of the Old Hall, there is the opportunity to produce a small booklet to keep or contribute to our community book nook.

Paper, pens, scissors, glue, magazines, and newspapers are provided to make your own zine!

Free Zine Making Workshop At Gainsborough Old Hall

Free outdoor sessions to help you feel better, move more, connect with nature, and meet new people—no gym needed!

Come and join us for relaxed, friendly group movement sessions at Dover's Western Heights.

Hike, stretch, breathe, run, and enjoy nature together. It’s all about feeling good in your body and mind, with no pressure and no cost.

Dont fancy the full four hours? Not a problem! There's a natural break halfway through the session, and we completely understand if you'd rather call it a day at that point. The most important thing to us is that you feel happy and comfortable.

Sessions are led by Primal Runners – friendly coaches trained to support all abilities and backgrounds.

  WHO?

Everyone is welcome—especially if you:

Feel stressed, lonely, or stuck indoors

Want to get moving but don’t like gyms

Are new to Dover or new to speaking English

Just want to try something different

Please note: These are active sessions. The walk to the Western Heights is steep and requires good mobility. If you have any questions about accessibility, please get in touch. We're happy to help you work out if the sessions will be suitable for you.

  WHAT?

Each session includes:

A welcome chat

A walk or run through nature

Simple body movement (no equipment needed)

Breathing and calming exercises

Time to talk, share, and connect

No experience or fancy gear is needed. Just wear some trainers and comfortable clothes to move in.

  WHERE?

Meet us at The Rings in Dover's Market Square. We’ll head up to the Western Heights together.

There is pay-and-display parking available in Dover town centre. The nearest railway station is Dover Priory, a 5-minute walk from the Market Square, and Stagecoach buses stop nearby in Pencester Road and Priory Street.

Postcode | CT16 1NU

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  WHEN?

All sessions run from 10am - 2pm (with the option to finish at 12pm) on the following dates:

Autumn 2025

Spring 2026

Sun 7 Sep 2025 Sun 15 Mar 2026

Sun 28 Sep 2025 Sun 29 Mar 2026

Sat 18 Oct 2025* Sun 19 Apr 2026

* This session only will run from 10:30 - 14:30

  THIS EVENT IS PART OF ENGLISH HERITAGE'S REACHING GREATER HEIGHTS PROJECT.

Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Reaching Greater Heights is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to restore historic chalk grasslands at Dover Castle and Western Heights, protect rare wildlife and heritage, and empower local communities through volunteering, learning, and activities.

Heights Not Weights:

Enjoy the fresh air, pleasant surroundings, and community spirit of Marble Hill with our weekly Community Walk. The experience is led by our volunteers and is free to attend with no pre-booking requirement.

Meet outside the Coach House Café.

Community Walk At Marble Hill

Join a community of crafters for a weekly knit and natter in the Coach House Cafe at Marble Hill.

We’re a friendly and encouraging group, who work on our own independent projects alongside each other.

Open to all adult ages and abilities.

There is no booking required. For more details please contact chloe.cooke@english-heritage.org.uk

Knitting Group At Marble Hill

Join English Heritage historian Dr Micheal Carter at Rievaulx Abbey on the anniversary of the abbey's foundation in 1132 to hear about St Aelred the monastery's other saints. Learn about St Aelred's extraordinary life and how he left his imprint on the abbeys buildings. Hear tales of other saints accociated with the monastery and prepare yourself for stories of miraculous cures and visions.

This tour is graded as moderate access due to uneven terrain.

Members' Event:

Visit our kitchen garden, where we have a selection of fresh produce for sale. All produce is grown by our volunteer kitchen gardeners, and proceeds support our beautiful house and gardens.

Expect to find fresh vegetables, cut flowers, and other seasonal produced.

Our Kitchen Garden is in the northeast corner of the park, by the sports block.

Card payments only.

This event is weather dependant and might be called off in short notice.

If you have any questions, please email our Senior Gardener: Harrison.Hulatt@english-heritage.org.uk

The Kitchen Garden At Marble Hill

Join Dr Megan Leyland (Senior Curator of History) at Ranger’s House, Greenwich, for a fascinating talk on royal scandal, intrigue and lavish parties. Featured as the Bridgerton family home in the hit Netflix series, Ranger’s House has a history just as dramatic as the show. Discover the lives of real former residents like the Duchess of Brunswick and her daughter, Princess Caroline, and their royal connections. The talk takes place in the stunning gallery, followed by a short guided walk and a chance to explore the house at your own pace.

This tour is graded as easy access, but there are several steps around the house to navigate.

Enjoy a landscape walk, led by our knowledgeable volunteers. Learn more about Marble Hill's historic landscape and the changes made to it through time.

These tours run every first Friday of the month, all year round.

Please meet outside the front of house at 1pm.

Landscape Tours At Marble Hill

Join local artist Maddy Khan at Gainsborough Old Hall for a fun and creative mosaic workshop to create a beautiful flower for Mother's Day! Participants will design and create their own decorative mosaic piece in this guided, hands-on session.

This workshop is suitable for beginners, families, and children (8 years+) and is the perfect opportunity to create a handmade gift for Mum, Gran, or mother-figure ready for the big day (or keep it for yourself!).

Each participant will use a selection of beautiful coloured mosaic tiles. Attendees will design and grout the shape and leave with a finished mosaic artwork to take home.

Your session ticket only gives access to the activity itself. If you would like to visit the Hall before or after the session, you will need to purchase a separate Hall admission ticket, which you can add on to your booking via the button below, or purchase on the day.

This event takes place on the ground floor and is wheelchair accessible.

Mother's Day Mosaic Workshop At Gainsborough Old Hall

Join Christina Pascoe, English Heritage's National Venue Hire Manager, for a peek behind the scenes at film projects at Osborne. From Mrs Brown to Victoria, learn why English Heritage allows these projects to take place, the challenges they pose and the measures taken to protect the building and its artefacts in order to allow our fantastic heritage to appear on screen.

This talk is graded as moderate access as it will require navigating stairs. Please dress appropriately for the weather and wear suitable footwear.

The River Tyburn was one of London’s smaller rivers. It was buried due to the urban sprawl of the West End and as such it flows beneath some of London’s most recognisable landmarks. We follow its route through some of London’s most affluent areas until we reach its mouth at the Thames, while hearing stories of days of life on the river in days gone by.

This tour is graded as moderate access, due to it being a walking tour covering 1.5-2 miles over busy and uneven streets, with few places to stop and rest. For access information at Bond Street Station please visit https://tfl.gov.uk/transport-accessibility.

Not suitable for under-16s.

Join English Heritage historian Will Wyeth on a tour of Sherborne Old Castle. Beginning with the history of the site before the castle was constructed, it will explore Sherborne Old’s architecture and history, placing it in the context of wider events in the history of England. It will draw out the everyday stories of castle life as well as the lives of some of the castle’s famous inhabitants.

This tour is graded as moderate access due to uneven terrain.

To celebrate International Women's Day, five historic women tell their stories of how they made Audley End what it is today - with a bit of friendly rivalry along the way.

There will be a series of performances on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 March at 11.15am, 12.15pm and 1.45pm. The performances last 30 minutes.

These performances are included with your admission, which you can book in advance below.

Seating is limited to 50 people per performance and will be available on a first-come, first served basis. To reserve a seat, please register your interest at the Visitor Centre on the day of the performance.

The shows are suitable for audiences aged 16+. The area is wheelchair accessible. Please note there are no enhanced audio facilities.

Five Women Of Audley End At Audley End House

Gain a rare insight into Stonehenge, the famous World Heritage Site, with an exclusive tour around the monument led by one of English Heritage’s experts. Learn all about the stones and discover the fascinating details on the sarsens and bluestones that are only visible up close.

This event will include exclusive early morning access to the stone circle accompanied by our expert and a light breakfast served after.

Please note this event is graded as moderate access as it will involve some walking with limited places to rest, and uneven terrain. The event will take place outside, so please wear suitable footwear and dress appropriately for the weather.

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. 

Tours At St Augustine's Abbey

English Heritage

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