History

Open Day

Kent

Canterbury

Every September, thousands of volunteers across England host events to celebrate the country’s rich history and culture as part of Heritage Open Days. It’s a unique opportunity to discover hidden places, enjoy new experiences, and explore remarkable sites – all completely free of charge.

Join us at St Augustine’s Abbey in Canterbury on Monday 15 September for our annual Heritage Open Day. Come and explore the site, learn about its fascinating history, and take part in this nationwide celebration of heritage.

FIND OUT MORE ON THE HERITAGE OPEN DAYS WEBSITE

Heritage Open Day At St Augustine's Abbey

It’s all fun and games at Pendennis Castle this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into. From soft play and mini golf to archery and den building, there’s all sorts of fun to be had all through the school holidays.

Book early & save 15%.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Fun & Games At Pendennis Castle

We are opening our fine art and social history store at Helmsley Archaeology store for the first time to the public. Join us for a behind the scenes tour of this fascinating store!

Tours will be held: 

Thursday 2 May – 10am

Thursday 3 July - 10am

Thursday 18 September - 10am

Thursday 2 October - 10am

Guided by members of the collections team, these tours will explore how we look after and care for our collections, our current projects and highlight some of our favourite finds from across the North territory.

To book your place, please email the collections team on Helmsley.Stores@english-heritage.org.uk.

Please specify a date and include a list of all attendees in your email. Tours are free but contributions welcomed. Bookings will be made on a first come, first serve basis.

While tours are free, a £5 per person donation is suggested.

Helmsley Archaeology Store Tours:

Calling all young squires and brave maidens!

Are you ready to become a knight of Goodrich? This summer Goodrich Castle is set to transform into a Knights' training ground. Join us every day from 19th July – 31st August for family-friendly medieval games and challenges designed to test your courage, skill and aim.

Take on the royal games including, egg and spoon races, castle skittles and the queens quoit challenge.

This event is included in your admission ticket to Goodrich Castle.

Knights' Training Ground At Goodrich Castle

It’s all fun and games at Walmer Castle this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into. From soft play and mini golf to archery and den building, there’s all sorts of fun to be had all through the school holidays.

Book early & save 15%.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Fun & Games At Walmer Castle

It’s all fun and games at Framlingham Castle this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into. From soft play and mini golf to archery and den building, there’s all sorts of fun to be had all through the school holidays.

Book early & save 15%.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summe Of Fun And Games At Framlingham Castle

It’s all fun and games at Beeston Castle and Woodland Park this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into. From soft play and mini golf to archery and den building, there’s all sorts of fun to be had all through the school holidays.

Book early & save 15%.

Tickets available soon.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Of Fun And Games At Beeston Castle And Woodland Park

It’s all fun and games at Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into. From soft play and mini golf to archery and den building, there’s all sorts of fun to be had all through the school holidays.

Book early & save 15%.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Of Fun And Games At Kenilworth Castle

It’s all fun and games at Whitby Abbey this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into.

Immerse yourself in the spooky world of Dracula at Whitby Abbey! Enjoy performer-led Dracula plays every Saturday to Tuesday, bringing the iconic story to life. Take part in The Count's Treasure Hunt around the Abbey everyday of the school holidays.

Book early and save 15%.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Of Fun And Games At Whitby Abbey

It’s all fun and games at Brodsworth Hall this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into.

Step into nature this summer and learn Woodland Skills every day with our expert ranger! Get hands-on with mud kitchens, den building, nature art, and fire-starting, perfect for little explorers.

Don’t miss our special events:

5th-7th August: Falconry – Watch magnificent birds of prey in action.

19th-21st August: Fairy Hunters – Can you explore Brodsworth Hall and uncover the hidden fairies around the grounds?

Book early & save 15%.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Of Fun And Games At Brodsworth Hall

It’s all fun and games at Osborne this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into. From soft play and mini golf to archery and den building, there’s all sorts of fun to be had all through the school holidays.

Book early & save 15%.

Tickets available soon.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Fun & Games At Osborne

It’s all fun and games at Dover Castle this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into. From soft play and mini golf to archery and den building, there’s all sorts of fun to be had all through the school holidays.

Book early & save 15%.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Fun & Games At Dover Castle

It’s all fun and games at Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into.

Take on a series of fun and quirky challenges, with a brand-new themed adventure every weekend. Join the Beast Explorers Club, go on an Ugly Bug Safari, hunt for fairies, or step back in time to the age of the dinosaurs!

Don’t miss our Dinosaur Weekend on 26th-27th July, where you can dig for dinosaur bones, take part in a Time Team-style excavation, and get an introduction to paleontology. Plus, meet a Victorian paleontologist who has discovered a mysterious egg… could it be a baby dinosaur?

Book early & save 15%.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Of Fun And Games At Belsay Hall

It’s all fun and games at Scarborough Castle this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into. From circus skills to dinosaur quests and fairy hunts, there’s all sorts of fun to be had all through the school holidays.

Book early & save 15%.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Of Fun And Games At Scarborough Castle

It’s all fun and games at Eltham Palace and Gardens this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into. From soft play and mini golf to archery and den building, there’s all sorts of fun to be had all through the school holidays.

Book early & save 15%.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Of Fun And Games At Eltham Palace And Gardens

It’s all fun and games at Bolsover Castle this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into. From sword school to archery and den building, there’s all sorts of fun to be had all through the school holidays.

Book early & save 15%.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Of Fun And Games At Bolsover Castle

It’s all fun and games at Wrest Park this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into. From soft play and mini golf to archery and den building, there’s all sorts of fun to be had all through the school holidays.

Book early & save 15%.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Of Fun And Games At Wrest Park

It’s all fun and games at Carisbrooke Castle this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into. From soft play and mini golf to archery and den building, there’s all sorts of fun to be had all through the school holidays.

Book early & save 15%.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Fun & Games At Carisbrooke Castle

It’s all fun and games at Stonehenge this summer. We’ve partnered with TV’s Taskmaster to set you silly challenges as you explore. Collect your Taskmaster score card and complete your tasks. There might be a rubber duck or two to spot on the way too. When you reach the finishing zone, celebrate your silliness with some selfie shots, and collect a little reward for all your hard work.

Please note: Alex and the Taskmaster team sadly won’t be doing the tasks with you … which does mean you’re in charge. Questionable. But exciting.

Plus, bring your budding archaeologists to take part in the Kids’ Dig event, and excavate ancient artefacts from our special Stonehenge sandboxes.

Book early and save 15%.

Come Play Ft. Tv’S Taskmaster At Stonehenge

Experience the power and glamour of John Singer Sargent’s portraits in Kenwood's new exhibition; Heiress: Sargent’s American Portraits.

Heiress: Sargent’s American Portraits will reveal the real stories behind the fascinating American women who crossed the Atlantic to marry British aristocrats in an exchange of money for titles. These women include a war-time nurse and the first sitting female MP.

Sargent was one of the most sought-after artists of the Gilded Age and was ‘the artist’ to depict these intriguing women. On the centenary of his death, the exhibition will be a salute to John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), the most admired and sought-after portraitist of the Gilded Age on both sides of the Atlantic. These portraits represent some of his most glamorous and powerful works. In addition to full-length oil paintings, masterful charcoal portraits will also feature, depicting their subjects in a candid and perceptive light.

Heiress: Sargent’s American Portraits is curated by English Heritage with the charity drawing upon the expertise of Richard Ormond CBE. The renowned Sargent scholar and the artist’s great-nephew is the exhibition’s consultant.

Book online and save 15%.

Heiress:

It’s all fun and games at Audley End House and Gardens this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into. From soft play and mini golf to archery and den building, there’s all sorts of fun to be had all through the school holidays.

Book early & save 15%.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Of Fun And Games At Audley End House And Gardens

It’s all fun and games at Battle Abbey this summer, with loads of activities for the whole family to get stuck into. From soft play and mini golf to archery and den building, there’s all sorts of fun to be had all through the school holidays.

Book early & save 15%.

Your admission price will depend on the day you want to visit. Find out more about our pricing.

Summer Fun And Games At Battle Abbey

Bring your budding archaeologists to try their hand at unearthing the past in our special Stonehenge sandboxes. Artefacts from across the centuries are ready to be excavated, giving children the chance to learn more about the history of Stonehenge through the things that have been left behind.

Please note that this experience is first come first served, and due to capacity, queues may form. Time within the experience will be restricted, but you are welcome to come back and have multiple turns throughout the day.

Families will also enjoy exploring the Neolithic houses to find out how the builders of Stonehenge would have lived and having a go at our fun photo challenges in front of the stones.

Kids' Dig

Join us for a behind the scenes tour of Helmsley Archaeology store!

We are also opening our fine art and social history store at Helmsley Archaeology store for the first time to the public. See below for dates of which store to visit and when. 

Tours will be held: 

Friday 6 June - 11:30 & 13:30

Friday 4 July - 11:30 & 13:30

Thursday 31 July - 10am (fine art and social history store only)

Friday 1 August - 11:30 & 13:30

Thursday 18 September - 10am (fine art and social history store only)

Friday 19 September - 11:30 & 13:30 – Heritage Open day specials

Saturday 20 September – 10:00 & 11:30 – Heritage Open day specials

Thursday 2 October - 10am (fine art and social history store only)

Friday 3 October - 11:30 & 13:30

Guided by members of the collections team, these tours will explore how we look after and care for our collections, our current projects and highlight some of our favourite finds from across the North territory.

Tours are free for members and £5 each for non-members.

Helmsley Store Tours

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. 

Heritage Open Day At St Augustine's Abbey

English Heritage

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