Full guide to nearby Heritage Open Days in the county

Heritage Open Days is to return in September over two consecutive weekends for the first time in twenty four years with thousands of events to celebrate history and culture. 

More than 40,000 volunteers organised exclusive free events open to the public on September 6-9 and 13-16.

This years Heritage Open Day will celebrate ‘Extraordinary Women’.
The aim is to uncover, acknowledge and reveal the women who have touched lives, brought about change, and left a legacy.

Established in 1994, Heritage Open Days is England’s contribution to Europe’s Heritage Days, making it the largest heritage festival in the UK. 
Expanding from 701 events at its launch, Heritage Open Days now hosts over 5,000 events. 

The event is offering the public the change to nominate their own community heroine with the opportunity to feature on their ‘Wall of Women’, or in a special blog post 

Some of the events allow visitors to explore hidden places normally closed to the public, join one-off tours around popular historic sites, and try out new experiences celebrating culture in the community. 

Regular visitor Loyd Grossman said: “Every year, Heritage Open Days becomes a more diverse and fascinating festival,”

He added: “And, of course, we continue to celebrate all aspects of local heritage, with thousands of other walks, talks, openings and events – all of them free!”

SOUTHAMPTON

Bitterne Local History Society
231 Peartree Avenue
September 15 10am to 4pm 

Bursledon Windmill Harvest Weekend
Windmill Lane
September 8 10am-4pm
September 9 10am-4pm

Cadland Gardens
Stanswood Road, Fawley
September 7 9:30am-4pm

Calshot Castle
Calshot Activities Centre, Calshot Road
September 7 and 8 10.30am-16.30pm

Extraordinary and Radical Women of Southampton City – Guided Walk
The Bargate, High Street
September 14 3pm-4.30pm

Fawley Church Heritage
All Saints Church, Marsh Lane
September 14 and 15 10am-16pm

Medieval Merchant’s House
58 French Street, Southampton
September 15 11am-4pm

Nuffield Southampton Theatres City Open Day
142-144 Above Bar Street, Southampton
September 15 10am-6pm, backstage tours – 10.30am, 11am, 11.30am, noon, 12.30pm

Southampton Heritage Fayre
St Joseph’s Catholic Church Hall, 48 Bugle Street
September 15 10am-4pm

The Brickworks Museum
Swanwick Lane
September 6 and 9 11am-4pm

Townhill Park House
The Gregg School, Atlantic Park View, West End
September 16 2pm-5pm

WINCHESTER

Winchester: Then and Now Exhibition
The Heritage Centre, 32 Upper Brook Street.
September 13-16 10am-4pm

Explore the Great Hall
Castle Avenue
September 13-16 10am-4pm 

Extraordinary Women Exhibition
The Great Hall, Castle Avenue
September 13-16 10am-4pm 

Hyde 900 Exhibition & Tile-Making Workshop
The Inner Close Lawn, Winchester Cathedral
September 13-16 10am-4pm 

St Bartholomew Church
King Alfred Place, Hyde
September 13-16 10am-4pm 

St Lawrence-in-the-Square Church 
The Square
September 13-16 10am-4pm, Sunday 11.30-4pm

St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate Church
St Swithun Street
September 13-16 10am-4pm 

Royal Oak
Royal Oak Passage, just off the High Street.
September 13-16 11am-5pm

History & Heritage in the Link Gallery (West Downs Centre)
University of Winchester, Romsey Road
September 13 9am-6pm

Hospital of St Cross Open Day
Hospital of St Cross, St Cross Road
September 13 9.30am-5pm 

Female Theologians & Eco-Feminists (West Downs Centre)
University of Winchester, Romsey Road
September 13 10am-4pm 

St Cross Water Meadows
Adjacent to The Hospital of St Cross, St Cross Road
September 13 10am-4pm 

Tudor Music & Dancing
The Great Hall, Castle Avenue
September 14 1pm-2.30pm 

Book for Dr Becky Peacock | Women on the Railways
The Winchester Discovery Centre
September 14 2.30pm-3.30pm 

History and Heritage in the Link Gallery (West Downs Centre)
University of Winchester, Romsey Road
September 14 9am-6pm 

Female Theologians & Eco-Feminists (West Downs Centre)
Romsey Road
September 14 10am-4pm

Classic and Vintage Car Display
In front of Winchester Cathedral
September 14 10am-3pm

Friends’ Meeting House and Gardens 
16 Colebrook Street.
September 14 9am-6pm 

Oyez, Oyez, Oyez! 
The Town Crier returns to Winchester High Street with Kev Collick, Winchester’s famous Big Issue seller. 
September 14 and 16 9-1pm 

Winchester City Mill
Bridge Street
September 14 10-4.30pm

Winchester Lido
Hyde Church Lane, off Worthy Lane
September 14 10-4pm

Winchester Military Quarter
Peninsula Barracks, Romsey Road
September 14 10-4pm

How the Vote Was Won
Royal Green Jackets Museum, Peninsula Barracks, Romsey Road
September 14 10-4pm

Waynflete Singers
The Great Hall, Castle Avenue
September 14 10-4pm

Hampshire Archives
Hampshire Record Office, Sussex Street
September 14 11-3pm

Explore the Cathedral Close
Winchester Cathedral
September 14 11-3pm

Medieval Knights at The Westgate
High Street
September 14 11-4pm

Theatre Royal Open Day
22-23 Jewry Street
September 14 11-4pm

Railway Inn
3 St Pauls Hill, Fulflood
September 14 12-2am

Blue Apple Theatre
Pilgrims’ Hall, 3 The Close
September 14 1pm, 2pm, 3pm

Vintage Bus and Coach Display
Cattle Market car park, Worthy Lane, Hyde
September 14 1-5pm

Alfred Bus Service
The Broadway.
September 14 1-9pm

Medieval Graffiti at St John the Baptist Church
St Johns Street
September 14 2-4.30pm

Poetry at St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate,
St Swithun Street
September 14 2-2.45pm

Talks all taking place on September 15 
10.30am-11:30am 

Stacey Heale Right Now, it’s Like This, at Hampshire Record Office
10.30am-11:30am 

Dr Jane Robinson ‘Hearts and Minds’: The Untold Story of the Great Pilgrimage, at The Winchester Discovery Centre
Noon-1pm 

Kate Holt Surviving Afghanistan, at Hampshire Record Office
12.30pm-1.30pm 

Dr Emma Clery The Remarkable Charlotte Smith, at Winchester Discovery Centre
1.30pm-2.30pm 

Lucy Coleman Talbot discusses The Future of Funerals, at Hampshire Record Office
2.30pm-3.30pm 

Dr Hannah Meyer Licoricia of Winchester, at Winchester Discovery Centre
3-4pm 

Prof Emma Rees The Suffragettes – From Hard Sell, to Hard Cell, at Hampshire Record Office
4.30pm-5.30pm

Dr Fern Riddell Death in Ten Minutes: Kitty Marion, at Winchester Discovery Centre
6.30pm-7.30pm

Dr Sue Anderson-Faithful Mary Sumner, at Winchester Discovery Centre 
The Watercress Quartet
Winchester City Mill, Bridge Street
September 16 10am-4.30pm 

Pilgrims’ Hall
3 The Close
September 16 11am-4pm

(Extraordinary) Winchester Women
Blue Apple Theatre in The Cathedral Inner Close.
September 16 11am and 1pm

Hyde Tavern
57 Hyde Street
September 16 11am-4.00pm, 

Poetry at St Lawrence
Church of St Lawrence in The Square
September 16 noon-1pm priority for pre-booked

How the Vote Was Won
The Royal Green Jackets Museum, Peninsula Barracks, Romsey Road
September 16 noon-4pm 

Winchester Military Quarter
Six museums will be opening their doors for free, Peninsula Barracks
September 16 12-4pm

Friends’ Meeting House 
16 Colebrook Street
1-4pm
Suffragette’ Film Screening
Everyman Cinemas, Southgate Street
September 16 2pm

Dame Jenni Murray discusses A History of the World in 21 Women
Winchester College
September 16 2-3pm

The Heritage Quiz
The Hyde Tavern, 57 Hyde Street
None other than Kevin Ashman of BBC2’s Eggheads will be your quizmaster for the evening.
September 16 7.30pm-10pm

Further Afield
Alresford’s Eel House
On the Wayfarer’s Path, off The Dean.
September 16 11am-5pm

Heathcote Mausoleum
Churchyard of All Saints, Hursley.
September 16 2pm-4pm, 

Romsey Signal Box
Brick Lane, off Winchester Road, Romsey
September 15 and 16 11am-4pm 

The Grange
Grange Park, Northington, Alresford
September 14 2pm-6pm

HAMPSHIRE 
Behind the scenes tours of the Mid Hants Railway engineering sheds
Mid Hampshire Railway, Station House, Station Hill, Ropley, Alresford
The tours will take you behind the scenes through our workshops to explore how we restore the steam locomotives and carriages we run on the…
Saturday 15 September: Tours 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, & last one 1520
Sunday 16 September: Tours 11.30am, 12.30pm, 1.30pm, 2.30pm, & last one 1520

Guided Tours of The Grange
The Grange, Grange Park, Northington, Alresford
The Grange is a Scheduled Monument with Grade 1 listing. The original red brick house was built in the mid-1660s to a design by William Samwell.…Thursday 13 September: Two tours 11am and 1pm

Open Day at The Grange
Friday 14 September: 2pm-6pm
Women on the Railways
Mid Hampshire Railway, Station House, Station Hill, Ropley, Alresford
Saturday 15 September: 10.30am-1630
Sunday 16 September: 10.30am-1630

Woodlands House
Woodlands House, Woodlands, Bramdean, Alresford
Friday 7 September: 10am-1pm
Friday 14 September: 10.00-13.00

A Walk in Jane’s footsteps
Chawton House Library, Chawton, Alton
Thursday 13 September: Tour 11am

Alton Quaker Meeting House
39 Church Street, Alton
Saturday 8 September: 10am-4pm 

Jane Austen’s Treasures
Jane Austens House Museum, Winchester Road, Chawton, Alton
Thursday 13 September: 2.30pm-3pm

Fareham’s Women’s Suffrage Centenary Celebration Exhibition
Westbury Manor, 84 West Street, Fareham
Thursday 6 September: 10am-5pm
Friday 7 September: 10am-5pm
Saturday 8 September: 10am-5pm
Sunday 9 September: 10am-5pm
Thursday 13 September: 10am-5pm
Friday 14 September: 10am-5pm
Saturday 15 September: 10am-5pm
Sunday 16 September: 10am-5pm

HMS Collingwood Heritage Collection
H M S Collingwood, Newgate Lane, Fareham
Thursday 6 September: Tours 10.30am & 1.30pm

GOSPORT
100 Years of Mental Health Care in Hampshire – exhibition
Fort Brockhurst, Gunners Way, Gosport
Saturday 8 September: 11am-3pm
Sunday 9 September: 11am-3pm
Friday 14 September: 11am-3pm
Saturday 15 September: 11am-3pm
Sunday 16 September: 11am-3pm

A Blast from the Past – Compton Cinema Organ
Thorngate Halls, Bury Road, Gosport
Sunday 9 September: 10am-4pm; Tours as required

Admiralty Experimental Works (QinetiQ)
QinetiQ Ltd, Haslar Road, Gosport
Saturday 8 September: Tour 10.30am and 1pm

Bay House and The Alverbank: noble houses and their occupants
Lower Hall, Bay House School, Gomer Lane, Gosport
Saturday 15 September: 11.30am & 1245

Beer, Gas & Rubble Walk
Meet outside Bobbys Restaurant , 18 Stoke Road, Gosport
Thursday 13 September: 10am
Friday 14 September: 10am
Saturday 15 September: 10am
Sunday 16 September: 10am
Chinese Whispers Quilt Challenge

Gosport Discovery Centre, High Street, Gosport
Thursday 6 September: 9am-7pm
Friday 7 September: 9am-7pm
Saturday 8 September: 9am-5pm
Thursday 13 September: 9am-7pm
Friday 14 September: 9am-7pm
Saturday 15 September: 9am-5pm

Death in the Afternoon – A fatal duel – talk
Diving Museum, No 2 Battery, Stokes Bay, Gosport
Thursday 13 September: 11am
Friday 14 September: 11am

Explore Fort Brockhurst & WWI exhibition
Fort Brockhurst, Gunners Way, Elson, Gosport
Saturday 8 September: 11am-3pm
Sunday 9 September: 11am-3pm
Saturday 15 September: 11am-3pm
Sunday 16 September: 11am-3pm

Eyes Along the Coast – Lee Coastwatch
Coastwatch Lookout Station , Beach Road Car Park, Marine Parade East
Thursday 6 September: 10am-3pm
Friday 7 September: 10am-3pm
Saturday 8 September: 10am-3pm
Sunday 9 September: 10am-3pm
Thursday 13 September: 10am-3pm
Friday 14 September: 10am-3pm
Saturday 15 September: 10am-3pm
Sunday 16 September: 10am-3pm

Favourite Hymns with Pam Rhodes
Holy Trinity Church, Trinity Green, Gosport
Sunday 16 September: 2pm

Feeding the Navy – Rum, Beer & Biscuits
The Pump House Cafe (meeting point), Cooperage Green, Weevil Lane, Gosport
Friday 7 September: Tour noon
Saturday 8 September: Tour noon
Sunday 9 September: Tour 10.30am 
Friday 14 September: Tour noon
Saturday 15 September: Tour noon
Sunday 16 September: Tour 10.30am 

Fort Blockhouse and the Submarine Escape Training Tank
Haslar Jetty Road, GosportSaturday 8 September: Tour 10am & 2pm

Fort Rowner Tour
HMS Sultan, Military Road, Gosport
Saturday 15 September: 9am, 10.30am, noon, 1.30pm
Framed and Hung – photo exhibition
The Keep, Fort Brockhurst, Gunners Way, Gosport
Saturday 8 September: 11am-3pm
Sunday 9 September: 11am-3pm
Friday 14 September: 11am-3pm
Saturday 15 September: 11am-3pm
Sunday 16 September: 11am-3pm

Freemasonry in Gosport since 1715 – talk and tour 
Gosport Masonic Hall, Clarence Road, Gosport
Sunday 9 September: Tour 11am 

Funerary and Flora at Anns Hill Cemetery
37 Anns Hill Road, Gosport
Friday 7 September: noon
Saturday 8 September: noon
Friday 14 September: noon
Saturday 15 September: noon

Georgian Elegance at Anglesey Hotel
The Anglesey Hotel , 24 Crescent Road, Gosport
Thursday 6 September: Talk & Tour 11.30am & 2.30pm
Thursday 13 September: Talk & Tour 11.30am & 2.30pm
Going to Church in Gosport 1851
Holy Trinity Church, Trinity Green, Gosport
Friday 14 September: 3pm

Tea and Tour of Priddy’s Hard
Explosion! the Museum of Naval Firepower, Royal Naval Armament Depot, Priddys Hard, Heritage Way
Saturday 15 September: noon & 2pm

The 1950’s Housewife
50 Clarence Road
Friday 14 September: 10.30am-12.30pm 

The D-Day Story – Gosport 1944
Gosport & District Angling Club, Lifeboat Lane, Alverstoke
Friday 7 September: 2.30pm
Friday 14 September: 2.30pm

The Engine House: Powers Boatshed
The Engine House, Royal Clarence Yard, Weevil Lane
Thursday 6 September: 10am & noon
Friday 7 September: 10am & noon
Saturday 8 September: 10am & noon
Sunday 9 September: 10am & noon
Thursday 13 September: 10am
Friday 14 September: 10am
Saturday 15 September: 10am

The Gosport Area Facebook Exhibition
Fort Brockhurst, Gunners Ways
Saturday 8 September: 11am-3pm
Sunday 9 September: 11am-3pm
Friday 14 September: 11am-3pm
Saturday 15 September: 11am-3pm
Sunday 16 September: 11am-3pm

The Hidden Gem of Gosport – Holy Trinity Church
Holy Trinity Church, Trinity Green, Haslar Road
Thursday 13 September: 10am-1730
Friday 14 September: 10am-1630
Saturday 15 September: 10am-7pm 
Sunday 16 September: 1pm-5pm

The Line to the End of the Rainbow – Illustrated Talk
Elmore Fishing Club, Marine Parade East, Lee-on-the-Solent
Thursday 6 September: 7.30pm-8.30pm
The Somme: a WW1 family story
First Light Cafe, 68 High Street
Friday 14 September: 7pm

The Somme: a WW1 family story – told at Fort Brockhurst
Fort Brockhurst, Gunners Way
Sunday 16 September: 1pm

The Wildgrounds: a short history of a natural haven
Meet at Grange Farm, Little Woodham Lane
Friday 7 September: 11am & 3pm

Twilight Tours – Royal Navy Submarine Museum
Meet at main car park, Royal Navy Submarine Museum , Haslar Jetty Road
Thursday 13 September: 6pm & 7pm

Underwater Explorers – The Diving Museum
Diving Museum, No 2 Battery, Stokes Bay Road
Thursday 13 September: 11am-4pm
Friday 14 September: 11am-4pm

Variety Showtime: a musical tribute of entertainment from Music Hall to the 1960s
The Clarence Suite, Masonic Centre, 5 Clarence Road
Sunday 16 September: 6pm-8.30pm

Village People – Alverstoke Residents in 1901
Meet outside St Marys Church Parish Centre, Green Road
Saturday 15 September: 11am & 2pm
Sunday 16 September: 11am & 2pm

Walk the (Railway) Line – with a Heritage Guide
Gosport Discovery Centre, High Street
Saturday 15 September: Tour 11am & 2pm

Walk the Lost Moat
Meet outside the Clarence Tavern, Clarence Road
Thursday 13 September: 10am
Friday 14 September: 10am
Sunday 16 September: 10am

WW1 Creative Workshop for Children
Fort Brockhurst, Gunners Way
Saturday 8 September: 11am-1445
Sunday 9 September: 11am-1445 

WW2 Secret Bunker
ARP Bunker, The Avenue
Thursday 13 September: Tour 11am & 2pm
Friday 14 September: Tour 11am & 2pm 

WWI Cartoons: ‘Fragments from France’
Fort Brockhurst, Gunners Way
Saturday 8 September: 11am-3pm
Sunday 9 September: 11am-3pm
Friday 14 September: 11am-3pm
Saturday 15 September: 11am-3pm
Sunday 16 September: 11am-3pm

Guided History Tour around Staunton Country Park
Sir George Staunton Country Park, Middle Park Way, Havant
Saturday 15 September: Tours: 10am-noon & 1pm-3pm

The Elms and The Waterloo Room
The Elms, 2 Lower Road, Bedhampton, Havant
Sunday 16 September: 11am-4pm

Heathcote Mausoleum
Churchyard of All Saints, Hursley
Sunday 16 September: 14.00 – 16.00

Court Barn – 1666 ‘til today!
Court Barn Conservative Club, Court Barn Lane, Broom Way, Lee-on-the-Solent
Thursday 13 September: Tours at 9.30am, 10.45am & 2pm
Friday 14 September: Tours at 9.30am, 10.45am & 2pm

Lee Heritage Waterfront Walk
Elmore Car Park, Marine Parade West, Lee-on-the-Solent
Thursday 13 September: 10am
Friday 14 September: 10am
Saturday 15 September: 10am
Sunday 16 September: 10am

The World’s Only Hovercraft Museum
The Hovercraft Museum, Daedalus Site Seafront Gate, Marine Parade West, Lee-on-the-Solent
Sunday 16 September: 10am-4pm

NEW FOREST
Family Heirlooms in a private house 
Lyndhurst
Saturday 8 September: Tours 11am, noon, 3pm 4pm
Sunday 9 September: Tours 11am, noon, 3pm 4pm

Ballard School, New Milton (Great Ballard House Tour)
Ballard School, Fernhill Lane, New Milton
Saturday 15 September: Tour 9.30am, 10.15am, 11am, 11.45am 

Bisterne Manor family-guided tour
Bisterne Manor, Bisterne, Ringwood
Thursday 13 September: Tour 4pm
Friday 14 September: Tour 10am