About
Heritage Open Days runs 11–20 September 2026 across England, and the Cotswolds always turns out one of the country's densest programmes. Hundreds of buildings that don't normally welcome the public — private manor houses, working watermills, church towers, guild halls, Georgian townhouses and industrial sites — open their doors for free.
Gloucester Civic Trust traditionally coordinates a 100+ event schedule across Gloucester itself, and there are strong parallel programmes in Cheltenham, Stroud, Cirencester and Tewkesbury. Individual event booking (where required) opens on the Heritage Open Days website in mid-August; browse by location to find what's on within reach of your base.
2026's theme is Everyday Histories — talks, exhibitions and tours focused on the daily working lives of ordinary people through the ages, from Roman shopkeepers to 20th-century factory workers.
