Established in 1994, Heritage Open Days is England’s contribution to the European Heritage Days.  It has since grown into the country’s largest community led heritage festival, involving thousands of local volunteers and organisations.

Please see the individual listings for full details of event location, opening times, booking requirements etc.

St Mary’s Church, Hilton
Sunday 10 September: 2.00pm – 4.00pm
Saturday 16 September: 11.00am – 4.00pm
Sunday 17 September: 12.00pm – 4.0pm
St Mary’s Church is a beautiful and ancient Grade I listed building, dating from approximately 1200 when the present chancel was built, although there is evidence of a church as early as 1086, including the font, which remains.

Shardlow Inland Port Festival
Saturday 9 September: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Sunday 10 September: 10.00am – 4.00pm
A weekend of family fun and entertainment with 10 Historic Working Boats, market stalls, live music, Morris Dancing, fairground attractions, food and drink, fun dog show and vintage car, bike and trike and truck showdown.  Walk along the towpath and see the ‘Floating Market’ and meet the towpath pony – Ebony, or if you feel brave enough join the ghost walk!

Behind the Scenes – 100 Years of Cornishware at Sharpe’s Pottery Museum
Tuesday 12 September: 10.00am
Thursday 14 September: 10.00am
Just a flash of Blue and White and you know you’re looking at T.G. Green’s famous, and unique, Cornishware design. Join us at Sharpe’s for an in-gallery object handling experience – we’re opening the cases to interact first hand with the collection.

The Clay Legacy – Heritage Walk
Wednesday 13 September: 1.30pm – 3.00pm
Join Dot Morson, a well known local rambler and historian for this guided walk of 4 miles, describing the local landscape when the ‘Clay was King’; it was mined for the local pottery producers. Used for salt glazed pipes, sanitary ware, firebricks and drainage pipes, the legacy involves the mining of the coal for the kilns and the social history of local families.

Hartshorne Upper Hall
Saturday 16 September: 1.00pm – 5.00pm
Featuring the Hall and kitchen range of a substantial early 17th-century timber-framed manor house. It is well-preserved, with decorative framing, two-storey porch, ovens and cellars. (Parlour wing in separate occupation and not open). Tours every half and hour. The Hall is still lived in as a private house.

St Peter’s Church, Hartshorne
Saturday 16 September: 10.00am – 4.00pm
An opportunity to climb the spiral staircase to the top of the church tower to see the bells and clock room. There will also be a churchyard trail and quizzes to learn more about the history of the church and churchyard.

George Turner Exhibition and Outdoor Gallery
Saturday 16 September: 10.30am – 4.00pm
Sunday 17 September: 11.30am – 4.00pm
Barrow upon Trent’s gardens will become an outdoor art gallery showcasing the work of landscape artist George Turner who lived in the village. His house is still visible and stands close to the 1,000 year old St Wilfrid’s Church that will be serving cream teas.

HODS History & Heritage Exhibition
Saturday 16 September: 10.00am – 4.00pm
Sunday 17 September: 10.00am – 3.00pm
A weekend exhibition celebrating the local history and heritage of Swadlincote and local villages – the mining, the pottery, the social history and our historic legacy of yesteryear.  Discover more about the activities taking place over the weekend.

Calke Abbey
Sunday 17 September: 10.00am – 5.00pm
Calke Abbey tells the story of the dramatic decline of the Harpur-Crewe’s grand country house. Little has been done to restore the house and stables and they are preserved in the condition found when the National Trust began caring for Calke.