All Our Stories – Heritage Open Days 2017, Winchester

Every year, over four days in early September, thousands of cultural sites and historic buildings in England open their doors for free and invite the general public in. Many of these buildings normally charge whilst others are rarely open to the general public, so these four days are a unique opportunity to peek inside and discover the hidden stories of the people who once lived and worked in them. The dates for your diary are Thursday 7th to Sunday 10th September.

In Winchester and the surrounding area there will be 70+ events to celebrate our heritage and hidden stories including lots of new venues – such as Hursley House (IBM) and Winchester College’s Science Collections – which have never been open before to the general public. Our heritage though is not just about buildings

“History is stories, all our stories, and this year, more than ever before,
Heritage Open Days is a celebration of that.”

So this year our celebrations will also take in our environment, transport, literature and food and drink. Here are just a few examples of the wider heritage events:

• Thursday 7th: discover the history of watercress in Hampshire before sampling Winchester Distillery’s award-winning watercress gin.
• Friday 8th: river dipping for families near the Hospital of St Cross and a Cosmic walk for everyone at the University of Winchester.
• Saturday 9th: Austen Abridged in Pilgrim’s Hall, free vintage bus rides around Winchester, an open day at Hampshire Record Office and in the evening cider tasting at The Stable.
• Sunday 10th: arty fun activities for families at the Colour Factory Studios, Vintage Make Do & Mend at Stardust Years and storytelling at Winchester City Mill.

All events are free of charge although some you will need to pre-book as numbers are limited. There are also competitions including a chance to win one of the first Monopoly Winchester Edition games.

For more information on the events and competitions as well as booking details please visit www.WinchesterHeritageOpenDays.org or follow @WinchesterHods on Twitter