Heritage Open Days

Guildford's Heritage Open Days has one of the biggest number of activities and events in the UK, giving visitors the opportunity to explore Guildford's fantastic architecture and culture.

Dates for 2021

Planned festival dates: nationally the event will be running for ten consecutive days from 10 to 19 September with organisers choosing when to participate.

2020 festival

This year, the Heritage Open Days national organisers welcomed online events for the first time, as well as any in-person visits that were possible within government guidelines at the time of the festival.

In Guildford we were delighted to offer a small number of traditional in-person events as well as some new online activities, giving people the opportunity to enjoy the town's fantastic architecture and culture for free. The details of all Guildford's events are still available online via the national event directory.

Useful guides

Why not find out more about Effingham and download a copy of the Effingham Heritage Trail [2.03MB] and also The Bishop's Walk [1.32MB] which provides an opportunity to explore the area.

About Heritage Open Days

The event is coordinated locally by Guildford Borough Council, The Guildford Society and the Guildford Town Guides.

Heritage Open Days is England's largest festival of history and culture, bringing together over 2,500 organisations, 5,000 events and 40,000 volunteers.
Heritage Open Days is coordinated nationally by the National Trust with support from players of People's Postcode Lottery.

How you can get involved

If you own a property or represent an organisation within the borough and would like to get involved in future Heritage Open Days, we would love to hear from you. Alternatively if you would like to volunteer to help steward participating properties, please get in touch by emailing managementsupport@guildford.gov.uk.