Lancashire Heritage Open Days to open historic sites

Lancashire will take centre stage during this year’s Heritage Open Days, England’s largest festival of history and culture, offering free access to some of the county’s most treasured sites from September 11-20, 2026.

The event invites people to explore buildings and archives that are not usually open to the public, with a packed programme of tours, talks, exhibitions, and family activities taking place across the county.

Councillor Ella Worthington, Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member for civic pride, said: "Heritage Open Days are a fantastic opportunity to discover the stories, people, and places that have shaped Lancashire over the centuries.

"From historic buildings and remarkable archives to hidden gems that are not usually open to the public, there is something for everyone to explore.

"This year's theme, Everyday Histories, celebrates the moments and traditions that connect us to our shared past.

"We're delighted to once again open the doors to County Hall and heritage sites across the county.

"Visitors can explore Lancashire's history, uncover hidden stories, and even enjoy some traditional county favourites in Reflections Restaurant, from butter pie and parched peas to a classic Chorley cake.

"It's a wonderful chance to celebrate our heritage and learn more about the work being done to preserve it for future generations."

A highlight of the programme is the Heritage Open Day on September 19, running from 10am to 4pm in Preston.

Visitors can explore County Hall, Christ Church Chapel, and the Lancashire Archives, with guided tours and talks throughout the day.

Pre-booking is recommended for some events due to limited space, but many attractions will also be open for visitors to explore at their own pace.

The event includes public access to the Council Chamber, talks inside Christ Church Chapel—open for only the third time—and tours of Lancashire Archives, which houses documents dating back to 1115.

Other notable sites opening their doors include Gawthorpe Hall, the Queen Street Mill Textile Museum in Burnley, and Clitheroe Library.

Across Lancashire, events will celebrate the county’s heritage.

In Ormskirk, visitors can explore the Art Deco council chamber, while walks in Preesall will take in vanished farms and orchards.

Padiham will host a history walk and talk from its library, and the iconic Blackpool Tower will offer guided tours for pre-booked guests.

Lancaster will feature immersive time travel tours focused on its Roman, Viking, Tudor, and Victorian past.

This year’s festival will also highlight the working lives and everyday experiences that have shaped Lancashire communities.

Events will explore the history of Preston's Caribbean community since the 1960s, the textile heritage of Haslingden, and the landladies who made Morecambe famous for its guest houses.

The festival is made possible by the efforts of volunteers, community groups, and heritage organisations across the county.

Lancashire County Council is committed to celebrating the people, places and communities that make the county a great place to live, work and visit. Strengthening civic pride and supporting thriving local communities continues to be an important priority for the council.

Heritage Open Days offer a chance to rediscover Lancashire’s past, connect with its present, and look ahead to its future—one story at a time.

List of some Heritage Open Days events in Lancashire 2026

 Friday 11 September

• Preserving Preston's Heritage – Red List Buildings Walk — Preston — Pre-booking preferred. Explore at-risk heritage buildings and their links to working life.
• The Art Deco Gem – Council Chamber — Ormskirk — Pre-booking required. Civic history talk in the 1930s Council Chamber.
• Vanished Farms & Orchards — Preesall — Pre-booking required. Walk exploring former farms, orchards and their history.

 Saturday 12 September

• All Saints Church Habergham & St John the Baptist — Padiham — No booking. Victorian church, memorials and stained glass.

  Another Brick in the Walk — Preston — Pre-booking required. 3-mile walk exploring Preston's brickmaking history.

• Brick by Brick: Stories of Dobcroft — Ingol, Preston — No booking. Brickmaking history, local people and wildlife.
• Community & Heritage Day, St Michael's Church — Kirkham — No booking. Church and graveyard tour.
• Earnshaw Bridge Local History Exhibition — Leyland — No booking. Photos, maps and artefacts covering 100 years of local history.
• Fairhaven United Reformed Church – The White Church — Lytham St Annes — No booking. Historic church, archives and stained glass.
• Fleetwood Blue Plaques Walk — Fleetwood — No booking. Explore Fleetwood's new blue plaque trail.
• Garstang High Street Through the Ages — Garstang — No booking. Historic photos, documents and artefacts.
• Gawthorpe Hall & Great Barn — Burnley/Padiham — No booking. Explore the hall, walled garden and newly reopened Grade I listed barn.
• King Street Arts — Lancaster — No booking. Art Deco building, studios and artists' exhibition.
• Queen Street Mill — Burnley — No booking. Working 19th-century cotton mill, machinery and craft demonstrations.
• Ribchester Roman Bathhouse — Ribchester — No booking. Roman site, artefacts and guided tour.
• St Mary's Church, Rufford — Rufford — No booking. Centenary celebration and community event.
• St Mary & All Saints Church — Whalley — No booking. Grade I listed church with Roman, Saxon and Norman features.
• St Wilfrid's Church, Halton — Lancaster — No booking. Historic church open to visitors.
• St Wilfrid's Church, Melling — Carnforth — No booking. Explore this ancient historic church.
• Songs of Praise — Walton-le-Dale — No booking. Hymns, stories and refreshments.
• Standfast & Barracks Factory Tour — Lancaster — Pre-booking required. Explore 100 years of fabric printing.
• Suffrage Signs of Resistance — Preston — No booking. Placard-making workshop.
• Stanhill Heritage Trail — Oswaldtwistle — Pre-booking required. Walk through industrial heritage.

Sunday 13 September

• Behind the Scenes at Preston Playhouse — Preston — No booking. Guided tour of the historic theatre.
• Broughton Through Time Walk & WI Exhibition — Broughton — Pre-booking required. Local history walk followed by archive exhibition.
• Discover the Cold War Bunker — Brindle — Pre-booking required. Visit a nuclear bunker.
• History Tours of St Mary the Virgin — Eccleston — No booking. Church tours and children's scavenger hunt.
• Life of the Theatre: Look Inside — Lancaster — No booking. Behind-the-scenes tour of Lancaster Grand Theatre.
• Open Studios at Moss Mill — Preston — No booking. Artists' studios, gallery and historic mill.
• Rivington Unitarian Chapel — Rivington — No booking. Chapel open day.
• Work, Rest & Play — Haslingden — Pre-booking required. Textile workers' everyday lives through archive material.

Monday 14 September

• 500 Years of Garstang – Heritage Trail — Garstang — Pre-booking required. Explore 500 years of local history.
• Accrington Town Hall — Accrington — Pre-booking required. Guided tour by the Mayor.
• History at the Hayfield — Ormskirk — No booking. Explore the history of this long-standing pub.
• Ormskirk Clock Tower – 150th Birthday — Ormskirk — No booking. Celebration of the iconic clock tower.
• Poulton Railway Heritage Walk — Poulton-le-Fylde — Pre-booking required. Trace the town's railway history.

Tuesday 15 September

• Burnley on Film — Burnley — Pre-booking preferred. Free film show by Burnley Film Makers.
• Historic Knott End — Knott End — Pre-booking required. Coastal and countryside heritage walk.
• Memories of Larches, Savick & Lea — Preston — No booking. Local memories and community history.
• Mystery Ormskirk Pubs Heritage Trail — Ormskirk — Pre-booking preferred. Explore the history of surviving pubs and inns.
• Padiham Library History Walk & Talk — Padiham — No booking. Local architecture and history.
• Preston's Caribbean Community — Preston — No booking. History of Preston's Caribbean community since the 1960s.

Wednesday 16 September

• Accrington Stanley Football Club — Accrington — Pre-booking required. Behind-the-scenes look at the club's history.
• Early Navigation on the River Wyre — Fleetwood — Pre-booking required. Shipping, trade and maritime history.
• Everyday Histories Talk — Lancaster — Pre-booking preferred. 50 years of documenting everyday people's lives.
• Plotting the History of Ashton Freehold — Preston — Pre-booking required. History of this Victorian suburb.
• Lancaster Time Travel – Roman Tour — Lancaster — No booking. Interactive Roman-era city tour.

 Thursday 17 September

• Fleetwood Cemetery History Walk — Fleetwood — Pre-booking required. Guided tour of the cemetery.
• Hidden Art Nouveau at Ciao Amó — Preston — No booking. Explore the upper floors of a Grade II listed building.
• Lancaster Time Travel – Vikings Tour — Lancaster — No booking. Interactive Viking-era tour.
• Lightworks Illuminations Depot — Blackpool — Pre-booking required. Behind the scenes of the famous Illuminations.
• Mossley Heritage Centre — Mossley — No booking. Local characters and everyday history.
• Ormskirk Masonic Hall — Ormskirk — No booking. Explore the historic meeting place.
• The Jacobites Are Coming – Preston 1715 — Preston — Pre-booking required. Guided walk around the 1715 Jacobite battle sites.

 Friday 18 September

• A Century of Entertainment – 1926 Museum Tour — Blackpool — Pre-booking required. 100 years of Blackpool entertainment.
• Blackpool Winter Gardens Tour — Blackpool — Pre-booking required. Explore normally private areas of the Winter Gardens.
• Lancaster Canal Tram Road & Tram Bridge — Preston — Pre-booking preferred. Heritage walk along the former tram road.
• Ormskirk Coronation Park Footprint History — Ormskirk — Pre-booking required. Heritage display and guided park walk.
• Lathom Park Chapel – Inns & Beerhouses Talk — Lathom — No booking. Local history talk.
• War Memorials Walk — Blackpool — No booking. Explore Blackpool's town-centre war memorials.

Saturday 19 September

• Assembly Arts – Open Studios — Lancaster — No booking. Meet artists and explore the Georgian Assembly Rooms.
• Blackburn Cathedral Bell Ringing — Blackburn — No booking. Hear the bells and try bellringing.
• Blackburn Cathedral Tour — Blackburn — Pre-booking required. Guided tour of the cathedral. Tours will take place on September 17, 19, and 20.
• Blackpool Town Hall Open Day — Blackpool — No booking. Council Chamber, Mayor's Parlour and meeting rooms.
• Blackpool Masonic Hall — Blackpool — No booking. Explore this historic building.
• Bleasdale Parish Hall Heritage Afternoon — Bleasdale — No booking. Heritage displays and photographs.
• Built for History Makers – County Hall — Preston — Pre-booking preferred. County Hall, Council Chamber, chapel and archives.
• Carnforth Library – Behind the Scenes — Carnforth — Pre-booking required. Tour and exhibition in the 90-year-old library.
• Clitheroe Castle Museum — Clitheroe — No booking. Free museum entry.
• Clitheroe's Last Steam Engineer — Clitheroe — Pre-booking preferred. Local history talk and poetry.
• Egyptian Balcony at The Harris — Preston — No booking. Visit the hidden 1908 Egyptian-themed gallery.
• Lancashire Archives Open Day — Preston — Pre-booking preferred. Explore Lancashire's historic archive collections.
• Lancashire Conservation Studios — Preston — No booking. Behind-the-scenes look at heritage conservation.
• Lancashire Police Museum — Lancaster — No booking. Police history exhibition and detective quiz.
• Lancaster Time Travel – Tudor Tour — Lancaster — No booking. Interactive Tudor-era tour.
• Lytham & St Annes' Changing Coast — Lytham St Annes — No booking. Coastal history and climate change.
• Marine Hall — Fleetwood — No booking. Explore the 1935 Art Deco theatre.
• Preston Town Hall — Preston — No booking. Council Chamber, civic regalia and Mayor's Parlour.
• Queen Street Mill, Burnley - Offering a rare chance to explore an authentic 19th-century cotton factory as it would have been in the height of production, with historic machinery that still runs today for free
  Site Open from 12pm - 4pm. Tours at 12:30, 13:30, 14:30
• Ribchester Roman Bathhouse — Ribchester — No booking. Roman archaeology and site tour.
• St George's Church – Preston's Hidden Gem — Preston — No booking. 300th anniversary; wall paintings and organ.
• St George's Church — Chorley — No booking. Historic 1825 church and 200-year history.
• St Saviour's Church — Bamber Bridge — No booking. Church tour and working-life exhibition.
• The Ferrarini Diaries — Morecambe — Pre-booking preferred. Backstage history of Morecambe Winter Gardens.
• The Historic Market Town of Poulton — Poulton-le-Fylde — No booking. Exhibition of 100 years of local life.
• The Imperial Hotel — Blackpool — Pre-booking required. Tour of the Victorian landmark.
• The Working Life of Clitheroe's Ancient Wells — Clitheroe — No booking. History of the town's ancient wells.
• Tours of NFM Heritage & Research Centre — Preston — Pre-booking required. National Football Museum archives and collections.
• Whalley / St Mary & All Saints — Whalley — No booking. Historic Grade I listed church.

 Sunday 20 September

• John Hodgson's Belle Vue Strawberry Gardens — Blackpool — Pre-booking required. Community gardens, history walks and talks.
• Lancaster Time Travel – Victorian Tour — Lancaster — No booking. Interactive Victorian-era tour.
• Lancaster Quaker Meeting House — Lancaster — No booking. One of Lancaster's oldest meeting houses.
• Little Marton Windmill — Blackpool — No booking. Explore the Grade II listed windmill and milling history.
• Messy Church Goes Large — Bamber Bridge — Pre-booking preferred. Family celebration and worship.
• Mount Pavilion — Fleetwood — No booking. See the war memorial clock mechanism.
• Ormskirk Church of St Peter & St Paul — Ormskirk — No booking. Exhibition about the Countesses of Derby and Lathom.
• The Everyday Working Lives of Walton-le-Dale Walk — Preston — Pre-booking preferred. Local landmarks and working-life history.

Events running on multiple dates / anytime

• 1906 Cleveleys Cottage Exhibition Walking Tour — Cleveleys — Pre-booking required. Walk around the site of an early “Ideal Home” style exhibition.
• A Stroll Across Clitheroe's Limestone Ridge — Clitheroe — Pre-booking preferred. History and significance of Clitheroe's ancient wells.
• Accrington Lives — Accrington — No booking. Everyday lives of Accrington residents.
• All Hallows Church & Churchyard Walk — Bispham — Pre-booking required. Church and guided churchyard walk.
• Ashton Old Baths Historical Tour — Ashton-under-Lyne — Pre-booking required. Historic baths and original architecture.
• Astley Alive — Chorley — No booking. History brought to life at Astley Hall.
• AudaTours Blackpool — Blackpool — Book on day. Self-guided audio tour focusing on the people behind the resort.
• AudaTours Lancaster — Lancaster — Book on day. Audio tour exploring working lives.
• AudaTours Preston — Preston — Book on day. Audio tour about cotton workers, dockers and clerks.
• Behind the Green Door – 15 Castle Hill — Lancaster — No booking. Explore the 17th-century Cottage Museum and its former residents.
• Behind the Scenes at Judges' Lodgings — Lancaster — Pre-booking required. Hidden areas of Lancaster's oldest town house.
• Blackpool Central Library Tour — Blackpool — Pre-booking required. History of the library since 1911.
• Blackpool Grand Theatre Open House — Blackpool — Pre-booking required. Explore the theatre and take a free guided tour.
• Blackpool Tower Tour — Blackpool — Pre-booking required. Guided tour of the iconic tower.
• Bleasdale – Past to Present — Bleasdale — Pre-booking required. Guided local history trail.
• Borwick Hall — Carnforth — No booking. Rare chance to visit the Grade I listed hall.
• Broughton Heritage Centre & Church Cottage Museum — Broughton — No booking. Explore the 1590 cottage museum and heritage centre.
• Christ Church — Lancaster — No booking. Grade II listed former workhouse chapel.
• Church Open – Tarleton — Tarleton — No booking. Explore Georgian church.
• Civic Heritage — Ormskirk — No booking. History of the Civic Hall and its predecessors.
• Crawshawbooth Quaker Meeting House — Rossendale — No booking. 18th-century meeting house and burial ground.
• Darwen Library — Darwen — No booking. Exhibition of 1930s Darwen architecture.
• Blackburn Photo Display — Blackburn — No booking. Historic photographs from the library collection.
• East Lancashire Railway — Bury — Pre-booking required. Behind-the-scenes engineering tour plus train journey.
• Emerging Profession & Workforce Education — Lancaster — No booking. The Storey and its former kitchen garden.
• Everyday Histories Exhibition — Lancaster — No booking. 50 years of everyday-life research.
• Everyday Life in Darwen — Darwen — No booking. Local history, walks, photographs and activities.
• Fairhaven United Reformed Church — Lytham St Annes — No booking. Historic church and stained glass.
• Fleetwood Museum — Fleetwood — No booking. History of Fleetwood from fishing port to today.
• Friends of Layton Cemetery — Blackpool — No booking. Stories of people buried in the Victorian cemetery.
• Friends of St Paul's Churchyard — Hoddlesden — No booking. History of Hoddlesden and Darwen.
• Gawthorpe Hall — Burnley — No booking. Hall, gardens, barn and estate.
• Grane Mill Engineering Museum — Haslingden — No booking. Edwardian steam mill, machinery and vehicles.
• Helmshore Mills Textile Museum — Helmshore — No booking. Explore the working lives of mill workers.
• Holy Trinity Church — Blackpool — No booking. Grade II listed church and stained glass.
• Jeremiah Horrocks Observatory — Preston — No booking. Historic astronomical observatory.
• Lytham Heritage Centre — Lytham St Annes — No booking. Local art exhibition and building history.
• Lytham Institute — Lytham — No booking. Historic building and plans for a museum/gallery.
• Lancaster Quaker Meeting House — Lancaster — No booking. Historic Quaker meeting house and burial ground.
• Lancaster Priory — Lancaster — No booking. Grade I listed church with Saxon origins.
• Landladies of Morecambe — Morecambe — No booking. Stories of Morecambe's famous guest-house landladies.
• Luneside Studios — Lancaster — No booking. Artists' studios and group exhibition.
• Mossley Heritage Centre — Mossley — No booking. Local characters and everyday history.
• Old Deepdale Railway Line & Miley Tunnel — Preston — Pre-booking required. Explore the old railway and 880-yard tunnel.
• Ormskirk Heritage Hub Pop-Up Museum — Ormskirk — No booking. Everyday lives of Ormskirk residents.
• Ormskirk Library — Ormskirk — No booking. Heritage Hub archive display.
• Poulton Town Centre History Walk — Poulton-le-Fylde — Pre-booking required. Short guided heritage walk.
• Raza Jamia Masjid — Accrington — No booking. Mosque tour and exhibition on Islam.
• Rooted in Faith Through the Generations – St Aidan's — Bamber Bridge — No booking. Church history exhibition.
• Rooted in Faith Through the Generations – St Leonard's — Walton-le-Dale — No booking. History of the church and its community.
• Rossall Point Tower — Fleetwood — No booking. Local heritage, wildlife and panoramic views.
• St James Shireshead — Forton — No booking. Explore the historic church.
• St John's Church, Ellel — Lancaster — No booking. Historic rural church.
• St Laurence's Church — Chorley — No booking. Chorley's oldest building; tours, talks and organ recital.
• St Luke's Church — Heywood — No booking. Stained glass and normally unseen archives.
• St Michael's on Wyre — St Michael's on Wyre — No booking. Grade I listed medieval church.
• St Paul's North Shore — Blackpool — No booking. History of the former church through photos and artefacts.
• St Peter's Church — Quernmore — No booking. Historic village church and stained glass.
• St Walburge's Church — Preston — No booking. Grade I listed church with Britain's highest parish church spire.
• St Paul's Church, Scotforth — Lancaster — No booking. Grade II listed “Pot Church” celebrating 150 years.
• Stand & Deliver – Bacup Highwaymen — Bacup — No booking. Story of the infamous 1827 highwaymen.
• Stanley Park Cocker Clock Tour — Blackpool — No booking. See the clock's working mechanisms.
• The Ditchburn Jukebox Museum — Lytham St Annes — No booking. History of the first British jukebox.
• The Evolution of Croston — Croston — No booking. How village life changed from 1800 to today.
• The Farmer's Club — Ormskirk — No booking. Historic Grade II listed pub.
• The History of Hesfords — Ormskirk — No booking. Family business and civic history.
• The Hollins Hill Household — Accrington — No booking. Servant life in an Arts & Crafts house.
• The Mount Pavilion — Fleetwood — No booking. Historic pavilion overlooking Fleetwood.
• Welcome to Valley Heritage — Bacup — No booking. Local heritage projects and historic sites.
• What Did My Grandparents Do for Work? — Leyland — No booking. Working-life memories from Leyland and Farington.
• Yesterday Everyday – Mini Museum of Retro Tech — Blackpool — No booking. Vintage cameras, typewriters, floppy disks and more.