Heritage Open Days returns this month, inviting people across Norfolk to step inside some of the county’s most fascinating – and often hidden – places, all free of charge.
Founded in 1994 and now led by the National Trust, the annual festival has become a nationwide celebration of history and community, with thousands of events run by local organisations and volunteers. Last year alone, more than one million visits were recorded, with many discovering heritage sites on their own doorstep for the first time.
This year’s theme, Everyday Histories, shines a spotlight on the ordinary people and places that have quietly shaped our lives – from workplaces and high streets to schools and community spaces.
As Heritage Open Days marketing and projects manager Liam Montgomery puts it: ‘There are so many brilliant stories...but this year I can’t wait to see all those everyday hidden-in-plain-sight stories centre stage.’
In Norfolk, that spirit of discovery translates into a rich programme of events, offering rare access, local insight and behind-the-scenes experiences.
Laura Chow, head of charity at Postcode Lottery, which supports the event, says the festival gives visitors the chance to explore ‘unsung heroes and their extraordinary lives’ – a reminder that heritage is not just about grand landmarks, but the stories woven through everyday life.
East Anglian Air Ambulance’s Base Open Day
Helimed House, Hangar 14, Gambling Close, Norwich
Go behind the scenes at East Anglian Air Ambulance’s Norwich base and discover how this 24/7 lifesaving charity operates. Visitors can explore the hangar, learn about helicopter emergency medicine, look inside crew facilities, visit the interactive simulation suite and take part in a free CPR taster session. Tours run every 10 minutes, with operational restrictions possible if the crew is called out.
Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, 13, 9am-4.30pm
Pre-booking required
Time & Tide Museum
16 Blackfriars Road, Great Yarmouth
Explore Great Yarmouth’s story for free at Time & Tide Museum, housed in a converted Victorian herring curing works. Discover the town’s fishing heritage, wander through a recreated Victorian Row, step inside a fisherman’s home, explore a 1950s quayside, take the wheel of a coastal steam drifter and hear stories of shipwrecks and rescues at sea.
Saturday, September 12 and Sunday 13, 10am-4.30pm
Pre-booking not required
Lydia Eva YH89 Steam Drifter
20-21 South Quay, Great Yarmouth
Come aboard Lydia Eva, Great Yarmouth’s last steam drifter and a floating museum of the town’s herring fishing industry. Built in 1930 and still capable of going to sea, she offers visitors the chance to explore the wheelhouse, fish hold, crew quarters, galley and engine room, and discover how fishermen lived and worked in the 1930s. She appeared in the 2023 film Wonka, which starred Timothee Chalamet.
Friday, September 11-Sunday,
September 20, 10am-3.30pm
Pre-booking not required
RAF Coltishall Heritage Centre
Building 40, Main Guardroom, Scottow Enterprise Park, Badersfield,
Visit RAF Coltishall Heritage Centre and take part in a guided convoy tour of the former RAF station in your own car. Discover the story of this Battle of Britain and Cold War airbase, from Hurricanes and Spitfires to Lightnings and Jaguars, with guides who often served on the station. Highlights include a Jaguar aircraft, Hunter cockpit, Lightning flight simulator and surviving airfield features.
Sunday, September 13 and
Thursday, September 17, 10am-12pm, 12pm-2pm & 2pm-4pm
Pre-booking required
Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse
Beetley, Dereham
Discover Norfolk’s rural history across 50 acres of countryside, from the lives of Victorian workhouse residents to the county’s agricultural heritage. Explore interactive displays, Village Row, a general store, forge, seed merchants, Cherry Tree Cottage and see rare farm animals and Norfolk’s oldest working car, with plenty for families to enjoy.
Sunday, September 13, 10am-5pm
Pre-booking not required
Cromer Pier & Pavilion Theatre – backstage tours
The Pier, Cromer
Celebrate Cromer Pier’s 125th anniversary with a rare backstage tour of the Pavilion Theatre. Guided by staff, small groups can explore the refurbished dressing rooms, hear stories from the theatre’s past and get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of The Cromer Pier Show 2026.
Sunday, September 13, backstage tours from 10am-3pm
Pre-booking not required
Step inside the steam age
Forncett Industrial Steam Museum, Low Road, Forncett St Mary
Step into the industrial past at Forncett Industrial Steam Museum, home to one of the UK’s largest collections of stationary steam engines. Join a guided tour led by the museum’s founder, see historic working machinery including the engine that powered Tower Bridge until 1974, and enjoy traditional 16mm film screenings and steam demonstrations on selected days.
Sunday, September 13, museum open 11am-4pm; tour at 11am;
16mm film projections from 1pm
Wednesday, September 16, museum open 11am-4pm; tour at 11am; free steam up
Sunday, September 20, museum open 11am-4pm; tour at 11am; video installations
Pre-booking preferred
Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery
Castle Hill, Norwich
Discover 900 years of history with free entry to Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery. Step inside a 12th-century Norman castle, explore recreated spaces from King Henry I’s
palace, enjoy panoramic views from the battlements and discover medieval everyday life through 900 objects in the Gallery of Medieval Life. Other highlights include Anglo-Saxon treasures, natural history displays, decorative arts and the Royal Norfolk Regiment collections..
Saturday, September 19,
10am-5pm Pre-booking required
Heritage Open Days runs from September 11-20. For the full programme and to book, visit heritageopendays.org.uk
Great Yarmouth Witch Trial
Great Yarmouth Town Hall
In 1645, Great Yarmouth’s town council sent for Matthew Hopkins, the infamous Witchfinder General. This dramatic learning event explores how a witch trial may have unfolded, telling the stories of the two men and nine women accused of witchcraft and what happened to them.
Friday, September 18, 7-8pm
Pre-booking required
Norwich Guildhall Tour
Gaol Hill, Norwich
Explore Norwich Guildhall, the largest surviving medieval civic building in England outside London. Visit the 14th-century undercroft, police cells, Victorian courtroom, Sheriff’s Court and Council Chamber, and discover how the building functioned as a centre of city government, law, taxation, imprisonment and civic ceremony for more than 600 years.
Thursday, September 17,
11am & 2pm
Pre-booking required
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