Heritage Open Days

Heritage Open Days celebrate England’s fantastic historic architecture and culture by offering FREE access to properties which are usually closed to the public or normally charge for admission.

Every year on three days in September, there’s a chance to discover architectural treasures and enjoy FREE access to a wide range of events and activities which bring local history and culture to life.

The city is among the top three venues in the country with its huge range of activities during Heritage Open Days with guided tours , music, and cultural activities in the City Centre, at Gloucester Docks and in the city’s suburbs.

Gloucester’s activities, organised by Gloucester Civic Trust, are many and varied events both old and new that we have on offer for you over the three days will inspire you and bring you a greater understanding of our amazing city, whether you are a local or a visitor, and we encourage you to bring family and friends to join in the events as well.

HERITAGE OPEN DAYS 2024

A very successful three days was enjoyed by locals and visitors to the City. Remember to check back here next year to see what will be on offer. In the meantime, here are a few 5 star reviews from visitors who enjoyed their experiences.

Mark was an excellent, knowledgeable guide and gave us a delightful insight into historical aspects of Gloucester hiding in plain sight that we have been passing regularly and never knew about. We both have hearing loss and he was clear, easy to lipread and took time to ensure that we were following. The City Walk tour we did seemed to be potentially accessible to an active or powered wheelchair user, so we are going to return with a friend who will enjoy it. Thanks for a great experience!

Brilliant Gloucester pub tour with Mark this afternoon. He is very knowledgeable and I loved the extra little anecdotes that he gave us. Learned so much about Gloucester’s fascinating history.

Just completed Mark Medlams tour of Gloucester pubs and inns . Absolutely brilliant! A comprehensive walk around the ancient pubs and inns , presented with humour and dry with, but at the same time imparting a huge amount of information and history. Great fun. Thank you.

I spent a lovely weekend in Gloucester and thoroughly enjoyed the City Walking Tour and ‘If Walls Could Talk’ at the Folk. The guides were entertaining and knowledgeable. What a historic city!

We joined the Siege of Gloucester walking tour as part of Heritage Open Day. Our guide, Min, was very knowledgeable, entertaining, and well informed about all aspects of Gloucester History. She paced the walk very well, engaging with a fairly large group and was hilarious 😂

I recently attended Gloucester’s Heritage Open Days weekend and we were so warmly welcomed. I had heard that it was a great weekend to be in Gloucester, so we booked ourselves into the Travelodge. There were so many events, and I think we attended about 9 tours/talks but also visited a few buildings that were open too. Everyone we met was fantastic but the four people who stood out for me were Hugh, Marlene, Jackie and Mark. Each guide had their own specific subject and knowledge and sometimes the information duplicated between tour to tour which made it more interesting. I would definitely recommend to anyone to attend if local or a visitor as there was something for everyone. We had a fantastic weekend in Gloucester and will be back.