National History

Established in 1994, Heritage Open Days (HODs) is England's contribution to the European Heritage Days and has since grown into the country's largest heritage festival.

European roots
In 1991 the Council of Europe and the European Commission set up European Heritage Days to raise appreciation for Europe’s rich and diverse cultural assets and their need for care and protection. The central principle was as simple as it was compelling: to throw open the doors to historic monuments and buildings, in particular those normally closed to the public. Today, they are held annually in September in 50 signatory states to the European Cultural Convention. Each country running it in their own way, the festival not only highlights the dazzling diversity of Europe’s heritage, but also its intercultural links. 

Local History

Winchester Heritage Open Days is now one of the biggest Heritage Open Days hubs in the country, accounting for over 2% of the national programme. Perhaps this is unsurprising given Winchester was England’s ancient capital and has an incredibly rich history, heritage and architecture.

Yet five years ago Heritage Open Days barely existed in Winchester. This all changed in 2016, when local resident Nicky Gottlieb decided that Heritage Open Days should be an integral part of the local cultural calendar, and she single handedly arranged that year a programme of over 40 free events in and around the City. In 2017, she was joined by another local resident, Becky Brown, and since then they have worked up to 100hours per week between them unpaid year round to maintain and develop Winchester’s largest community heritage event.

Expanding and diversifying from less than a dozen events in 2015 to over 140 in 2019, Winchester Heritage Open Days is now flourishing. In 2019 our diverse range of events included expert talks and live theatre, as well as chocolate making and Regency dancing, and in 2020 we went online because of Covid-19.

Our events aim to showcase our fascinating cultural heritage that can be found in and around Winchester.

‘The story of Winchester runs like a golden thread through the history of England’ making our beloved city a go-to destination for any historian.

Working with local organisations and individuals, supported by the national Heritage Open Days team, Winchester Heritage Open Days has become Winchester’s favourite and largest heritage festival.

Every year there have been new stories to tell and new doors to open. It’s a chance for the local community and visitors from further afield to come together to learn, explore and have fun!