Heritage Open Days: 60+ free West Northants events

Behind-the-scenes brewery tours, shoe-history walks and an engineering open day are among more than 60 free events planned for Heritage Open Days in West Northamptonshire.

The festival runs from 11 to 20 September 2026 at locations across the area. It is open to residents and visitors, with walks, talks, exhibitions, guided tours and access to historic buildings offered free of charge. The National Trust organises Heritage Open Days nationally.

Working lives shape this year’s programme

The programme focuses on the everyday lives and achievements of working people. In Northampton, that theme runs through events covering the county’s shoe trade, brewing history and the story of British Timken in Duston.

Participating attractions and organisations include Delapré Abbey, Lamport Hall, Old Black Lion, Sulgrave Manor, 78 Derngate, the Guildhall, Weedon Depot, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Phipps Brewery and Towcester Museum.

West Northamptonshire Council cabinet member Kamala Guliyeva said the festival would give people of all ages an opportunity to revisit familiar landmarks or discover places they had not previously explored.

Shoe routes and industrial stories in Northampton

Northamptonshire’s shoe heritage has a prominent place in the festival. Free heritage bus tours will be joined by audio tours of Northampton’s historic boot and shoe quarter and additional shoe-themed walking tours.

The bus tours received £4,500 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund through West Northamptonshire Council. A separate British Timken exhibition in Duston will examine the company’s history through the lives and work of local people.

Phipps Brewery will take visitors behind the scenes at its historic Northampton site. The programme also introduces the Amazing Northampton Walk, which will allow participants to explore the town centre using the technology associated with the Amazing Northampton Run.

Open access to the NN Arts Collective, based in the former county council building on Guildhall Road, adds a contemporary cultural stop to the historic Northampton programme.

Engineering, old hostelries and a 16th-century folly

Events extend well beyond Northampton. The Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation in Towcester will hold an open day examining the engineer’s legacy, while Towcester Library will host an exhibition about Ashby Cars.

Brackley’s activities include a guided 1760 pub crawl tracing the town’s historic hostelries. Visitors can also explore Rushton Triangular Lodge, the distinctive 16th-century building created by Sir Thomas Tresham, or attend a Middleton Cheney event examining Anglo-German relations through local history.

These sit alongside openings and activities at established heritage locations including Sulgrave Manor, Lamport Hall and Weedon Depot.

Planning a route across West Northamptonshire

Free heritage bus services will operate from Northampton and Daventry during the festival, helping visitors reach attractions in different parts of West Northamptonshire. The council announcement does not provide individual departure schedules or route details.

No single venue address applies because the programme is spread across numerous locations. The source also does not specify individual event times, accessibility arrangements or which activities, if any, require advance booking.

Full event listings are available through the Heritage Open Days and Discover Northamptonshire websites. Visitors should consult the entry for each activity before travelling to confirm its location and participation details.

Source: West Northamptonshire Council