Historic buildings and hidden gems open doors for Heritage Open Days
Historic buildings, landmarks and hidden gems across Wirral will open their doors to the public when England's biggest festival of history and culture returns.
Heritage Open Days 2026 takes place from Friday 11 to Sunday 20 September, with dozens of free events taking place.
A total of 86 walks, tours and talks offer an opportunity to explore many sites across the borough that are not usually open to the public.
Some events this year include:
• A dinosaur discovery event in Storeton Woods
• A guided tour of the clubhouse at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, host venue for 13 Open Championships
• Exploring the Thingwall Viking Trail, one of the most historic sites in the North West
• An open day at Hilbre Island's Telegraph Station, where telescopes will be available to view the seal colony
• A guided tour of Leasowe Lighthouse
This year's Heritage Open Days theme is "Everyday Histories", exploring the stories of our ancestors and what their day-to-day lives looked like.
Residents can discover more about the people who helped shape Wirral through a variety of events.
These include an exhibition exploring women's working lives at Unilever's factory in Port Sunlight, an archaeological dig on Bidston Hill examining the history of those who lived and worked on the land and a self-guided audio tour of Birkenhead exploring the shipbuilders, dockers and ferry workers who helped shape life on the River Mersey.
Wirral has a wealth of incredible history spanning many different periods.
From Viking settlements and Roman roads to the Blitz and beyond, Heritage Open Days truly offers something for everyone.
The events are free to enjoy and provide the chance to discover places, stories and heritage right on your doorstep that you may never have known existed.
It is a fantastic opportunity to explore, learn and get involved.
Now in its 32nd year, Heritage Open Days is presented by the National Trust with support from players of People's Postcode Lottery.
Residents and visitors are able to access places generally closed to the public or have free entry to places that normally charge for admission.
They can climb Leasowe Lighthouse, go inside Bidston Windmill of reach the top of several church towers while visiting listed buildings, including those designed by Edward Welby Pugin, Sir George Gilbert Scott and Francis Xavier Verlade.
At the Williamson there are talks by the Curator and in Upton two urban sketching events open to adults and children alike. Overall there is something for everyone – a fantastic heritage event.
History doesn’t belong only to famous figures or major events; it belongs to all of us. Every street, workplace and community holds stories of ordinary people whose lives shaped the world around us.
This partnership is about helping people discover those stories and see their own connection to Britain’s past in a new way.
A full list of local events, opening times and bookings are available at heritageopendays.org.uk.
Free programmes, supported by cultural funding from Wirral Council, can also be picked up from libraries and community venues across the borough.
