Synergy News & Blog: News
Discover Heritage Open Days Week
Heritage Open Days has been in full swing this week, England’s largest grass roots heritage festival. From 8th-17th September, a variety of locations have either waived their usual entrance fees or have hosted an array of free events and activities. These have included historic houses, factories, museums, churches, parks and pavilions to name just a few.
Working on projects within historic spaces is a richly rewarding experience to be a part of. Every project brings new challenges and opportunities, from uncovering fascinating discoveries, conserving precious parts of history, improving access for visitors or usability in modern day life.
In the past year, Synergy has been involved in many exciting projects. The west front entrance at Westminster Abbey now provides step free access, an important change for ensuring everyone can experience the Abbey.
The Roman Villa Museum, part of the wider visitor attract at The Newt, has conserved the ruins of the original Hadspen Roman Villa and archeological finds with the construction of a beautifully subtle ‘floating’ museum alongside an authentic replica of the villa.
The ‘Changing Lives’ project at St Marylebone Parish Church has conserved the Grade I listed building and refurbished spaces for community use.
When exploring the list of events, It’s a delight to see many familiar heritage sites who Synergy has worked with previously, celebrating this special week.
This includes:
- National Trust site Dyrham park, Gloucestershire, will be offering free entry to all on Saturday 16th September, where visitors can walk through 270 acres of ancient parkland and recharge at the new Old Lodge Café, our project which completed last July.
- Canterbury Cathedral is running a free guided tour of the external architecture of the cathedral on 16th September at 10:30am.
- Exeter Cathedral have organized a few events, with a Romanesque to Gothic free tour taking place this Saturday.
- Rainham Hall, a beautiful Queen Anne Style Georgian house with 3 acres of gardens, will also be opening their doors for free this Saturday.
Heritage Open Days ends on Sunday 17th September so make sure you explore the cultural festival this weekend!
