England's largest festival of history and culture launches today, offering people a chance to try out new experiences and visit places of interest for free - and there's plenty happening across Cambridgeshire too.
Every September, thousands of volunteers gear up for the annual National Heritage Open Days, when stately homes, castles, gardens, and other hidden gems open their doors for all to enjoy.
The event runs from September 12 to 21, so there is plenty of time to enjoy some of the delights on offer in our county.
See below for a list of events and open days across our towns and cities, although they are all free, some require pre-booking, while others simply encourage you to turn up.
ELY
Tomorrow, Saturday, Ely Museum, the Old Gaol, Market Street, will be opening its doors from 10.30am to 5pm for visitors, and in the courtyard there will be a mini-fair of stalls and games. No booking required.
Prior Crauden's Chapel, Ely Cathedral - A rare opportunity to visit this private chapel that was built in the 1500s.
The interior is home to a very rare mosaic tiled floor, and the light flows in through the decorated tracery of the arched windows.
It is open from noon to 3pm on Sunday, September 14. Pre-booking is not required, but is advisable as the chapel is small, email: sue.inman@elycathedral.org - booking closes at lunchtime tomorrow.
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Also on Sunday (14) guides will be leading tours of the cathedral from 12.30pm to 3pm, again pre-booking is advisable on the same email as above.
The Bishop's Secret Garden, Oliver Cromwell's House in St Mary's Street.
Behind the walls lies a great plane tree dating back to 1647, and a beautiful chapel.
The tour will allow people to visit the chapel in the Bishop's House, which is not normally open to the public.
The tour, which also includes Oliver Cromwell's House, is being run on Sunday, September 21 at 11am - no pre-booking is required, and as this is not a guided tour, you can enjoy the gardens and house at your leisure.
HUNTINGDON
Tomorrow (Saturday), there is a chance to explore Huntingdon's historic town hall with a guided tour led by the Cromwell Museum's Curator.
The building dates back to 1745 but stands on the site of a Shire Hall dating back to at least the 1500s.
The tour includes the beautiful 18th-century Assembly Room, the Council Chamber, and the historic courtrooms, where you'll hear about some of the historic trials that have taken place on this site, including the Huntingdon Witch Trials and the murder trial of Joshua Slade.
The tour is suitable for anyone aged 10 years and over; the upper floors are accessible by lift, and the tour will last about an hour.
Tours at 11.30am and 2pm, and booking is required at www.cromwellmuseum.org/events
On Wednesday, September 17, at 7pm, local historian Kevin Varty will be giving a captivating and thought-provoking talk at Huntingdon Town Hall.
Entitled “Churchyard Cemeteries and the Victorians: Black Feathers to Black Underwear”, this illustrated talk explores the fascinating world of Victorian funerary customs and mourning traditions.
Booking is required via: town.council@huntingdontown.gov.uk
MARCH
St Mary's Church, Wisbech Road, Westry, will be open tomorrow (Saturday), from 10am to 2pm - no booking is required.
The church is usually closed except for services and events and this occasion gives the opportunity to view the collection of photographs and to look around this beautiful church. Refreshments are available.
Also, tomorrow there is a chance to explore the unused rooms and platforms at March railway station.
Learn about history, life and the times of March Station, the expansion of the railways through and around March, and the role the railway played in the growth of the town.
It is open from 10am to 2pm, and will also be open next Saturday (20) at the same time.
No booking is required.
PETERBOROUGH
Peterborough Cathedral is offering free one-hour tours tomorrow (Saturday). Booking is required for a slot the tours which are running at 11am, 12pm, and 2pm, via tours@peterborough-cathedral.org.uk
This ground-level route around the Cathedral explores the key features of the building’s history and architecture. Peterborough Abbey, which became a Cathedral in 1541, has been at the centre of national and international events for over 900 years.
St Margaret's Church, Fletton, Peterborough, is opening its doors tonight (Friday) from 7.30pm to 9.30pm, tomorrow, and Sunday, both from noon to 4pm.
This is a chance to see inside St. Margaret's Church and look at the world-famous Saxon Stones. There will be members of the congregation on hand to guide you through the displays. You will be able to trace your family history using the parish registers that will be available.
No booking is required.
RAMSEY
On Sunday, September 21 there is a chance to explore the Ramsey Abbey Gatehouse at Ramsey Abbey school from 11am to 4pm. No booking required.
Once an island in the Fens, this charming former gatehouse is all that remains of the oldest English, and once great Benedictine abbey.
An ornately carved exterior with a glorious oriel window is all that survives from its centuries of history.
Also on September 21, there is a chance to visit the Ramsey Abbey walled kitchen garden in Wood Lane, from 11am to 4pm.
Visit a typical Victorian Walled Garden, which has been restored by volunteers. The one- acre garden has plantings of vegetables, fruit, flowers, herbaceous borders, salvia borders, a dahlia bed, and an herb garden. There is also a 30m long Victorian-style greenhouse.
Again, no booking is required.
ST IVES
Tomorrow (Saturday) All Saints Church in Church Street, will be open from 10am to 4pm.
All Saints Church is a Grade I listed building with traces of an earlier building and a Norman Romanesque font. It is featured in Simon Jenkins 'England's Thousand Best Churches' as having a 'Theatrical Comper interior' and a 'steeple, high, elegant and with a gracefully tapering spire'.
ST NEOTS
On Saturday, September 20, St Peter's Church in Offord Darcy will be open from 10am to 4pm.
St Peter's Church, with its Norman arches to the north aisle dating from around 1130, shows the four styles of English church architecture.
Extensive research on all styles of architecture to be found in the church has been carried out, and this is displayed at every focal point, together with more detailed information.
It is open again on Sunday, September 21, from 1pm to 5pm. No booking is required on either day.
WISBECH
Not for the faint-hearted, but tomorrow (Saturday) sees an opportunity for the brave to climb the tower to the ringing chamber and bells at St Peter's Church.
There is a chance to meet the ringers and see the bells in action, and enjoy afternoon tea in the church.
It is open from 11am to 4pm - no booking is required and teas will be served from 1pm.
Wisbech and Fenland Museum is also open tomorrow, from 10am to 4pm, no booking is required.
Wisbech & Fenland Museum is one of the first purpose-built museums in the world. Designed by George Buckler, the Grade II listed building opened on the 27th July 1847.
The collections were initiated by the town's Literary and Museum Societies, which were formed in 1781 and 1835, respectively.
The chapel at Wisbech General Cemetery in North End, will be opening its doors on Saturday, September 20, from 11am to 4pm. Booking is not required.
Octavia Hill Birthplace House, South Brink, is open on Saturday, September 20, from noon to 4pm. Booking not required.
Octavia Hill was a social reformer with ideas still relevant today. Her work was to develop better housing, and helping people to help themselves.
She also helped form the National Trust.
The building where she was born is a Grade II listed 18th-century house.
Recently saved and restored, The Friends of the Chapel would like to show you the building and its story. There are information panels on the natural environment the friends protect, the Commonwealth War Graves they look after, and some of the people who are buried in the cemetery. Telling the story of the town as much as of their lives and families.
For a full list of all the events in Cambridgeshire, as well as in neighbouring counties, visit the Heritage Open Days website.
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