Appleby Heritage Open Days – Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st September
Heritage Open Days is England’s largest festival of history and culture, involving thousands of local volunteers and organisations. Every year in September it brings people together to celebrate their heritage, community and history … stories are told, traditions explored, and histories are brought to life. It offers the public a chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences and this year’s Heritage Open Weekend in Appleby is sure to be a good one – and it’s all FREE! Leaflets with more information are available from Appleby Tourist Information Centre.
The theme for this year’s festival is ‘Architecture’, which is all about exploring how the buildings around us were designed and built. There are so many stories to tell of the buildings that surround us – when were they built? who built them? how they were built? why were they built and has their purpose changed over time? and what impact have they had on the town over the years?
A number of local historical properties will be open, as well as a number of special events:
– Buildings of Boroughgate Tour: The Cumbria Vernacular Buildings Group is leading a one hour walking tour around the buildings of Boroughgate (approx. one mile). The tour will start on Sunday at 1pm from the Moot Hall.
– Building Sketching ‘Masterclass’: Local artist Mark Hilsden, who specialises in architectural portraits, is conducting a masterclass in building sketching from Sunday from 10-12. Weather permitting this will take place outside and each visitor will be provided with the necessary supplies.
– Exhibition of Historical Pictures of Appleby: A new exhibition will be on display at the Public Hall with 100s of historical images of Appleby throughout the years. The photographs are from the Appleby-in-Westmorland Society’s archives. The exhibition will be open on Saturday from 10am to 3pm and Sunday from 11am to 2pm.