Heritage Open Days
Heritage Open Days is England’s largest festival of history and culture, bringing together over 2,500 organisations, 5,500 events and 46,000 volunteers. Every year in September, places across the country throw open their doors to celebrate their heritage, community and history. It’s your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – and it’s all free.
Established in 1984 as part of European Heritage Days, it celebrated 25 years in 2019. To learn more about Heritage Open Days, visit the website www.heritageopendays.org.uk.
Here in Buxton, we celebrate by opening up our venues and enhancing the access to the history and heritage in the town. Numerous organisations in the town come together to deliver a varied programme of events, including Buxton Civic Association, Buxton Crescent Heritage Trust, Buxton Opera House, Buxton Anglican Parish, Buxton Local History Society, Buxton Town Team, Nestlé Waters UK and previously the University of Derby and Devonshire Dome, Old Hall Hotel, other local churches and Buxton Museum & Art Gallery.
Heritage Opens Days 2026
The national festival, with the theme of Everyday Histories, takes place between 11-20 September.
A festival leaflet will be available from the Poole’s Cavern Visitor Centre and the Buxton Tourist Information Centre in The Pump Room in August.
Programme of Events
Saturday 12 September
Trinity Church Open Day
10:30–15:30
Hardwick Mount, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6PR
Pre-booking not required
St Mary’s Church, Buxton, Open Day
Dale Road, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6LN
Pre-booking not required
“Down Memory Lane – Growing up in Market Street”
Talk by Sheila Morris, 15:00 – 15:30, Sat 12th Sept at St Mary’s Church, Buxton
Buxton Freemasons Open Day
Buxton Masonic Hall Ltd, George Street, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6AY
Pre-booking not required
Christ Church Burbage Open Day
Christ Church Burbage, St Johns Road, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 9AD
Pre-booking not required
Buxton Opera House Open Day
Buxton Opera House, Water Street, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6XN
Pre-booking required for Tours. Walks-ups welcome for Non-tour visits.
Sunday 13 September
St Mary’s Church, Buxton, Open Day
Dale Road, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6LN
Pre-booking not required
Monday 14 September
Architectural Metalwork Manufacture in the Buxton Area – Talk by Trevor Gilman – CANCELLED
The Pump Room, The Crescent, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6BH
Pre-booking preferred
Buxton: A Town And Its Water A Documentary Screening with Will Rhode
The Pump Room, The Crescent, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6BH
Pre-booking not required
Tuesday 15 September
The Tyrant of Derby: Sir John Gell and the Plunder of the High Peak – Talk
Poole’s Cavern Visitor Centre, Green Lane, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 9DH
Pre-booking required
Wednesday 16 September
Treasures of Everyday Life in Buxton
12:00–16:00
Kents Bank Road, Buxton, SK17 9HW
Pre-booking not required
The Crafts that Built Buxton: Reclaiming the Lost Skills Needed for our Historic Homes – Talk by Kate Dickson
The Pump Room, The Crescent, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6BH
Pre-booking not required
St Anne’s Church, Buxton Open Day
Bath Road, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6HJ
Pre-booking not required
Thursday 17 September
Assembly Rooms Open Day
Buxton Assembly Rooms, The Crescent, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6BH
Pre-booking not required
Friday 18 September
The Crafts that Built Buxton: a walking tour to explore examples of the historic crafts needed when caring for older properties – with Kate Dickson in partnership with Buxton Civic Association
Meet by the old market cross on the south side of Buxton Town Hall, on the Market Place, SK17 6EL
Pre-booking required
Guided Walk & Tour of Lightwood with Nestlé in partnership with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
Explore Nestlé’s regenerated Lightwood site, a former reservoir now thriving with wildlife. Lightwood Reservoir, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK176RN
Pre-booking required
Sunday 20 September
The Crafts that Built Buxton: a walking tour to explore examples of the historic crafts needed when caring for older properties – with Kate Dickson in partnership with Buxton Civic Association
Meet by the old market cross on the south side of Buxton Town Hall, on the Market Place, SK17 6EL
Pre-booking required
Multiple Dates During the Festival
Grin Low: A Landscape Where Nature and Industry Have Become Inseparable – Audio Heritage Trail
Poole’s Cavern, Green Lane, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 9DH
Pre-booking not required, available daily during the festival
Christ Church King Sterndale, Open Day
Christ Church, King Sterndale, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 9SF
Pre-booking not required, open daily during the festival
St John the Baptist Church, Buxton, Open Day
St John’s Road, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6XN
Pre-booking not required, open daily during the festival
Full event listings including details of how to book can be found here.
Page last updated 10/08/2026.
From November 2025, this website is owned and managed by Buxton Civic Association Ltd - Charity No. 258163.
Buxton Civic Association celebrates the natural and human heritage of Buxton including its outstanding buildings and wildlife. We conserve and enhance this heritage and advocate its importance in making Buxton a special place to live or to visit.
