Events in Norfolk and Suffolk / Then & Now / Tourist Attractions Norfolk and Suffolk October 16, 2014
National success during Norwich Heritage Open Days
This year’s Heritage Open Days proved to be the biggest and best yet in Norwich and Norfolk, and the fine city led the way in making the annual, nationwide festival a success.
Norwich hosted the greatest number of events of any town outside London over the heritage weekend (11th to 14th September), with 159 events out of the national total of 4,695. Norwich’s Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust (HEART) came top of the list of organisers, having registered 184 events in Norwich and Norfolk.
2014 was the 20th anniversary of the Heritage Open Days (HODs) scheme nationwide, and its 10th year of co-ordination in Norwich by HEART.
Over 3000 pre-book ticket requests were handled by HEART’s team of Heritage Open Days volunteers, and 10 events were fully booked within a day of the brochure being released.
HEART also ran two days of events at The Guildhall, welcoming over 800 visitors. The Literary Day saw The Guildhall’s magnificent Council Chamber reach capacity on several occasions, and featured a series of talks on Norwich’s literary heritage, including notorious Norwich murders and the legacy of Julian of Norwich. The Kids’ Takeover Day was led by the Heritage Heroes, aged 7 to 12, who ran craft activities, gave tours of the building, and re-enacted the shocking trial of William Tuck, an eight-year old boy who was transported to New Zealand for the theft of two empty bottles from Norwich market.
From 2015 The Guildhall, now managed by HEART, is set to become increasingly accessible to the public. HEART hopes to expand on the success of The Guildhall Literary Day with a broader calendar of open days, talks, learning programmes, and seasonal events.
Heritage Open Days 2014 saw more than 230 free events taking place in Norwich, Thetford, South Norfolk, Broadland, Great Yarmouth, North Norfolk and further afield. Events ranged from open buildings, guided tours and walks, to heritage literary events, exhibitions and performances.
The former RAF Coltishall, a new Heritage Open Days event this year, gave people the chance to explore the site before its redevelopment. All 312 tour spaces were fully booked. Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse welcomed 1924 visitors in the single day they were open during the heritage weekend.
Jo Archer, Project Monitoring Officer of HEART, said: “The HEART team of staff and volunteers are delighted that our work on Heritage Open Days in Norfolk has resulted in our being named as the number one ‘HODs’ co-ordinator outside of London. Our thanks also go to the local event organisers whose dedication ensured a brilliant programme of free events across the county over the four days.”
Final numbers and feedback on Heritage Open Days are still being collated, and HEART wish to hear from venue organisers and the public on their experiences. Visitor feedback forms can be found in the Heritage Open Days brochure and returned to The Guildhall, or completed online at http://bit.ly/HODs2014Survey.
More information on HEART, Heritage Open Days and forthcoming events can be found at www.heritagecity.org. To keep up with HEART’s work and the exciting developments at The Guildhall, follow @norwichheart on Twitter and Norwich HEART on Facebook.
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Monarch Catering Services, Norfolk, Suffolk
