Must-visit Heritage Open Days in Yorkshire for 2026

From hidden places to unique events… Explore your choice of Heritage Open Days in Yorkshire this year.

Since 1994, Heritage Open Days has let the public access hidden places and unique events across the UK – all free of charge. 

It's Britain's largest annual festival of history. This year it takes place from Friday 11 to Sunday 20 September.

Historic houses, castles, museums, churches, factories, landscapes… All are open for exploration. And while every event is free of charge, some require advance bookings.

Here in North Yorkshire, we're surrounded by Heritage Open Days events. You can see them all on the Heritage Open Days website, but we thought we'd give you a head start by highlighting some of our favourites.

And if you do come to one of these events, why not visit us here at Stump Cross Caverns? We'd love to give you a warm welcome in our ancient underground caves.

The best Yorkshire Heritage Open Days

North Yorkshire Moors Railway

North Yorkshire Moors Railway is a 24-mile heritage railway running through the heart-stopping scenery of the North York Moors National Park.

This year, visitors can take part in a programme of guided tours, talks, archival exploration, signal box demonstrations and more. All offer a fascinating glimpse into the past and present of this historical railway.

Some sessions require registration, so check the details before setting off.

Ripon Workhouse Museum, Ripon

Ripon Workhouse Museum is one of Britain's most intact Victorian workhouses – those desolate places where poor people were given bed and board for hard manual labour.

For this year's Heritage Open Days, the museum's kitchen garden and grounds are open to the public.

The volunteer-maintained kitchen garden features plants, fruits, herbs and vegetables from the era. This is the very produce that workhouse residents would have grown and eaten.

Find out more about the event.

Scarborough 400

The scene is Scarborough, 1626. Mrs Thomasin Farrer stumbles on a stream of mineral-rich water near South Bay.

Before long, people travelled from across the country to "take the waters" and, they believed, benefit from its restorative properties.

Fast forward to 2026 and Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre is celebrating 400 years of Scarborough's spa water.

Mrs Farrer's discovery was the beginning of Scarborough's status as Britain's first seaside resort. The museum's Heritage Open Day celebrates this history, telling the story with 3D-printed artefacts and opening up the archives.

Find out more about the event.



Bedern Hall, York

You can learn all about medieval York – the so-called "City of Wood" – through the stained-glass lens of this 14th-century hall. A must for fans of medieval history, it includes a tour of the building and a walking tour of York's timber buildings.

Booking is preferred. Find out more about this series of events.

People of Holy Trinity Goodramgate, York

Holy Trinity Goodramgate is an 800-year-old church just a five-minute walk from York Minster.

York Minster is the show-stopper: the mighty cathedral visited by kings and queens. People of Holy Trinity is more modest but no less historically important. It is, after all, where the people of York were christened, married and laid to rest.

This one-hour tour of the church celebrates the ordinary people who made York the city it is today.

Find out more about the event.

St Gregory's Church, Crakehall

This Heritage Open Day event is all about everyday histories. It focuses on the otherwise untold tales of those who passed through St Gregory's Church in the village of Crakehall.

Fans of village history and genealogy should be sure to attend, with the event exploring the church and its congregation through photos and exhibits.

There are also art workshops led by local artist Rebekah Findlay. These workshops suit all ages and see you contribute to a new piece of art about community and faith.

Find out more about the event.

St Michael the Archangel, Kirkby Malham

This millstone church was built in the 15th century, but its site has been a place of worship for a millennium.

Bursting with architectural features and historic ties, this "Cathedral of the Dales" helps tell the story of the region's rich past.

The church is open daily, but on Saturday 12 September, it will hold guided tours from 2 pm to 4 pm and refreshments from 2 pm.

Find out more about the event.

"MOSAIC: The Pavement that Walked", York

Author Clive Ashman has written three historical novels set in northern Roman Britain. At this drop-in author talk at Fabrication Crafts, he talks about his work and its links to Roman York.

Find out more about the event.

Little Ouseburn Church and Mausoleum

Lovers of 19th-century literature shouldn't miss Little Ouseburn Church and Mausoleum. It was in this village that Anne and Branwell Brontë worked as governess and tutor for the Robinsons of Thorp Green Hall.

This Heritage Open Day event explores how the church has changed since Anglo-Saxon times, with a focus on the 1840s. It traces this journey through the writings of Anne and Branwell Brontë and the diary of George Whitehead.

Find out more about the event.

Stump Cross Caverns

Every year, the Heritage Open Days festival celebrates the rich history of Yorkshire. And here at Stump Cross Caverns, we're proud to be part of that history.

Our own story begins many, many years ago – long before the churches, railways and other sites you can visit this September.

In fact, our caves began life at the bottom of a tropical sea some 500,000 years ago. Over a long, long period, they became the stalagmite- and stalactite-filled limestone caves you can visit today.

Want to see this ancient treasure for yourself? If you're in the area for a Heritage Open Day, it's only a short hop across the Yorkshire Dales to our underground caves. (Plus, we have a great cafe where you can fuel up for a day's exploring.)



It's quick and easy to book your Stump Cross Caverns tickets online.