Heritage Open Days
We're running a range of Open Days throughout September. Come and join us at your local CWGC site to discover more about the history in your local communities, the work of the CWGC and the men and women we commemorate.
Heritage open days England
Heritage Open Days is England's largest festival of history and culture, bringing together over 2,000 local people and organisations, and thousands of volunteers.
We've created a number of open days and tours across the country. Join us and find out more about the work of the Commission and the men and women we commemorate across Great Britain.
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ENGLAND |
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Bath, Haycombe Cemetery, BA2 2RQ |
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Brighton, City Cemetery, BN2 4DA |
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Brookwood OPEN DAY, Brookwood Military Cemetery, GU24 0JD |
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Brookwood, Brookwood Military Cemetery, GU24 0JD |
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Cannock Chase, Cannock Chase War Cemetery and German Military Cemetery, WS12 4PT |
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Cheltenham, Cheltenham Cemetery, GL52 5JT |
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Chester, Blacon Cemetery, CH1 5BB |
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Harrogate, Stonefall Cemetery, HG3 1DE |
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London, Abney Park Cemetery, N16 0LH |
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Lowestoft, Naval Memorial, NR32 1UY |
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Manchester, Southern Cemetery, M21 7GL |
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Manchester, WW2 RAF Evening Tour, Southern Cemetery, M21 7GL |
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Newark, Newark-Upon-Trent Cemetery, NG24 1SW |
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Norwich, City Cemetery, NR2 1BH |
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Plymouth, Efford Cemetery, PL3 6NG |
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Plymouth, Naval Memorial, PL1 2HJ |
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Plymouth, Weston Mill Cemetery, PL2 2EP |
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Portsmouth, Naval Memorial, PO5 3NT |
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Doors open days Scotland
Doors Open Days is Scotland’s largest free festival that celebrates heritage and the built environment. It offers free access to over a thousand venues across the country each September.
Join is at one of our Scottish sites to learn more about the men and women commemorated throughout Scotland as well as the work and history of the Commission.
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SCOTLAND |
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Ayr, Ayr Cemetery, KA7 3BE |
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Dumfries, St Andrew's Roman Catholic Cemetery, DG1 4QF |
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Galashiels, Eastlands Cemetery, TD1 |
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Glasgow, Cardonald Cemetery, G52 1SB |
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Glasgow, Eastern Necropolis, G31 4DR |
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Open Doors Wales
Wales’s much-loved historic attractions are expected to welcome thousands of visitors during September 2021 as part of Open Doors — the largest heritage festival in Wales.
We're running events in Wales. Join us and find out more about the men and women we commemorate and our work in Wales and around the world.
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WALES |
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Cardiff, Cathays Cemetery, CF14 3QY |
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Heritage OpEN DAYS in FLANDERS (BELGIUM)
Heritage Open Days in Flanders (Belgium) is organised by Herita, the network association for immovable heritage in Flanders. Fitting with the European theme “Sustainable Heritage” , the CWGC in Ieper participates by offering a broad range of tours and workshops at Bedford House Cemetery!
Discover the story of the 'Rosendal Castle' during the guided tours along the one hundred year old ruins, still visibly incorporated in the cemetery and preserved by the CWGC for future generations to come.
Or join our specialists at the Compost Farm and learn how CWGC turns its green waste into rich compost for its colourful flower borders – biodiversity on point!
This year you can also roll up your sleeves again during the workshops “make your own insect hotel” and “flower seed bulbs” or “engrave your initials in a piece of (recuperated) natural stone”.
Welcome on 11 September at Bedford House Cemetery (Rijselseweg Ieper) from 10 am to 5 pm. A guided tour starts every hour. The workshops take place continuously.
For more information, be sure to click on the links below!
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FLANDERS (BELGIUM) |
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Guided Tour of the Compost Farm |
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Guided Tour of Bedford House Cemetery |
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Workshop and Demonstrations: Engrave your initials in a piece of natural stone |
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Workshop: Build your own Insect hotel |
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Heritage OpEN DAYS in THE NETHERLANDS
Heritage Open Days in The Netherlands is supported by Open Monumentenland, the network association for immovable heritage in The Netherlands. Fitting with the European theme “Sustainable Heritage” , the CWGC participates by offering a broad range of tours and workshops at Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery and Memorial!
Join one of the guided tours by nature guide Michel Rouw and our Dutch horticulturalist Alex Kalma, and find out how CWGC transitions to more sustainable ways of working, without pesticides and with extra attention for biodiversity.
This year you can also roll up your sleeves again during the workshops 'make flower seed balls' or ‘engrave your initials in a piece of (recuperated) natural stone'.
Welcome on 11 September at Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery & Memorial (Zevenheuvelenweg, Groesbeek) from 10am to 5pm. A guided tour starts every hour. The workshops take place continuously.
For more information, be sure to click on the links below!
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THE NETHERLANDS |
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Guided Tour: the ins and outs of sustainable maintenance at Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery Memorial |
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Workshop and Demonstrations: Engrave your initials in a piece of natural stone |
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Workshop: Make your own Flower Seed Bulbs |
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Heritage OpEN DAYS in FRANCE
Friday 16th September
Schools Open Day at the ThIepval Memorial
From 9.30am to 4pm, take your class on a tour of the Thiepval Memorial, a historic monument that welcomes around 250,000 visitors a year and commemorates the 72,000 Commonwealth soldiers who went missing in the summer of 1916 during the Battle of the Somme.
Duration: 1h
Address: Rue de l’Ancre, 80300 Thiepval
Price: Free
Registration required via cwgcexperience@cwgc.org or 03 21 21 52 75
SATURDAY 17th September
Celebrating 90 years of the ThIepval Memorial
From 11am to 12pm, attend the 90th anniversary and post-construction dedication ceremony accompanied by the singing of mezzo-soprano Emma Brown
From 2pm to 5pm, meet CWGC staff and participate in thematic workshops on sustainable development showing the expertise of our CWGC colleagues: cleaning of headstones, creation of insect hotels, planting etc.
From 9am to 5pm, don't forget our Franco-British guides will be present to help you discover the memorial and the Battle of the Somme.
Address: Rue de l’Ancre, 80300 Thiepval
Price: Free
Registration required via cwgcexperience@cwgc.org or 03 21 21 52 75
SATURDAY 17th and Sunday 18th September
Open days at The CWGC Experience in Beaurains (62, near Arras)
On Saturday and Sunday from 9.30am to 4pm, meet the CWGC staff in the workshops (black smith, carpentry, headstone production unit, stone cutting).
On Saturday at 2.30pm, attend a free lecture by historian Paul le Trévier linked to his recent book "le jardin aux 12 000 pierres", referring to the Commonwealth cemetery of St Sever near Rouen.
Address: 5-7 Rue Angèle Richard, 62217 Beaurains.
Price: Free, no reservation required
More information via cwgcexperience@cwgc.org or 03 21 21 52 75
As the Covid 19 epidemic is still present, masks and hydroalcoholic gel will be available at the reception desk for those who wish.
SATURDAY 17th and Sunday 18th September
Guided tours of Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez
From 3pm to 3.45pm on Saturday and Sunday, Lens Liévin Tourisme offers a guided tour of the Cabaret Rouge Commonwealth Cemetery in Souchez.
Address: Cimetière du Commonwealth de Cabaret Rouge, 62153 Souchez
Age: from 7 years old
Price: Free
More information via contact@memorial1418.com or 03 21 74 83 15
Sunday 18th September
Guided tours of St Sever Cemetery, Rouen
At 2.30pm and 4.30pm, historian Paul le Trévier, author of "Le jardin aux 12000 pierres" (Éditions Bertrand Books), and an expert of the CWGC cemetery in St Sever, invites you to discover the history of this place of remembrance and of those who lie there.
Address: Meet at the principal entrance, Bd Stanislas Girardin, le Petit Quevilly
Price: Free, no reservation required
More information via cwgcexperience@cwgc.org or 03 21 21 52 75
Discover more about the CWGC
Have a look at the resources below that will help you get out exploring and learning more about our work at home and around the work.
We offer a range of highly engaging and informative talks for schools and groups which are all adapted for different audiences and delivered at a time and place to suit you.
Book a talk
Our free apps are designed to help you make the most of your trip to one of our sites, whether its researching the headstone in front of you, or deciding which of our sites to discover next.
CWGC Mobile apps
From iconic memorials to your local churchyard, there is unique heritage to explore across Great Britain. No matter where you live, there will be a Commonwealth war grave or memorial near you.
Explore CWGC across Great Britain
The CWGC Experience is a unique new visitor attraction that shines a light on the work of the remarkable organisation at the heart of remembrance of the war dead.
The CWGC Experience
The CWGC Ieper Information Centre is located in the town of Ieper, West Flanders, an area that saw intense fighting throughout the First World War. We’re based only metres from the Menin Gate.
Visit the CWGC in Ieper