Heritage Open Days events take place across the country from Friday 12 to Sunday 21 September 2025, offering everyone the opportunity to explore the history on their doorstep for FREE, including a range of locations across Dover District.
The newly conserved and reopened Maison Dieu, Dover Museum & The Bronze Age Boat Gallery and the Roman Painted House are all taking part in this increasingly popular free annual event, alongside many other treasured sites across the district and beyond.
Across the country, from historic houses to factory floors, museums to music halls, churches to mandirs, and greenhouses to graveyards, a diverse array of places, spaces and community groups will offer up free events for all this autumn with architecture as the underlying theme.
This includes:
Maison Dieu (Dover Town Hall) - Biggin Street, Dover, Kent CT16 1DL
Discover the recently restored Maison Dieu (Dover Town Hall) and over 800 years of stories. Find out about the architecture and design of this incredible building. Open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 3.30pm (10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday).
In addition, adults can book onto a free historic embroidery workshop on Saturday 20 September (10.30am to 12.30pm), or onto a free exterior building tour of the Maison Dieu on Thursday 18 September (6pm to 7pm). Visit www.maisondieudover.org.uk/events to book.
Special tours of the Mayor’s Parlour, designed by Neo-gothic architect and designer William Burges, will also be available on 13/14 September, offered in partnership with The Landmark Trust who now run it as a holiday let (booking is advisable at https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/news-and-events/opendays/mayors-parlour-open-days-2025/). *
Dover Museum & The Bronze Age Boat Gallery – Market Square, Dover, CT16 1PH
Enjoy the new ‘Museum in miniature’ exhibition at Dover Museum as part of Heritage Open Days. It offers an exploration of miniature versions of things from life that people have produced and enjoyed.
Remember to visit Dover’s Bronze Age Boat Gallery, the world’s oldest known seagoing vessel, where you will see the remains of a prehistoric wooden boat thought to be some 3,500 years old. Open 9.30am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 3pm on Sunday.
Roman Painted House - New Street, Dover CT17 9AJ
The Roman Painted House was discovered in 1970 and excavated by local archaeologists during the following decade. Built in about AD200, it formed part of the Roman military site in Dubris – the Latin name for Dover.
It has been described as the finest Roman house on show in Britain, with unique painted plaster walls (frescoes) and elaborate under floor heating (hypocaust). The site will be open for specially extended hours for Heritage Open Days. Saturday 13 to Sunday 21 September, 10am to 4pm.
Cllr Lynne Wright, Portfolio Holder for Community and Corporate Property, said: “We are delighted to be involved in Heritage Open Days once again this year. The festival offers free entry to so many of England’s treasured assets and we are pleased that the revitalised Maison Dieu can play its part this year. Guests will be able to appreciate the work of its original architect, William Burges, and how beautifully this building has been restored thanks to funding from DDC and the National Heritage Lottery. We have so much history and heritage in the district, and our visitors truly are spoilt for choice.”
Find out more about Heritage Open Days at https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/ where you can search by town, area or venue. Or for more details on events in the district, please see the White Cliffs Country website at Heritage Open Days 2025 - White Cliffs Country
Notes to editors
Heritage Open Days is England's largest festival of history and culture, involving thousands of local volunteers and organisations.
Every year for 10 days in September it brings people together to celebrate their heritage, culture, community and history. Stories are told, traditions explored, and histories brought to life. It’s offering the public a chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – and it’s all FREE.
Thank you to the local volunteers who are opening these sites for the Heritage Open Days, and particular thanks to The Dover Society and Paul Wells who have organised such an exciting and comprehensive programme for Dover with 35 separate activities, see https://www.facebook.com/DoverHeritageOpenDays.
To tie in with this year's architecture theme, visitors to the Maison Dieu on 13 and 14 September can add to a table-top model of the building, made from recycled materials. This will remain on display for the whole event.
Throughout the festival, visitors will be able to make and take home their own mini medieval tower, designed by artist and illustrator, Hannah Bryan.
* Most of the Maison Dieu building is accessible. However, regrettably there is no wheelchair access to the Mayor’s Parlour, due to the narrowness of the historic door openings which are part of its listed building status. A presentation of photos and information about the Mayor’s Parlour will be available as an alternative for those unable to view it on the day.
Posted on 08 September 2025