Heritage Open Days

England's biggest, free heritage festival takes place every September and Winchester's participation has developed over recent years, making the city one of the most significant destinations for Heritage Open Day events. The event showcases the very best of Winchester, bringing in tourists and provides free, cultural activities for local residents.

As the main sponsor of Heritage Open Days in Winchester, the school supports access to other historical sites across the city, as well as hosting an exciting selection of talks, concerts and tours at the school. 2019 was a huge success with over 1,400 people attending Winchester College events and 600 more visitors to the Treasury museum alone.

 

Highlights

In recent years the school has put on a diverse programme to inspire, educate and entertain visitors and the public response has been tremendous. Past events include:

  • Tea with Lady Laura: A suffrage-inspired afternoon tea with social historian, Emma Muscat to learn more of Lady Laura Ridding, the wife of the College’s 43rd Headmaster.
  • Inside the Archives: An hour-long tour through the hidden, medieval rooms that house the documents and artefacts relating to the school's history, including the Foundation Charters and Founder’s Statutes.
  • The Fellow’s Library Tour: An expert guided tour of the school's historic library looking at medieval manuscripts and rare books from the collections.
  • Winchester College Quiristers Open Rehearsal: The chance to hear and watch how the award-winning Quiristers are taught and develop their musical talents in the glorious surroundings of the College Chapel.
  • Science School Tour: An opportunity to view items from a wide range of science teaching apparatus and natural history specimens, from eighteenth century microscopes to the recent Periodic Table installation. 
  • War Cloister Talk: The beautiful and peaceful War Cloister, a memorial to Old Wykehamists who died in both World Wars and subsequent conflicts, offers a poignant setting to hear their stories and the history of the memorial's construction.
  • Shakespeare’s First Folio: A unique opportunity to view Winchester College’s own copy and to hear Dr Tim Hands explain what makes this copy distinctive.
  • A history of the world in 21 women: A talk by Dame Jenni Murray on her insights and research from her book of the same title.
  • Shifting Sands in News: A talk by Alastair Stewart on the changing nature of journalism in a digital age.

2020 Festival. 17th - 21st September 

While we will be unable to welcome visitors into the school for this year's festival due to COVID-19 restrictions, we will be working with the national theme of 'Hidden Nature' to host a small number of walking tours on the footpaths and in the countryside surrounding the College. 

In addition, we will launch two new films on our YouTube channel over the course of the weekend, offering viewers an exclusive opportunity to see parts of the school that are typically inaccessible. More details and how to book tickets will be posted here soon.

Back to Community

Related Stories

26th June 2020

150th Anniversary of Opening of Moberly Library

There is always something to celebrate at Winchester College and the last couple of years have been particularly full of significant anniversaries - the opening of the boarding houses and the conversion of Commoners into classrooms - and this summer sees the 150th anniversary of the opening of Moberly Library.

14th June 2020

The Evolution of Winchester Match

Sadly, due to COVID-19, Winchester Match is one the events, which have been cancelled this summer. Here, archivist Suzanne Foster, looks back at how Winchester Match developed into the event we know today and shares how it looked in past years.

10th June 2020

The Unknown Battle for France, 1940

Whilst the important commemorations of major moments in the Second World War have dominated our collective consciousness in recent months, there are important episodes in British history from that critical period that are less known but where Old Wykehamists played significant roles. History teacher, James Webster, delves into the details.

29th May 2020

Life in the Porters' Lodge

The role of our Porters - providing a warm welcome - as well as security for the school is as important today as it was 600 years ago. Suzanne Foster, our College Archivist, explains how the job has evolved over the centuries.

8th May 2020

The 75th Anniversary of VE Day

On the anniversary of VE day, we look back at how Winchester marked this day in history.

27th April 2020

A Plague on all the Houses: An Epidemiological History of Winchester

In view of the current COVID-19 outbreak, Tim Giddings examines the school’s previous encounters with epidemics.

“What a treat! An informative and interesting lecture... it was so inspirational. It enabled us to learn something new.”

Visitor • 2019