Historic and cultural sites across Northamptonshire are invited to take part in this year’s Heritage Open Days, which will take place between 6 and 15 September.

Venues such as stately homes, buildings of historic interest, museums, places of worship, and archaeological sites can now register to participate in Heritage Open Days, which is England’s largest annual festival of history and culture.

This year’s event will utilise the theme Routes, Networks & Connections to bring together the past and present with workshops, walks, talks, hidden spaces, and activities for all the family, and for the first time will include many offers from attractions across the whole of the county with the aim of making the heritage festival more diverse than ever before.

The festival offers the public free entry to places which might normally be closed or have an entrance fee, and where admission is charged, venues will offer something new to see, with many connected by Northampton Transport Heritage buses’ free hop-on hop-off service.

West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) is an official promoter of the event and a list of all participating attractions and events can be found on the Council website, which will be updated regularly as more attractions register.

Events will include a film of Northampton’s evolving Market Square, a student showcase of Northampton’s rich heritage, and fun runners getting into the heritage spirit. More details will be revealed shortly on the WNC website together with details of where and when the heritage buses will be running.