Heritage Open Days launch in Tameside

Back to the future as local history group 'Travel Through Time'

Heritage Open Days 2026 officially launched locally in Tameside on Friday at Ashton’s Portland Basin Museum with the ‘opening’ of a special exhibition.

The Tameside Local History Forum has put its own slant on this year’s national theme ‘Everyday Histories’ with a special exhibition by the History on Your Doorstep Group being staged at the museum until September 20, entitled “Everyday Histories of Working Lives - Travelling Through Time”.

This exhibition highlights transport through the ages, from the time of the horse and cart to trams, buses, cars, motorways and more.

The exhibition was officially opened by the High Sheriff of Greater Manchester Mark Llewellin, DL, and the Civic Mayor of Tameside Helen Bowden.

They both gave short speeches and praised the Tameside History Forum volunteers for all of their hard work and research in putting the exhibition together and bringing it to fruition.

MAKING HISTORY: Members of Tameside History Forum join the High Sheriff of Greater Manchester Mark Llewellin, DL, and the Civic Mayor of Tameside Cllr Helen Bowden at Ashton's Portland Basin Museum for the launch of their exhibition and the start of this year's Heritage Open Days.

A special broadsheet ‘edition’ of the Tameside Reporter was produced this year as part of the exhibition, spotlighting travel and transport and promoting this year’s Heritage Open Days in Tameside and Glossop.

Heritage Open Days is England’s largest festival of history and culture, offering free public access to hidden properties, historic sites and community events.

This year’s national theme is ‘Everyday Histories’, and thousands of cultural events are planned across the country between September 11-20.

Established in 1994, Heritage Open Days is England’s contribution to the European Heritage Days and has grown into the country’s largest community heritage festival. In 1985, the Council of Europe set up European Heritage Days to raise awareness and appreciation of Europe’s cultural heritage, and the need for its care and protection.

Today, 50 countries take part, each running it in their own unique way to highlight the dazzling diversity of Europe’s heritage and inter-cultural links.

In England, Heritage Open Days has expanded and diversified from 701 events at its launch to more than 5,000 today. Spanning the public, private and voluntary sectors, it is a unique and powerful partnership.

READ ALL ABOUT IT: The Tameside Reporter broadsheet newspaper proved an interesting addition at this year's exhibition.

Heritage Open Days provides countless opportunities for more people to come together and enjoy often surprising, always interesting, doorstep discoveries! That will certainly be the case again on our very own doorsteps in Tameside, for a variety of historic churches, halls and venues will be opening their doors over these coming weeks, inviting the public to discover the hidden history on their doorstep. One gem includes Newton Hall, one of the oldest cruck-framed buildings in Greater Manchester and only open to the public during Heritage Open Days.

The vast majority of Heritage Open Day events, especially locally, rely entirely on a small army of volunteers, and none of them would happen without them.

Best of all, most events are absolutely free to attend and so make for fascinating family days out. For information about events close to you, visit the Heritage Open Days website https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/

You can find out more about the Tameside Local History Forum at http://www.tamesidehistoryforum.org.uk/