Heritage Open Days 2024

Heritage Open Days - Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September 2024.

Heritage Open Days is England’s largest community led festival of history and culture, involving thousands of local volunteers and organisations. Every year in September it brings people together to celebrate their heritage, community and history.

Sudbury Town Council with our event partners, coordinated a host of free open house events, guided tours, talks, and hands-on creative workshops, all to showcase Sudbury’s fascinating heritage spanning many centuries.

On Saturday 14th, Market hill, with its busy Market, saw the meeting spot for 3 guided tours, ‘From Wool to Silk’, ‘Step into Sudbury’ and ‘Tales of the Talbot Trail’. With lots of interest and bookings, our tour experts where able to share their knowledge of all things Sudbury.

'Step into Sudbury' guided tours are held each month, starting in the Tourist information Centre. The next Tour is on Saturday 19th October, where you pay on the day. Book your place by contacting the Sudbury Tourist Information Centre.

Gainsborough House opened their doors free of charge over Heritage Open weekend to explore all they have to offer in the traditional House and New Galleries. A chance for all to come and see the fantastic work of Gainsborough himself, as well as exhibitions including Revealing Nature: The Art of Cedric Morris & Lett-Haines, and The Iris Florilegium of Sir Cedric Morris. The top floor boasts a special viewing window in the Landscape Studio with spectacular views.

Visitors were then able to enjoy the weather and take a break in The Watering Place cafe and the beautiful gardens.

Hosted within Sudbury Arts Centre, Sudbury Museum Trust hosted an unmissable local history book sale to raise funds for the Heritage Centre. With many rare titles and some out of print the sales went fast all from the collection of the late Lord Phillips of Sudbury.

Sudbury Library had fun activities for all the family the weekend, centered around Sudbury's connections with the wider world over time - including making Silk hangings, looking at the routes that Silk took to get here, and bringing it up to date looking at American airfields in Suffolk - including the making of silk parachutes.  They had colouring, activities, junk box modelling, maps, quizzes and more!  They also had their usual Lego club and had their train set out for children to enjoy.

With visitors from Sudbury, Halstead, Braintree and Hadleigh, the Mill Tye Gallery, allowed people to discover the history behind the former Cornard Mill building, which was once a medieval water mill. Exploring the fascinating past of this unique space, from its industrial roots to its transformation into the thriving gallery you see today. With an increased footfall, people visited the gallery who had not previously attended were very happy with the discovery.

Plan your visit today: https://www.milltyegallery.co.uk/

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On Sunday 15th Market Hill was host to Green Sundays Eco Market with a crafty twist, showcasing local businesses, charities and community groups making strides for sustainability, encouraging all to make small changes towards sustainable living.

Activities included making owls and frogs on logs using tree bark, acorns, log slices and imagination. Children and adults alike were able to join the fun and have a go.

The next Green Sunday Market is Sunday 20th October.

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Joining them, Gainsborough House bought along their Camera Obscura, free for all to have a go, allowing a 360-degree view of Sudbury and the landscapes that inspired Thomas Gainsborough. A predecessor to modern photography proved its popularity on Sunday with all ages taking turn to see Sudbury in a new way.

Not to be missed, the permanent Camera Obscura is situated at Gainsborough house, one of only 74 in the world, 21 of which are in UK.

Book your visit below:

https://gainsborough.org/your-visit/camera-obscura/

The highlight of the weekend was a free talk ‘Roads, River, Rails of Sudbury’ and Q&A with local history experts of the routes in and out of Sudbury over the centuries that have enabled our industries, cultures and communities to stay connected and thrive. 

Speaking about the roads in and out of Sudbury, Ashley Cooper engaged with artwork by Ben Perkins and showcased the changes that make Sudbury what it is today.

Jim Lunn from The River Stour Trust presented how the River Stour shaped Sudbury, from defensive decisions to the present-day uses of the river.

Closing with rail, local railway expert and enthusiast Gavin Moulton spoke on the coming of the railway to Sudbury, later Beeching cuts to the present-day terminus station on The Gainsborough Line.

With over 100 people attending, the talks were a huge success, with a captivating Q and A afterwards with the experts left the crowd wanting more.

The Heritage Open Days 2024 for Sudbury were a great success, from the well attended talks, activities for all ages, guided tours and free open houses, we are proud to be part of the Heritage Open Days organisation.

For more information and to learn more about Heritage Open Days, visit their website:

https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/