Doors open across Sussex for Heritage Open Days

Heritage Open Days The Duke of York's cinema in Brighton, East Sussex with a balcony to the first floor, and flags at each side and planing around the edgeHeritage Open Days
Tours of the Duke of York's cinema in Brighton are on offer as part of 2024's Heritage Open Days

People are being offered the chance to visit some of Sussex's historic locations, many usually closed to the public.

The Heritage Open Days programme runs from 6 to 15 September, and is celebrating its 30th year.

The theme for 2024's events is routes, networks and connections.

As well as building tours, several towns are offering guided walks.

Several events are scheduled for Brighton and Hove, including tours of Britain's longest surviving cinema, the Duke of York's, a talk on the history of the city's buses on 10 September and a chance to see behind the scenes at Sussex County Cricket Club.

There's free entry to Seaford Museum, which is located in a Martello Tower, on 14 September, and on the same day there is a guided tour about the history of Lewes railway station.

Alexandra Park Greenhouse The long Alexandra Park Greenhouse by day surrounded by plants, with gravel pathways either side. Alexandra Park Greenhouse
The Alexandra Greenhouse was built in 1934

In Hastings there is a chance to tour the Alexandra Greenhouse, a 36m (112ft) teak and cast iron structure built in 1934, and now used for community gardening.

Living history groups and military vehicles from the Victorian age to the Second World War will gather at Shoreham Fort in West Sussex on 14 September, with tours of the fort available on 13 September.

Novium Museum Two archive advertising posters for Shippam's pastes. One shows a boy in a red blazer and school cap, and the other shows a young blonde girl in a yellow summer dress wavingNovium Museum
There will be a chance to catch up with the Novium Museum's project to study Shippam's advertising archive

Petworth House is offering 10-minute highlight tours of its art collection, one of the best in the National Trust on the weekend of the 14 and 15 September.

There is free entry to Nymans house and gardens on 13 and 14 of September, and on 12 September the Novium Museum in Chichester is holding an event to show how work is progressing on its project to study the advertising archive of the former Shippam's factory.

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