Norfolk Heritage Open Days
8 – 17 September
Celebrate history and discover the unknown this September, for free! Norfolk Heritage Open Days (HODs) offers everybody the opportunity to explore buildings and places they may not have ventured into before, learn more about our cultural heritage and discover hidden gems not normally open to the public.
Across the 10 days, Norfolk’s most loved venues and buildings will throw open their doors for everyone to explore, untold stories of our local heroes will be revealed, and the county’s unique history will be celebrated from city to coast. There’s a range of activities and venues sure to delight all ages and knowledge.
The theme for Heritage Open Days 2023 is ‘Creativity Unwrapped’, with organisers celebrating inspiration in all its forms, from photography to literature to garden design.
The online directory of Heritage Open Days events is now live. The Norfolk Heritage Open Days brochures will be available from late July, and booking for most of the Norfolk events opens on Monday 21 August. Many HODs events are drop-in and you can just turn up on the day, so there’s always plenty to enjoy.
Summer Show
Charter Square, Bury St Edmunds 16 August, 10am-4pm
arc Shopping Centre invites you to join in and celebrate One Great Day – a funtastic day of events and entertainment for all the family to enjoy, including the family dog! Following the success of last year’s Summer Show, they are bringing it back for 2023 – this time raising funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital and arc’s charity of the year, Gatehouse, as part of the UK-wide One Great Day fundraising campaign.
Dog Show
Bring your pup along to arc’s Summer Show and enter them into the dog show! Entries into each category will cost £1 and the winners of each category will receive an arc VIP bandana. Categories are: Best Dressed Pooch, Loveliest Lady, Most Fabulous Fella, Golden Oldie and Most Pawsome Pup. There’ll also be dog-friendly treats and accessories on sale throughout the day, as well as a cooling station so that dogs can feel comfortable and rest, even if it is a sunny day!
Family Fun
Throughout this fun-filled day, families can also expect face painting, fun games such as tin can tumble, musical performances, a 9-hole mini golf course and an extra-special character meet and greet – a pup from Down Under!
SchooDoodle Family Craft Sessions
John Lewis, Norwich 10 August at 10am 24 August at 10am
Join in the special family craft sessions at John Lewis Norwich. Experience the magic of watching your children create something unique, special and personal, while seeing their confidence and sense of achievement come alive! Recommended for ages 3 to 10 and costs £12 per child. Free parking included.
You can book your places at:
National Garden Scheme
The National Garden Scheme gives visitors unique access to over 3,500 exceptional private gardens in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands, and raises impressive amounts of money for some of the UK’s best-loved nursing and health charities through admissions, teas and cake.
Sunday 3 September
33 Waldemar Avenue,
Hellesdon, Norwich, NR6 6TB
10-5 admission, £5 child free.
Home-made teas.
A surprising and large suburban garden with different areas which include a mix of exotic and tropical plants combined with unusual perennials. There is a quirky palm-thatched Tiki hut, a treehouse draped in plants and a wildlife pond with rare plants.
Sunday 10 September
High House Gardens, Blackmoor Row, Shipdham IP25 7PU
12-5 admission, £5 child.
Home-made teas.
Opening for twenty years for the National Garden Scheme. A Well-developed plantsman’s garden in three acres with colour themed herbaceous borders, an extensive range of perennials and shrubs, box edged rose and shrub borders and a large vegetable garden.
Before visiting a garden visitors are advised to check the website
www.ngs.org.uk for UpToDate info.
Swallowtail Fine Artists
St Catherine’s Church, Ludham, 26-28 August
Hosting their biggest exhibition to date on August Bank Holiday weekend, the Fine Art show will feature works by Lorraine Auton, Tony Colledge and Amanda Springall-Rogers. It will also showcase paintings, lino prints, cards and jewellery by well-known Norfolk-based artists Tom Cringle, Kate Gabriel, Julie Hodgson, Ben Kendall, Ann Lamb, Ruth Mann, Bruce Rushin and Elaine Vincent. All work featured will be for sale. The exhibition will be open from 10am to 5pm on Saturday, 11am to 5pm on Sunday and 10am to 5pm on Monday; with a private viewing 6pm to 8pm on Friday 25 August. Refreshments available. FREE ENTRY.
For further information, please contact Swallowtail Fine Artists via Facebook, or email at swallowtailfineartists@gmail.com
Hippodrome
THE SUMMER CIRCUS & WATER SPECTACULAR 5 July-17 September
The show brings together a cast featuring stunt riding motorbike riders, stars from America’s got Talent, Cirque Du Soliel Jugglers, and acts never seen in the UK. These incredible international performers will join Hippodromes’ magnificent cast of Dancer Swimmers alongside hosts Jack Jay and Johnny Mac.
The Urband Frame – Mutiny In Colour
Probably the biggest and most important contemporary art exhibition anywhere in the UK, this summer!
Following the huge success of the Moments contemporary art exhibition in 2021, West Suffolk Council’s leisure and culture team have gone bigger and better for 2023. With well over 300 pieces of contemporary art being displayed across three galleries in West Suffolk, Urban Frame: Mutiny in Colour is one of the biggest and most ambitious contemporary art exhibitions taking place anywhere in the UK this year.
The exhibition is spread across three venues this summer (Moyse’s Hall Museum in Bury St Edmunds, the National Horse Racing Museum in Newmarket and Haverhill Arts Centre).
All three exhibitions will host works from some of the world’s most renowned artists including Banksy, Blek le Rat, Grayson Perry, Anish Kapoor, Pure Evil, My Dog Sighs, David Shrigley, Kaws, the Connor Brothers, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Sherlock, Swoon, Ben Eine, Bambi, Hush and Lamont White, to name a few.
Many of the works in the exhibition have never been exhibited before, including Sandcastle Girl, which was painted on a wall in Lowestoft during Banksy’s Spraycation to East Anglia in 2021. Sandcastle Girl will be exhibited at Moyse’s Hall Museum.
The exhibition tickets for all three locations are now on sale, with entry prices set with the cost-of-living crisis in mind. Tickets are just £7 per location for adults and £3 for children aged 12 – 18 and under 12’s go free.
The exhibitions at Moyse’s Hall Museum and the National Horse Racing Museum run all summer until 1st October. The Haverhill Arts Centre exhibition will run until 12th September. Tickets can be purchased online at
www.whatsonwestsuffolk.co.uk/mutiny
Why not make it a mini-break, or even a weekender?
There’s so much to see and do in beautiful Bury St Edmunds, so why not slow down and make it a mini-break? For more information about where to eat, sleep and drink, please visit:
Moyse’s Hall Museum, Bury St Edmunds runs until 1 October
National Horse Racing Museum, Newmarket runs until 1 October
Haverhill Arts Centre, Haverhill runs until 12 September