Portsmouth is a city built on layers of history, and for ten days it opens the doors that are usually kept shut. Heritage Open Days runs from Friday 11 to Sunday 20 September, and this year's theme is 'Everyday Histories', which is a polite way of saying the focus is on the ordinary people who lived here rather than the big names. The whole thing is free, put together by the National Trust with a small army of local organisations and volunteers behind it, so it costs nothing to wander in and out of places you'd normally walk past.
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The obvious place to start is Portsmouth Cathedral, which is running three distinct tours. On 17 September, a specialist organ tour looks at the unusual architecture and history of the cathedral's organ. On 18 September, the Local Lives tour tells the stories of the ordinary and extraordinary people who worshipped at St Thomas and are commemorated and buried there. The big one, though, is the tower tour on Sunday 20 September, which takes you up the 17th-century tower that is not regularly open to the public. It runs at 14:00 and 15:00, lasts about 50 minutes, and is limited to 15 people a go, so you'll need to book ahead on the cathedral's website. A word of warning: it involves narrow stairs and ladders, so wear sensible shoes, and it is not for anyone with a fear of heights or confined spaces.
Over in Southsea, The Greenhouse in Victoria Park is busy. On 16 September there is a talk on the Battle of Southsea, the four-day riot on Southsea Common, plus a 'Mindful Art in the Park' session reflecting on memories of Victoria Park. The British Restaurant exhibition and digital trail pop up there on 14 September, and on 19 September it turns into an immersive theatre performance about the British Restaurants that fed people in public spaces during the Second World War. Nearby, The D-Day Story on Clarence Esplanade is running free introductory tours of the Overlord Embroidery, commissioned in 1968 and inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry. On 18 September, the Southsea Archives Repository at Southsea Library opens for a guided tour, and on 16 September the 'Letters to Elsie' talk explores a rare Portsmouth family archive.
A few other one-offs are worth knowing about. On 17 September, 'Downtown Pompey - Storming the Teacup' pairs a pop-up exhibition with a creative workshop. On 19 September, Fort Widley on Portsdown Hill runs a one-hour guided taster tour of its Cold War bunker. On 16 September, Portsmouth's Poet Laureate Jackson Davies leads a 'Portsmouth at Play' poetry workshop at the Portsmouth History Centre in the Norrish Central Library. And if you just want to wander, Charles Dickens' Birthplace Museum on Old Commercial Road and the WW1 Remembrance Centre, set in Bastion 6 of the Hilsea Lines, are both part of the programme.
If you fancy going further afield, the rest of Hampshire joins in. Hurst Castle is free on Saturday 19 September, with military reenactors, volunteers from the Palmerston Forts Society and a family history trail; you walk the two-mile shingle spit from Milford on Sea or take the ferry from Keyhaven. Fort Brockhurst in Gosport is free on 12 and 13 September with a multi-period reenactment weekend, and Fort Nelson, home to the national collection of artillery, runs guided tours into its Victorian West Tunnel on those same days. Mottisfont near Romsey is free throughout the whole festival, and the Winchester City Museum is free on Saturday 12 September. It is a lot to take in, so the best approach is to pick a day or two and follow your curiosity.
Published Date
14 September 2026
