Norfolk's Heritage
Norfolk has an amazing heritage and the county is filled with gorgeous historic buildings ranging from the spectacular Norwich Cathedral to lovingly restored windmills. Add to this the many fascinating museums where you can discover all sorts of facts about Norfolk's past, its world class industries and the great heroes that were brought up here and you will not be short of tales to tell when you get home! If your passion is great gardens then Norfolk has some wonderful gardens and grounds surrounding magnificent stately homes where you can enjoy spending time outdoors.
Jump to: More about Norfolk's Heritage
Historic Houses
Discover historic houses and stately homes in Norfolk - Blickling Hall, Felbrigg Hall, Oxburgh Hall and more
Gardens
Discover gardens in Norfolk - grand stately home gardens, historic walled kitchen gardens, water and woodland gardens or explore the county's open gardens throughout the year
Railways & Tours
Discover heritage railways and tours in Norfolk - steam railways, narrow gauge railways, boat tours and sightseeing bus tours
Churches
Discover Norfolk's churches and religious sites - historic round tower churches, village and town churches and Norfolk's cathedrals
Norman Norfolk
Find out about the Normans in Norfolk and their legacy - historic castles, cathedrals and more
Heritage Open Days in Norfolk
(22 August 2011)
Heritage Open Days (HODs) is England's largest and most popular voluntary cultural event, celebrating all of its fantastic architecture and culture by offering free access to events and interesting properties that are usually closed to the public or normally charge for admission. It's your chance to take a peek behind the scenes and see the wealth of heritage on offer in Norfolk.
The HODs programme involves open buildings, guided tours, exhibitions, talks, family activities, window displays, music recitals and dance performances. Participating venues include museums and tourist attractions; private homes; churches and cathedrals; city centre shops, restaurants and pubs; and offices and workplaces.
Nationally HODs is co-ordinated by English Heritage and attracts one million visitors annually. In Norwich HEART has co-ordinated HODs since 2005, with the programme growing year on year, with other HODs around the county organised by district councils and organisations, including Great Yarmouth, South Norfolk, West Norfolk, North Norfolk and Breckland.
See the Heritage Open Days website for a full list of Norfolk events
Browse key Heritage Open Days events in Norfolk
About Norfolk's Heritage
Come to explore the nooks and crannies of lofty castles. Run your hands along thick rugged walls of ancient flint and stone and trace the steps of monks around whispering priories. Step inside our cool humbling churches and hear the church bells calling villagers to the heavy pews. Put on a hard hat and descend into ancient flint mines or uncover the secrets of old buried treasure.
The historic sites in Norfolk range from the humble to the high and mighty. Admire our majestic period buildings and Medieval streets and imagine yourself as aristocracy in Norfolk's splendid stately homes. Sweep up the grand staircases and picture yourself dining on long tables laden with game and local produce. Or squeeze into a tiny fisherman's house where families struggled to keep their bellies even half full and their children safe and warm. Explore Norfolk's compelling museums and immerse yourself in stories from the past or discover huge collections of steam engines and military vehicles. And marvel in a moment's silent awe at our magnificent cathedrals in Norwich, our fine county centrepiece.
Touch and feel, listen and hear, look and learn ... You can even smell the dank rancid cells of our old town gaol house! Wherever and whenever you visit, our floors creak with secrets and our walls are bursting with stories to tell, so ask and you will be answered. Here in Norfolk we don't think that history should be stuffy or boring.
Browse Norfolk heritage attractions
Related pages on Visit Norfolk
- Attractions
- Museums
- Historic Houses
- Gardens
- Railways & Tours
- Churches in Norfolk
- Norman Norfolk
- Norfolk's Nelson
- American Connection
- Days out if it rains
Other useful links:
- Norfolk Tourist Attractions Association
- Norwich HEART - Heritage City
- Norfolk Airfields
- Heritage Open Days
- Norfolk Heritage
What's on in Norfolk?
-
Major exhibition celebrating Japanese manga & anime characters
-
Music, theatre, dance, circus, performance, visual arts & more!
-
A fun packed day based around the River Wensum & environmental activities
-
The funny and heartwarming tale of a brave little mouse and a very snappy crocodile.?
-
A weekend of special evening events at museums and other heritage venues across Norfolk
Tourism Industry
- Advertising Opportunities
- Tourism in Norfolk
- Media & Image Library
- Time for Tourism e-news
- NTQT Business & Training
- Conferences & Business Tourism
Norfolk Tourism
- About Us
- Contact Us
- Partners & Links
© 2010 Norfolk Tourism