From Friday 12 September - Sunday 21 September 2025, venues across Coventry will open their doors to the public for Heritage Open Days, completely free of charge.
More than 50 venues will offer free tours, events, and activities, giving people a chance to take a look behind the scenes. It’s a great opportunity to learn about Coventry’s history, heritage, and culture in a new way.
2025's theme is 'architecture'.
For more information, contact events@coventry.gov.uk
Take a look at a full list of venue listings and any pre-booking requirements on the Heritage Open Days website.
- Belgrade Theatre - Behind the scenes guided tours
- Coombe Abbey Park – Free self-guided tours
- Coombe Abbey Hotel – Free guided tours
- Coventry Cross – Meet the costumed interpreters
- St Mary’s Guildhall – Home from Home exhibition
- Anglican Chapel, London Road Cemetery – Cemetery tours and talks
- Ford’s Hospital – Open for visitors
- Bond’s Hospital – Open for visitors
- The Church of St John the Baptist – Guided tours on request
- Coventry Model Railway Club – Interactive activities and layouts
- St Mary’s Guildhall – Open for visitors
- Phil Silvers Museum – Sgt Bilko’s Vintage Emporium
- River Festival Coventry – Meet local nature and heritage groups
- The Weaver’s House – Open for visitors
- Telegraph Hotel – Exclusive tours of the transformed landmark
- Dame Goodyvers day – Musical Procession of Pru Porretta and the Godiva sisters
- Herbert Art Gallery & Museum – Explore Coventry’s archives
- Coventry Cathedral – Weaving under the UK’s largest tapestry
- Coventry Cathedral – A micro photography exhibition
- Coventry Cathedral – Absence/Presence exhibition
- Coventry Cathedral – Meet the builders behind the New Cathedral
- Coventry Cathedral Ruins – The Blitz Museum
- Wyley Chapel – Open for visitors
- Holyhead Studios – Open for visitors
- Coventry University – Guided tours led by architecture students
- The Great Meeting House Unitarian Church – Open for visitors
- Coventry City Gates – Self-guided tours
- Priory Row cottages – Open for visitors
- Daimler Powerhouse – Open for visitors
- Coventry Council House – Open for visitors
- Coventry Charterhouse – Follow the archaeological trail
- Hearth and History – A specially commissioned film, shown in the Priory Visitor Centre
- Club MotoFest BreakFest meet – A display of historic vehicles in Broadgate
- Ascension Dance – Youth Open day at FarGo Village
- Coventry Police Museum – Hear insights and stories from retired officers
- The Tin Music and Arts – A collection of organisations at the Canal basin
- City Centre Walking Tours - Hear from expert Blue Badge guides - now fully booked
- Kingsfield Orchard – Open for visitors
- War Memorial Park – Opening of the Chamber of Silence
- Dalecote House – Tours available on demand
- King Henry VIII School – Guided tour and exhibition
- Stoney Road Allotments – Summerhouses - open for visitors
- University of Warwick – Archivist-led talks and workshops
- Albany Theatre – Secrets of the Stage
- The Walled Garden at Allesley Park – Informative display of the history of the park and village
- St Mary and All Saints Church – Fillongley now and then
- Bagot’s Castle – Open for visitors
- Lunt Roman Fort – Roman heritage tour
- Bridge View Light Railway – Heritage-themed miniature railway open day
Late additions:
Coventry Cross - meet the costumed interpreters
Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September: 11am – 3pm
Top end of Cross Cheaping (side of Primark), Coventry CV1 1HL
Join two costumed interpreters from 1459 when Coventry briefly served as the capital of England, with the royal court of King Henry VI residing here.
Wheelchair accessible, pushchair friendly, assistant dogs welcome.
Meet the WW2 Fireman - Coventry Cathedral Ruins
Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September: 11am – 3pm
Coventry Cathedral Ruins, Priory Street, Coventry CV1 5AB
Using authentic accounts, a 1940s fireman retells the story of the burning Cathedral during the Blitz of 14 November 1940 and the other raids on the city during the Second World War. The Ruins stand today as a reminder of the city as a phoenix from ashes and as a symbol of peace and reconciliation. Organised by Coventry City Council and Coventry Cathedral.
Partial wheelchair access, accessible toilets, assistance dogs welcome, pushchair friendly, baby changing.
Holy Trinity Church – Aural Histories' Concert and church tours
5A Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX
Concert: Friday 12 September: 7.30pm
Self-guided tours: Friday 12 – Sunday 21 September. View full timings.
The ‘Aural Histories’ project explores music from 1451-1642 at Holy Trinity, performed by the Binchois Consort and others, with visuals of historic Coventry churches from that era.
Wheelchair access, disabled parking nearby, accessible toilets, assistant dogs welcome, Changing Places.
St Mary’s Guildhall - A Cultural Conversation with Sandra Godley OBE
Bayley Lane, Coventry CV1 5RN
Saturday 20 September – 12.30pm - 2.30pm
Celebrate Coventry’s diverse voices through talks, dance, poetry, and performances by The Elizabeth Singers, alongside exploring the historic St Mary’s Guildhall.
Partial wheelchair access, accessible toilets, assistant dogs welcome, Changing Places, hearing loop, pushchair friendly, refreshments.
University of Warwick Maths Houses
Gibbet Hill campus, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL
Sunday 21 September: 12pm - 4pm
Celebrate the university’s 60th birthday by exploring the Grade II listed Maths Houses, featuring innovative design, craft activities, and historic displays showcasing the university’s pioneering spirit.
Partial wheelchair access, assistant dogs welcome, pushchair friendly, accessible parking.
Spirit Bridge Studio – guided tours
Canal Warehouse Basin, Studio 19, Leicester Row, Coventry CV1 4LH
Tuesday 16 September: 10am – 12pm
Enjoy guided tours of the studio space, highlighting the building’s industrial past and how it’s been repurposed as a space for creativity. Visitors can also try animation techniques and flip book drawing.
Toilets, parking.
Irish Heart, Coventry Home Oral History Exhibition
Eaton House, 1 Eaton Road, Coventry CV1 2FJ
Friday 12 September and Monday 15 – Friday 19 September: 2pm – 4pm
Enjoy the Oral History exhibition, telling the true and fascinating experiences of Irish families settling in Coventry over three decades.
Pushchair friendly, disabled parking, wheelchair access, assistant dogs welcome, accessible toilets, dogs welcome, refreshments.
Trinity House (formerly Old Blue Coat School) - guided tours
5A Priory Row, Coventry CV1 5EX
Saturday 13 September: 11am – 3pm
Step into the past and explore the fascinating history of this building, originally the north-west tower of Coventry’s first cathedral, founded in 1043 by Leofric and Godiva.
Pushchair friendly, wheelchair access, assistant dogs welcome, accessible toilets, Changing Places, baby changing.
'Rags to Riches' Patchwork Exhibition - Russell's Garden Centre
Mill Hill, Baginton, Warwickshire CV8 3AG
Saturday 13 September: 11am - 3pm
An exhibition of vintage and modern quilts from the Jane Cobbett Collection of Historical Textiles, displayed in the Library Garden at Avondale Nursery.
Partial wheelchair access, disabled parking, all dogs welcome, accessible toilets, Changing Places.
Coventry Central Hall
Warwick Lane, Coventry Central Hall CV1 2HA
Saturday 13 - Sunday 14 and Saturday 20 - Sunday 21 September: 11am - 3pm
Enjoy a tour of 1930s Coventry Central Hall that survived the Blitz. Tour includes key areas of the building and civic spaces as well as a tour of the roof showcasing views over
Coventry city centre.
Partial wheelchair access, on-site disabled parking, on-site accessible toilets, assistance dogs welcome.
Riley Cars Archive Heritage Trust Heritage Day
Canal Basin, Event accessible via St Nicolas Street CV1 4LY:
13 September 2025: 10am - 4pm
A gathering of several vintage and classic Riley Cars for the Coventry Heritage Day
Augmented Reality Stained Glass - Coventry Cathedral Ruins
Priory St, Coventry CV1 5AB
12 to 21 September 2025
Using only your smartphone, see an interpretation of what the stained glass may have looked like in the Coventry Cathedral Ruins. This is an experience best viewed during daylight hours.