I would like to say a HUGE thank you to all those folk who helped me celebrate my blog’s 13th birthday, by writing guest posts for me to host! I’m pleased to say these seem to have gone down very well with you, my readers! If you missed them, you can find a link to them all (and all other blogposts, too) on the links page.
So, before we get back into lynnebloggingaboutloughborough, I’d like to share with you some of the things that are happening in Loughborough for Heritage Open Days (HODs) 2026. Over the past few years, Loughborough people and venues have come together to provide a coherent heritage offering over the final weekend of the HODs. This year, the national festival is running from Friday 11th September until Sunday 20th September, so Loughborough main events are happening on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th.
Having said that, there are a few things going on in the run-up to that weekend.
Firstly, the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteer Group (LLLSVG), will be hosting a stall on Loughborough’s market on Saturday 12th, Saturday 19th, and Sunday 20th September. They will have information about the Loughborough Town Observatoryproject, and leaflets about Loughborough’s HODs events to share with you all!
Briefly, these are most of the venues that will be open: please check the HODs website for booking details:
* Anstey
Wallpapers, based in the old Ladybird Factory, will be open for guided tours
* The
Carillon War Memorial Museum
* Church
of All Saints with Holy Trinity will be offering guided tours
* Fearon
Hall will be hosting apple pressing
* Garendon
Park will be offering guided walks, in conjunction with St Botolph’s church in
Shepshed
* The
Generator Building, the recently renovated college building, will be hosting the
Alexandra Bedspread
* Loughborough
Central Station at the Great Central Railway will be offering guided tours of
the station’s public areas
* Loughborough
Grammar School will open its building, allowing trips up the tower, and
showcasing some of the school’s archive material
* The
Old Rectory Museum will be offering talks and tours
* The
Old Rectory Wildlife Garden, this award-winning garden between the church and
the Old Rectory will be open for you to walk through, or stop and re-charge
* Taylor’s
Bellfoundry will open its foundry floor where the master bellfounder will
explain and demonstrate some of the processes
* Unity House (the former Medical Aid Centre)
During the week leading up to the main events, I will be leading some guided walks. I’d love it if you joined me! The theme of this year’s Heritage Open Days is everyday lives, and so I am leading a guided perambulation around Queen’s Park, which was created for the people of Loughborough to walk around and relax in, as a relief from long shifts in the factory. We’ll have a look at some of the structures and layout of the park, and see how it has changed over the years. There will be three identical walks, which are circular, lasting 45-60 minutes, on different days and times.
For everyday working lives, rather than go down the industrial route, and make you walk around looking at the ironwork in the floor, this year I’m going to take you around the town centre to see some of the work of architects – not only local architects, but architects from the region, and also by those who designed buildings across the country. We might even be able to see some of the offices used by some local architects! There will be two identical circular walks, lasting about 90 minutes, on different days and at different times.
Do note, that booking is essential for these walks: booking instructions are on the HODs website or follow the link on the QR code.
I am also leading two Art Deco walks on behalf of the LLLSVG, over the weekend of 19th and 20th but these are now fully booked.
If you’re
going to be away from Loughborough during the HODs festival, why not check the HODs
website for events that might be happening in the area you might be staying at?
Apparently, there are over 13,000 events to choose from!! Anyway, wherever you
are, I hope you have and enjoyable weekend!
____________________________________
Posted by
lynneaboutloughborough
With apologies for
typos which are all mine!
_______________________________________________
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Dyer, Lynne (2026). Loughborough Heritage Open Days 2026. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/09/loughborough-heritage-open-days-2026.html [Accessed 7 September 2026]
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