Celebrating Heritage Open Days: Architecture That Tells Our Stories 🏛️
Every September, Heritage Open Days invites us to step inside places that are often hidden or special, to explore the buildings, bridges, and greenhouses that form the character of our towns. This year’s theme is Architecture, exploring what structures surround us, who built them, why they were made, and how they shape us.
At Architecture North, we believe that architecture is not just about new design. It is also about understanding the past, appreciating craftsmanship, and learning from heritage so we can build more thoughtfully for the future.
🏞 Why Heritage Open Days Matters for Designers
It gives access to historical buildings normally closed to the public. These are opportunities to see how materials age, how old construction methods worked, and to appreciate the beauty in details like plasterwork, stone masonry, timber frames, or metalwork.
You can walk through layers of style across centuries: how medieval halls, Georgian homes, Victorian façades, and modern interventions sit alongside each other. That contrast teaches us about proportion, scale, and how new and old can coexist.
Listening to stories behind buildings helps understand purpose and context. Why was this building built here? Who used it? How has its use changed? Those stories are essential when we design today, because context matters.
✨ How Heritage Inspires Our Architecture
We take inspiration from heritage in our work at Architecture North through:
Material honesty: respecting natural stone, brick and timber, understanding how they perform with time.
Adaptive reuse: considering how old structures or their components might be adapted, reconfigured or extended while retaining heritage value.
Design for character and identity: letting local architectural style inform proportions, rooflines, windows and detailing rather than copying but being respectful.
Community-led value: heritage buildings are often part of what people love in their street or town. We aim to design homes and spaces your neighbours will feel proud of.
🌟 Getting Involved and Exploring Locally
Heritage Open Days 2025 runs from 12–21 September across England. You can find old churches, historic homes, industrial heritage, and even more modern buildings that show good design and innovation from the past.
If you have time, take a walk, join a guided tour, see the details and stories in your local area. Inspiration is everywhere.
👉 Explore our projects to see how we weave heritage, style and innovation in homes and spaces.
📞 Thinking about designing or adapting your home in a way that honours its past while adding future-focused design? Contact us today and let’s talk about your ideas.