Dozens of rare heritage sites to open up for free

Heritage sites across the West of England will open their doors to visitors for free as part of a festival to celebrate history and culture.

Dozens of events, which have been organised as part of Heritage Open Days, will take place across Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire from 11 to 20 September.

They include a day-in-the-life of World War Two soldiers, a tour of ancient ruins and a Beatrix Potter guided walk. There is also a chance to explore a historic crypt and look inside the impressive collection of a centuries-old glove-makers.

Here is a round-up of things to see and do in the region this month.

Taking place on 12 and 18 September, this free one-hour tour is a chance to look inside the ruins of Temple Church in Redcliffe, Bristol, and learn about its 900-year history.

According to Heritage Open Days, the medieval ruin has a tower that leans further than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

"From its origins as a round church for the Knights Templar to its survival of World War Two, you'll get up close to Bristol's resilient past."

Designed by Bristol artist Charles Underwood, Arnos Vale Cemetery in Bristol is home to four Grade II listed buildings: two entrance lodges and two mortuary chapels, as well as a crypt beneath. They are inspired by ancient Greek temple architecture.

A free tour of the cemetery is taking place on Sunday 13 September at 11:00 BST and Sunday 20 September at 13:30 BST and must be booked in advance.

In Langport, Somerset, Muchelney Abbey was once an important monastery.

Today the site consists of ruined walls from the 7th to 16th Centuries, and the remaining intact abbot's house.

English Heritage is offering a free one-hour tour of the building on Thursday 15 and Sunday 20 September at 11:00 BST. Tickets must be booked in advance.

Keynsham Cemetery will open for self-guided walks and tours on Saturday 19 September. The site is a Victorian burial ground and the location of a major Roman archaeological site.

The event offers a chance to "discover the unusual mortuary chapel, home to striking stained-glass windows and the original funeral bier used by the workhouse until the 1920s".

The site is open from 10:00 BST to 14:00 BST and no pre-booking is required.

Starting at Shire Hall, the Gloucestershire County Council headquarters, a guided walk will showcase the Gloucester locations closely tied with writer and illustrator Beatrix Potter.

Her 1903 children's book The Tailor of Gloucester was inspired by a real local story set in the the city.

Taking place on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September at 14:00 BST, the walk takes about 45 minutes and no pre-booking is required.

Gloucester played a critical role in the 1926 General Strike.

Mass rallies took place at Shire Hall and hundreds of pickets tried to stop cargo boats and barges from moving along Gloucester Docks.

This hour-long tour taking place at 11:00 BST on Friday 11 September is a chance to learn about the city's involvement in the nine-day strike that brought Britain to a standstill.

The Wiltshire glove-makers started in 1777 and have supplied gloves to royalty, celebrities and the film industry.

This event is a 45-minute talk to learn about how gloves are made and the history of glove-making at Dents in Warminster.

It is also a chance to browse through the museum's impressive glove collection.

The event is taking on Saturday 12 September and Friday 18 September at 11:00 BST and 14:00 BST.

This "day in the life" trail at the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) Museum in Lyneham, Wiltshire, is a chance to explore the everyday lives and routines of WW2 soldiers.

Taking place on Friday 11 September, the free event offers rare entry to its permanent exhibition galleries and special exhibitions.

At the Shoemakers Museum in Clarks Village in Street, Somerset, you can hear stories of apprentice shoemakers, factory employees, warehouse workers and designers.

"From factory floors and workshops to offices and high streets, discover the people, places and routines that made Street what it is today," the event description says.

It takes place on Friday 18 September at 10:30 BST and 14:00 BST and booking is preferred.

This event is a chance to visit the resting place of Bath's Jewish community in the 19th and early 20th Centuries where more than 40 headstones and tombs are visible today.

The site on Greendown Place in Combe Down, Bath, is a cottage and small piece of land that was leased by four members of Bath's Jewish community the 1800s.

The site is open to the public on 13 September from 11:00 BST to 16:00 BST.

The Battlefields Trust is arranging a series of battlefields walks in September.

At 10:00 BST on 20 September there is a chance to learn about the Battle of Roundway Down which was fought near Devizes, in Wiltshire, in July 1643 during the First English Civil War.

The event is "a morning walk across the field of this important English Civil War battle where royalist cavalry decisively defeated a parliamentarian army" and is free but booking a ticket is required.

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