This September 9 - 12 Heritage Open Days will provide a jam-packed programme of activities to suit all. In addition to a wide range of buildings opening their doors to the public, there will also be a selection of guided walks, concerts, re-enactments, trails, role-plays and children’s activities all designed to help you discover the national treasures on your door step. In this article we look at this year’s highlights and associated teaching activities.
Heritage Open Days logo © Heritage Open Days
Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive, English Heritage, says: ‘Heritage Open Days is about people and places; it celebrates community and reflects the importance of the built environment in our lives and to our quality of life’. Take a look at some of the highlights to come in this year’s Heritage Open Days and see how they can lead you to look to local buildings and places for inspiration.
Highlights of Heritage Open Days 2010
Home to Wallace and Gromit
The new Aardman Animation headquarters in Bristol, home to the creators of Wallace and Gromit and housed within a state-of-the-art sustainable building.
Classroom activity:
Think of the home of Wallace and Gromit. It is packed full of inventions to make life easier – a machine to get you dressed and one to butter your toast. But how would you make their home more sustainable? Discuss the layout of a typical three-bedroom house and three measures to make it more sustainable.
Willis Building in Ipswich, Suffolk
One of the earliest buildings designed by Norman Foster after establishing Foster Associates, the Willis Building in Ipswich, Suffolk, was the youngest building to be given Grade I listed status. Completed in 1975, the kidney-shaped, glass-sheathed office for the insurance company Willis Faber & Dumas was a pioneering example of energy-conscious design. Another Foster-designed building, the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in Norwich, Norfolk, will be hosting behind the scenes tours.
Classroom activity:
Compare the Willis Building to Kenilworth Castle. What do the differences in materials tell you about these buildings? Are the windows large to allow the light in, or small in case of attack? How would you go about fortifying the Willis Building?
Heritage Open Days properties associated with the arts
These include the former home of Jane Austen’s brother, Chawton House in Hampshire, and the Elizabethan North Lees Hall in the Peak District National Park, said to be the inspiration for Charlotte Bronte’s description of Mr Rochester’s House, Thornfield Hall in Jane Eyre.
Classroom activity:
Research your immediate area to see if any local buildings have been a source of inspiration for a famous book, poem or even used as a set for a film. Why not pick your favourite local landmark and write an Ode. Describe its shape, form and feel.
North Lees Hall in the Peak District National Park © Roger B, flickr.com
Teaching resources:
The Heritage Open Days teachers’ pack contains all the information you will need to conduct a site visit or delivery of classroom-based lessons that use the buildings and places around you as inspiration. The pack also contains:
- classroom activities.
- case studies.
- projects.
- tips for arranging visits to historic and contemporary properties.
Heritage Open Days 2010 will run from 9-12 September. For more information on events near you visit their website.
