A Thousand Years, One Remarkable Festival – Our Heritage Open Days Newsletter is Out Now
- dconn40
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
What connects an Anglo-Saxon queen, a Victorian police superintendent, a medieval gilded stone, a hidden cemetery chapel, a pair of shoes, a group of apprentice young stonemasons and the scaffolding currently surrounding Betsy Grimbal’s Tower?
They are all part of the story we will be telling during Tavistock Heritage Open Days 2026, and you can discover much more in our special new Heritage Open Days Newsletter, out now.
Running from 11–20 September, this year’s festival is our most ambitious yet, with more than 40 free walks, talks, tours, performances, family activities and open days exploring a thousand years of Tavistock’s extraordinary history. Last year more than 1,000 people took part and many events were oversubscribed.
The new eight-page newsletter goes behind the programme listings to explore some of the stories you will encounter during those ten days.
From the birth of Tavistock…
We begin more than a thousand years ago.
Historians John Fletcher and Dr Geri Parlby take us into the tenth century and the remarkable family of Ordgar, Ordulf and Ælfthryth, whose story connects Tavistock with royal power, religious reform and the emergence of England itself.
Ordulf (perhaps!) founded Tavistock Abbey in AD 974, while his sister Ælfthryth became England’s first crowned queen. Together, the two opening talks explore the people and events behind the very beginnings of Tavistock.
…to an Abbey being rediscovered today
Fast forward a millennium and the Abbey story is still being written.
The newsletter takes readers behind the scenes of the Rediscovering Tavistock Abbey Project, where conservation work is now under way at Betsy Grimbal’s Tower and more than 150 volunteers have already come forward to take part in research, archaeology, education and community activities.
It is a wonderful reminder that heritage isn't simply about looking backwards. New discoveries are still being made beneath our feet and within the buildings around us.
The people who don't usually make the history books
This year's national Heritage Open Days theme is Everyday Histories, and that idea runs throughout both the festival and the newsletter.
One of the highlights is a special theatrical production, "The Superintendent's Letters" by Tavistock Edge, using genuine incidents from contemporary records and newspapers to introduce the victims, witnesses, neighbours, police officers and assorted characters of Victorian Tavistock.
Sometimes the smallest details reveal the biggest stories. Dr Sue Andrew's "A Pair of Shoes for a Poor Child" explores the lives of ordinary people in and around Tavistock between 1762 and 1903. Through stories of poverty, illegitimacy, work and education, she brings forgotten lives vividly back into view. A fascinating reflection of this year’s Everyday Histories theme.
Elsewhere, our walks explore Tavistock's churches and religious buildings, and its historic burial grounds, finding the stories of generations of ordinary people hidden in familiar places.
There is even the opportunity at Plymouth Road Cemetery to enter the normally closed Chapel of Rest, discover its connection with architect Henry Clutton and experience its remarkable acoustics.
History for smaller hands too
Heritage Open Days isn't just for grown-up historians.
Our Family Fun Day on Saturday 19 September invites children to get stuck into history themselves.
They can pan for tin, explore a homemade mining tunnel, design a Tudor-inspired market stall and even become apprentice stonemasons by carving their own creations from soap.
The aim is simple: to show younger visitors that Tavistock's history belongs to them too.
It's not essential to book tickets for sessions but will help our Discovery Team immensely if you could.
Book your children's workshop sessions by scanning the QR Code
And a little bit of a mystery…
Turn to the final page and you will find two extraordinary fragments of carved stone preserved by Tavistock Subscription Library.
They retain traces of gilding and red decoration and have been assessed as 14th-century carved Beer or Caen stone, possibly originating from a shrine, tomb or stone reredos. They will be brought out for public display during Heritage Open Days at Tavistock Subscription Library
Eight pages. A thousand years. And just a taste of what awaits this September.
Read the newsletter, choose your events and BOOK!
The newsletter contains QR codes taking you directly to booking for featured events.
And there is an important reason for reading it now rather than leaving it until September.
Bookings continue to move quickly.
Some of our ticketed events are already FULL, several others now have VERY LOW availability, and more are moving towards capacity.
All our Heritage Open Days events are FREE, but free does not mean unlimited. Many of our historic venues and guided walks have strictly limited capacities.
So pour yourself a cup of tea, settle down with our special Heritage Open Days Newsletter and start planning your ten days of discovery.
Read it. Explore it. Choose your favourites. And, most importantly, book them before somebody else does!
Heritage Open Days 202611–20 September - A Thousand Years of Tavistock in Ten Days
History is at its richest when it is shared. Come and be part of it.
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