Events include:
The Atkins Heritage Tour, Saturday September 14
Starting at 10.30am at Hinckley and District Museum in Lower Bond Street. This free heritage event begins with a guided tour around the 17th century framework knitters’ cottages with museum curator Phillip Lindley highlighting the connection between the cottages and the Atkins family.
The tour then moves to the Atkins Building, former hosiery factory built by the Atkins family and now home to the Hansom Cab. Business Centre Principal Officer Rebecca Wilbur will be guiding visitors around what is reputed to have been one of the world’s largest hosiery factories.
The final part of the tour will take place in the Great Meeting Chapel with Hugh Beavin, who will explore the reasons why the Atkins family chose the chapel as their place of worship. Refreshments are available during the day. To book a place email info@atkinsbuilding.co.uk or call Hinckley 247070.
St James’s Church, Sutton Cheney, Thursday September 12 to Sunday September 15 and Friday September 20 to Sunday September 22, open 9am until dusk
Grade II-listed 13th Century church with fine box pews and a memorial to King Richard III, who is said to have heard his last Mass here before the Battle of Bosworth.
St Peter’s Church, Higham on the Hill, Thursday September 12 to Sunday September 15 and Friday September 20 to Sunday September 22, open during daylight hours.
Grade II-listed church with several stained glass windows and a Norman tower. Includes memorials to the Fisher family, including former parish Rector Geoffrey Fisher who became Archbishop of Canterbury and crowned Queen Elizabeth in 1953.
St Peter’s Church, Witherley, Friday September 13 to Sunday September 20, 10am until 4pm
Grade I-listed early C14 church. Features include remnants of beautiful medieval stained glass windows. Refreshments and church tours will be available on Wednesday September 18 from 10.30am to 12noon.
St Margaret’s Church, Stoke Golding, Saturday September 14 10am to 5pm and Sunday September 15, 1pm until 5pm.
There will be a display featuring three people connected with Stoke Golding who, by their actions, enabled people to have more power over their own lives.
Hansom Cab in the Atkins Gallery, Thursday September 12 until Friday September 13 and Thursday September 19-Friday September 20, 9am-4.30pm
As well as taking part in the Atkins Heritage Tour, the newlyrestored Hansom Cab takes pride of place in the Atkins Gallery in the Atkins building. The historic cab was returned by its restorer, Adrian Lander, who spent eight months restoring the cab to its original condition. Joseph Hansom developed, tested and patented the Hansom cab in Hinckley in 1834 before it went on to become one of the most popular forms of transport during the 1800s.
Hinckley and District Museum, Friday September 13 to Sunday September 15 and Friday September 20 to Sunday September 22
Hinckley and District Museum will be open during Heritage Open Days with their usual admission fee waived. Opening hours are 10am to 4pm Fridays and Saturdays and 2pm-5pm Sundays.
St Mary’s Church, Hinckley Tower Tours, Friday September 13 to Saturday September 14 and Friday September 20 to September 21
St Mary’s Church is offering visitors aged 16 and over the chance to climb the church tower and see the clock and carillon. You must be able to climb 50 steep steps. Prebooking is essential. Contact Geoff Fuller on 07890 327286
The Great Meeting Unitarian Chapel, Baines Lane, Hinckley, Saturday September 14
The other partner in the Atkins Heritage Tour will also be open for visitors from 10am to 4pm. The first non-conformist building in the town, the Chapel dates from 1722.
Castle Street, Hinckley, Saturdays September 14 and 21
There will be a pop-up exhibition on People Power linked to the borough by Hinckley District Past and Present, a children’s history trail with prizes for participants and a period re-enactor in full 1800s regalia.
Visitors can also take part in the Hinckley BID’s child friendly Hinckley History Trail by picking up a free copy of the trail map.
Desford, St Martin’s Church, Saturday September 14
Grade II-listed C13 church with many interesting and historic features, open from 10am to 6pm. Includes a Century of Stories display. Refreshments are available.
Barton in the Beans Baptist Church, Saturday September 21
Grade-II listed chapel. The original chapel, founded in 1745, was closely associated with Samuel Deacon (1746-1816), the famous clockmaker of the village. The chapel museum will be open from 10.30am until 4pm.
All events are free to attend, booking required only where stated. A heritage booklet is available to download from the council’s website containing all the dates and locations of Heritage Open Days events at www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/heritage2019