This September you can go behind the scenes of some of Kirklees’ most iconic buildings and institutions to find out more about the area’s history and culture.

Heritage Open Days 2018 is a series of free tours, walks and talks put on by local volunteers across the district.

This year, there is something for everyone: from ale trail to nature trail, from craft workshops to history tours.

Here is our run down of the key information and top highlights at Kirklees’ 2018 Heritage Open Days.

What is it?

Heritage Open Days is a national festival that happens every September since its foundation in 1994.

It brings together over 40,000 volunteers and 2,500 organisations to put on 5,000 free events showcasing local history and culture.

This year’s theme is ‘Extraordinary Women’ to coincide with #Vote100 - the centenary celebration of the first votes for women.

Some Kirklees’ 58 sites and events will examine the history of the suffragette movement locally while others will go further afield to look at textiles, architecture and art in our area.

The whole thing is organised by the National Trust and funded by the people’s postcode lottery.

When is it?

The 2018 Heritage Open Days will take place over two four day periods over consecutive weekends in September. The first is from Thursday September 6 to Sunday September 9 and the second is from Thursday September 13 to Sunday September 16.

Most events will take place over just one of these periods and some happen on just one day. There are some though - like the open day at Huddersfield Parish Church - which are scheduled for all eight days of the festival.

How much does it cost and do you have to book?

The best bit about Heritage Open Days is that they are all free.

You will need to book ahead for some of the events, such as the Historic Almondbury Walk.

Bookings have to be made via the Visitor Information Point (VIP) at Huddersfield Library on Princess Alexandra Walk in Huddersfield.

Some events need to be booked at the Visitor Information Point at Huddersfield Library

Some highlights

Exploding Huddersfield Walk. Delve into Huddersfield’s violent past with local historian Chris Marsden as he takes you on a tour of sites of explosions caused by gunpowder, gas, chemicals and fireworks. Meet at the Harold Wilson Statue in St George’s Square at 2.30pm on Sunday 9 for this one. This event is now fully booked

In the Family Way. Go beyond back stage at the Lawrence Batley Theatre every day between 10am and 5pm apart from Sundays. The Grade II listed building used to be a Methodist Mission that gave refuge to unwed pregnant young mothers that had been cast out by their families.

Meltham Olde Ale Trail Walk. ‘Meltham Walkers are Welcome’ will be leading a guided trek around the sites of 36 former alehouses dating from the early 1800s on Sunday 9 at 10am. Six are still working pubs so there is plenty of opportunity for, ahem, ‘refreshment’ on the 4 mile walk.

Members of Meltham Walkers are Welcome

Extraordinary Women

Walking with Women’s Suffrage in the Colne Valley. Historian Jill Liddington takes you on a five mile walk, starting from the Harold Wilson Statue at 11.30am on Saturday 15 to Slaithwaite. The route passes the homes and villages of several of Huddersfield’s most important suffragette activists, including Helen Stubbard, secretary of the NUWWS, and Elizabeth Pinnance who was imprisoned for 14 years from 1907.

Extraordinary Women of the Borough. A joint celebration of the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Huddersfield borough and the 100th anniversary of the first votes for women is marked by a new display of the most influential women in the town’s history. The exhibition at Huddersfield Library opens at 11am on Saturday 8 with a talk from local historians detailing some of the incredible stories.

St Thomas’s Church on Manchester Road. Between 9am and 7pm on the first four festival days, discover the lives of two Charlotte Starkey who ensured the church was built after her husband, Thomas Starkey died before work commenced, and Bertha Lowenthal, member of the militant suffragette group, Women’s Social and Political Union, and was arrested in Huddersfield for her protests.

Jill Liddington who is leading a suffragette walk in Huddersfield

Is there anything for children?

A number of the events at this years’ Heritage Open Days are child friendly - if not explicitly designed for children. St Saviours Church Brownhill and Gomersal Moravian Church will be running fun activities for children alongside more educational offerings.

Oakwell Hall and Country Park. This Elizabethan Monor in Batley is furnished exactly as it would have been in its 17th Century heyday. On the second Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon to 4pm families can explore the estate’s country park with play area, nature trail and award-winning gardens.

Bagshaw Museum. The Victorian Gothic mansion in Batley has an impressive collection of objects from around the world and through history. Step into the interior of an Egyptian tomb, check out decorative art from India and Japan or sample the culinary delights of Victorian Britain.

The full list of the 58 events can be found at https:// www.heritageopendays.org.uk/visiting/printable-area-lists/laa/Kirklees