King’s Lynn has never been short of history. Sometimes, though, we become so used to having it around us that it is easy to forget quite how much there is to discover.
Heritage Open Day on Sunday, September 13, gives residents and visitors a good excuse to look again.
From 10am until 4pm, buildings across the town will throw open their doors, including some which are rarely accessible to the public.
The free annual event has been organised by King’s Lynn Civic Society working with West Norfolk Council, the Town Guides, businesses, residents and local friends groups.
Between them, they have put together a day which stretches from churches and historic houses to gardens, offices, towers and even tunnels beneath the town.
And with so much happening, comfortable shoes might be advisable.
A different way to see Lynn
One of the pleasures of Heritage Open Day is being able to explore familiar places from a completely different perspective.
Visitors can book a climb up the Minster bell tower for a bird's-eye view across King's Lynn, or head in the opposite direction and explore the air raid shelter tunnels beneath the Tuesday Market Place.
The Red Mount in The Walks, South Gate, Greenland Fishery and Hampton Court Secret Garden are among the landmarks welcoming visitors.
There will also be opportunities to explore St Nicholas' Chapel, Thoresby College and Clifton House and tower, while the Pilots' Office at Common Staithe Quay will be open too.
Bank House will be offering a look below ground in its cellars, while more of the town's history can be discovered around Nelson Street and at The Valiant Sailor.
Elsewhere, visitors can head to True's Yard Fisherfolk Museum in North Lynn, see inside St John's House, home of the night shelter, and revisit the Carnegie building, remembered by generations of local people as King's Lynn's former library.
King's Lynn Town Hall, GroundWork Gallery and several other venues will also be taking part.
For those wanting somebody else to tell the stories, free guided town walks will leave at 11am, noon, 1pm and 2pm.
Bringing history back to life
It won't all involve quietly looking around old buildings.
The Walks will host archery with the Grey Goose Archers alongside Civil War and medieval re-enactors, while the South Gate will welcome the Norwich and Norfolk Medieval Association.
Down on the quayside, the East Norfolk Militia will take visitors back to the Napoleonic era.
There will be plenty to hear as well.
Historical musicians Pearl in the Egg will perform around the Saturday Market Place, Tuesday Market Place and King's Staithe Square, using instruments including harps, lyres, bagpipes, recorders and shawms to recreate sounds from the medieval and Tudor periods.
Studio Baum in Bridge Street will offer something rather different with a cyanotype workshop, giving visitors a chance to discover a historic photographic process which uses sunlight to produce distinctive blue and white images.
Children can also collect and colour postcards created by artist Nicola Marray-Woods featuring 15 of Lynn's best-known heritage buildings.
And anyone curious about a rather more modern local craft can find out about gin-making at WhataHoot distillery.
Vintage buses, boats and classic cars
Getting around can be part of the fun.
Free-to-ride vintage buses will operate during the day, taking visitors to some of the venues further from the town centre, including St Faith's Church in Gaywood and Hardwick Road Cemetery.
The West Lynn ferry will be running, with St Peter's Church across the Great Ouse also opening its doors.
There is even an opportunity to see King's Lynn from the water, with trips aboard the replica fishing smack Baden Powellleaving from the South Quay pontoon.
Meanwhile, the Tuesday Market Place will provide another trip into the past as West Norfolk Council's annual classic car event runs alongside Heritage Open Day.
More than 200 classic and modern-classic vehicles are expected to fill the square.
Heritage beyond King's Lynn
King's Lynn may have the biggest programme locally, but it isn't the only place celebrating West Norfolk's past.
Little Massingham Church will explore village life through the years on Saturday, September 12, with old photographs and original bound parish magazines dating from 1908 to 1933 among the items on display.
At Burnham Norton, Norfolk Archaeological Trust director Natalie Butler will lead a talk and tour at St Margaret's Church on Wednesday, September 16, looking at the conservation of Burnham Norton Friary and the work being done to protect it for future generations.
Hunstanton is also taking part, with tours of the former lighthouse and guided walks around the grounds of Hunstanton Hall, although places for these have proved popular and availability is limited.
There will be no Heritage Open Day in Downham Market this year, with organisers deciding to pause the event for 2026 while other projects are under way.
A chance to rediscover what's on our doorstep
Perhaps the nicest thing about Heritage Open Day is that you don't need to be a historian to enjoy it.
You can climb a tower, venture underground, ride an old bus, watch an archer, listen to medieval music, admire a classic car or simply walk through a door you've passed hundreds of times and discover what has been hiding behind it.
And in a town with as many stories as King's Lynn, there are plenty of doors to choose from.
King's Lynn Heritage Open Day takes place on Sunday, September 13 from 10am to 4pm and admission to participating venues is free.
Full maps, venue details and bus and event timetables are available from King's Lynn Civic Society's Heritage Open Day guide. Information leaflets will also be available from participating venues around the town.
Details of events taking place elsewhere in the county between September 11 and 20 can be found through Norfolk Heritage Open Days.
