HODS weekend-what did you do?

I spent the day down in an air raid shelter!

That sounds a bit claustrophobic! How many people could you fit in?

Sorry, what is HODS weekend?

Heritage Open Days- all over the country historic sites which are either usually closed or charge are open for free or stage events that are free www.heritageopendays.org.uk
Usually in September. Too late for this year but do look out for next. The greatest Free festival of all!

My DS2 manned the local signal box , which our local history society has preserved. The library and records were available too , Culture night later this month is a big event here in our Village , with art , talks ,vintage motors and tractors all by locals

Thank you.
I must admit that like the rest of this summer it had passed me by
Next year!

Yesterday we set off for Thorington Hall in Suffolk for the one day a year it is open. It is owned by the National Trust and used as a holiday home. We arrived 5 minutes before it was due to open and nothing was happening - all closed up.
Went into Stoke by Nayland for a coffee and checked on the internet - opening cancelled.
We drove to Coggeshall in Essex and visited Paycocke's - a very interesting property.
Tried to book a tour of RAF Barnham today but fully booked - the owner is offering another day for tours in October so have booked to see it then.

Oh chocolatepudding how disappointing for you. I think one of the problems is that HODs is largely run by volunteers and when something happens like illness there isn't any cover. Hope you enjoy RAF Barnham and maybe Thorington Hall next year?

I'm a member of the National Trust and had not realised that it was Heritage Open Day. We went with friends to Coleton Fishacre near Dartmouth in Devon. Built by the D'Oyly Catre family in the 1930's. The gardens are beautiful and the house is fascinating.

Oxford, where the colleges and other buildings open their doors to visitors. Wonderful!

I didn't know they did that. Think I'm going to limit my volunteering next year so many places I would like to see.

HOD are next week in London - so not too late if you are near enough to visit the capital.

Trisha, it was a fairly large one and I shared the session with a friend who is as bonkers as I am. My husband acted as minder. ?

I want to go down an air raid shelter. We had a house with an Anderson when I was little but a bigger one would be great. Apparently my gran was her street shelter warden. She was supplied with regular deliveries of large amounts of disinfectant to keep it clean. Must have ponged a bit!

Stockport has a network of air-raid shelters, open to the public. They were carved into the natural sandstone cliffs and go on for about a mile. They are open to the public.
www.stockport.gov.uk/about-the-air-raid-shelters/air-raid-shelters-history

My granny had an Anderson shelter but the night before I was born, when German bombers were flying back from raids on the Clyde shipyards, my Mum was under granny's large kitchen table.