Heritage Open Days: All the South Tyneside visitor sites welcoming residents in 2023

Every year, sites across the country open their doors to welcome visitors for free for Heritage Open Days. The group running the event claim to be England’s largest community-led festival of history and culture, involving thousands of local volunteers and organisations with the main event coming every September.

This year heritage open days across England will take place Between Friday, September 8 and Sunday, September 17.

Heritage open days in South Tyneside

In total eight sites will be opening their doors and welcoming the public across South Tyneside this year.

Organised by South Tyneside Council, a tour of Jarrow Town Hall will be available on Tuesday, September 12. The tour needs to be pre booked online and the Mayor of South Tyneside is expected to be in attendance. Bookings can be made by contacting South Tyneside Council.

The Council are also organising tours of South Shields Town Hall over two times on one afternoon. These will be at 1pm and 3pm on Thursday, September 14 with pre booking needed by contacting the Council’s Civic Office by email. The tours of the Grade II listed building will also be attended by the Mayor of the region.

Read South Tyneside's news on the go with our free email newsletters - bringing the headlines to your inbox. Catch up on the day's news and sport and enjoy even more from your Gazette. Visit our website here to find out more and sign up.

Two local churches will also be offering tours with St Nicholas Church in West Boldon and St Peter’s Church in Harton opening their doors to the public. The Boldon site dates from the 13th century and can be seen with no pre booking needed between 10am and 4pm on Saturday, September 9. Over in Harton the church tour is being combined with stained glass talks throughout the same day. These talks will be at 10:30am and 2:30pm.

In South Shields anyone who has been interested in the Watch Tower near the pier is in luck. The site is opening its doors between 10am and 4pm on Saturday, September 9, Sunday, September 10, Saturday, September 16 and Sunday, September 17. No booking is required.

The nearby North Maritime Park is hosting a ‘Bowlers, Boaters and Bands - A Victorian Day In The Parks’ day on Saturday, September 16. This includes fun and games as well as a tour of the parks. Access is available between 1pm and 4pm.

The North East Maritime Trust are also opening their doors in South Shields on a series of days in September and are inviting the public to take a look in the riverside site. The site will be open on:

• Friday September 8: 9:30pm - 4pm
• Saturday September 9: 9:30am - 1pm
• Monday September 11: 9:30pm - 3:30pm
• Tuesday September 12: 9:30pm - 3:30pm
• Wednesday September 13: 9:30pm - 3:30pm
• Thursday September 14: 9:30pm - 3:30pm

Walking tours of Westoe Cemetery are also taking place on Friday September 8 and Wednesday September 13 at 10:30am and 5pm with no booking needed.