Join Coventry Museums for an exciting range of activities, tours and displays at this year's Heritag

06 September 2013

On Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 September 2013, some of Coventry's best-known visitor attractions will celebrate the city's historic architecture, heritage and culture by hosting guided tours, activities and events, all of which are free of charge as part of the national Heritage Open Days initiative.

At the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, there will be a local history fair organised by Coventry Family History Society. Local historians and societies such as Allesley History Group, Coventry and District Archaeological Society, and Greyfriars Society will be on hand to answer your questions about Coventry's heritage. The fair will also include information from family history groups like The Guild of One-Name Studies and Coventry History Centre, who will be on hand to provide information on how to trace your family tree, as well as stalls from Coventry Spinners, Weavers and Dyers Group, The Herbert, and Coventry's Women's Research Group.

The Herbert will also be hosting bookable guided tours of their Medieval Undercroft on the day, which is not usually open to the public, giving visitors a unique chance to see one of Coventry's oldest cellars. 

On Sunday 15th September, Coventry Transport Museum will be giving the public a rare chance to visit their off-site store, which holds hundreds of cars, bikes and motorcycles which are not usually on display to visitors. To add to the excitement, the Transport Museum's original 1963 Daimler Bus will be offering a shuttle service from the front of the museum to the open store every hour from 11am until 3pm. Advance booking is advised for this event.

Over at the Priory Visitor Centre, you can explore the Priory's Undercroft all weekend with free guided tours, and learn about the history of cannons. Children will be able to have a go at making their own cannons and then test them out in a Medieval Shooting Range in the Cloister Garden! The Priory Visitors Centre is open 10am to 4pm on Saturday, and 12 noon to 4pm on Sunday.

Lunt Roman Fort in Baginton will also be open to the public free of charge from 11am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday, where visitors can learn about the values of historic Roman coins and explore the Granary Museum, the newly preserved gyrus, and have photos taken in front of the reconstructed gateway.

Heritage Open Weekend runs from Saturday 14 September to Sunday 15 September 2013. All activities are free over this weekend, but please check the Herbert Art Gallery and Coventry Transport Museum websites for specific days and times for each event.

For more information about the Heritage Open Weekend events, please visit: www.theherbert.org and www.transport-museum.com