The much-loved national festival is returning to Watford this September. Heritage Open Days will once again open up some of Watford’s treasured buildings from Friday 11 to Sunday 20 September 2026.
Watford has proudly been a part of Heritage Open Days for over a decade. As part of the festival, heritage sites will be welcoming visitors in for free, hosting events or allowing access within a site which would otherwise be closed to the public.
St Mary’s Church will once again be opening its doors and hosting a day of fun activities to show its important history to the town. There will also be the opportunity to see Watford from above with their tours of the famous bell towers.
Also included in the programme will be St John’s Church and visitors will be able to experience the wonderful architecture and the chapels within. Hertfordshire Fire Museum will be joining the line-up with its collection of fire engines, uniforms, medals and stories from their past. In addition, visitors will be given a chance to test their powers with a house.
Watford is home to incredible cultural spaces which will be honoured during Heritage Open Days. The Pumphouse Theatre, once a pump station and site of the local health board, will run tours showing how this cultural spaces transitioned and lived two lives within our town.
As well as tours and visiting these incredible spaces, during the week, the Friends of Watford Museum will host a talk with local historian Helen George, who will be discussion about the Canadian Khaki University when it was temporarily based in Leavesden.
Elected Mayor of Watford, Peter Taylor, said: “We are excited to bring Heritage Open Days back to Watford. For over ten years this has been a wonderful opportunity to learn about our town’s heritage. We are committed to keeping Watford’s past alive through events like this and the new Museum of Watford, made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. I encourage everyone to look at the fantastic programme of events happening and attend.”
To book your tickets or for more information, please visit: www.heritageopendays.org.uk and search ‘Watford’.
Friends of the Museum of Watford - History Talk, Friday 11 September 2026
Fire Station Museum Open Day, Saturday 12 September 2026
A Tale of Two Histories - Pump House Watford, Friday 11 and Saturday 12 September 2026
St Mary's Church, Saturday 12 September 2026
