It’s time to admire our National treasures

THIS weekend sees the annual Heritage Open Days as thousands of properties open their doors for free, including more than 150 National Trust houses as well as thousands of diverse locations including police cells and tunnels.

Among the notable historic homes showcased are gems such as Woolsthorpe Manor in Lincolnshire, recently featured on the ITV documentary series Britain's Secret Treasures, hosted by Michael Buerk.

Another is Nymans, the ruined house of the Messel family in West Sussex where the seldom-opened iconic Dovecote in the famous gardens can be seen.

In the Derwent Valley, at Gibside near Newcastle upon Tyne, the Georgian home of coal baron George Bowes, there's a rare opening of the crypt and banqueting house, a Gothic folly converted by the Landmark Trust into holiday accommodation.

The childhood home of composer Ralph Vaughan Williams on Leith Hill, where Charles Darwin was a frequent visitor, is open for the first time. Unlike other National Trust properties, it has not been fully restored, giving visitors a chance to see the house in transition.

You can explore Semaphore Tower on Chatley Heath in Surrey, the only survivor of a chain used to pass messages between Whitehall and the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth. It was built in 1822 and is open for free visits on Sunday.

The 4,700-acre Blickling Estate in heart of Norfolk, home to the Boleyn family and in more recent times the RAF, will open many of its period buildings, including the Old School, built in 1867 for local children. Visitors will also be able to see inside the unique Pyramid Mausoleum.

In Surrey, Polesden Lacey, the country retreat of the Edwardian Greville family with its breathtaking views of the Surrey hills, offers a wonderful day out for the family.

In Devon, Corfe Castle, one of our most iconic ruins and the inspiration for Kirrin Castle in Enid Blyton's Famous Five books, is also open with no charge tomorrow.

And if you are a fan of children's books and live in Cumbria, pop over to Hill Top, the place that gave birth to Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle-Duck and was the home of author Beatrix Potter.

Here visitors will discover a time capsule of her life, with many of her possessions and favourite things dotted around the house and her garden kept as it was in her lifetime.

But the Heritage Open Days event is not only about historic homes; there are tours that take in city halls, tunnels, police cells, theatres and private homes, in fact more than 4,400 unusual places.

There is likely to be somewhere within 20 miles of your home that you can poke around for free and satisfy your curiosity.

There are a lot of churches too, as well as fine private houses, one that once belonged to the Pre-Raphaelite painter George Frederic Watts, near Guildford in Surrey, for example.

Magnificent The house, which he named Limnerslease, was built in 1886 when at the age of 69 Watts, by now a national treasure himself, married a Scottish designer 30 years his junior.

A visit to the Arts & Crafts house, now fully restored, can be combined with one to the magnificent paintings by George Frederic in the Watts Gallery, unique for being the only single-artist gallery in the country.

The Heritage Open Days event is also about hedonism and many venues stage imaginative events to entertain, amuse and educate. Music, dance and fashion all play a part and food and drink are not forgotten.

The inventiveness of wartime cooks is celebrated at All Saints Church in Liverpool, which is hosting a World War II Experience Day.

In Gosport, the Wild Harvest Festival celebrates the autumn traditions of preserving and pickling, while the historic kitchens at Petworth House offer the chance to see the house cook making traditional dishes from centuries-old recipes.

For complete details of opening times, maps and other stuff visit. express.co