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You can learn about wartime graffiti, former prisons, museum projects and... Spam as part of this weekend's free Heritage Open Days events.
Historic sites across the county will be opening their doors for free as part of England’s largest festival of history and culture, which runs until Sunday, September 19.
From family activities to evening experiences, this year’s programme has something for everyone, it’s all free and this year’s theme is Edible England. Here's some ideas to inspire you across the county this weekend...
Powell Cotton Museum, Quex Park, Birchington
The museum and gardens are undergoing big changes and you can get a glimpse of what is happening at the free open day on Sunday, September 19.
Visitors can speak to the team about the project and will have full access to Quex House & Gardens and The Powell-Cotton Museum. There will also be tours through the day. No pre-booking is needed. Find out more here.
The Westgate, Canterbury
If you've been to Canterbury, you've seen the dramatic medieval gatehouse guarding the city's entrance on its west side. England's largest surviving medieval gatehouse - built in 1830 - in Pound Lane was used as a prison, mainly used for thieves and debtors. It is open to look around from noon until 5pm on Saturday, September 18. Find out more here.
Herne Windmill
The Grade I listed smock mill in Mill Lane, Herne Bay, is now a museum of milling technology with working machinery, run by volunteers. It will be open on Sunday, September 19 between 2pm and 5pm. No booking is needed. Find out more here.
Ramsgate Tunnels Wartime Cookery
As part of the Edible England theme this year there will be free wartime cookery demonstrations throughout the weekend of Saturday, September 18 and Sunday, September 19 between 10am and 4pm.
With a shortage of food supplies and rationing in force, the wartime housewife had to be creative with her cookery. There will be a wartime cookery display and a demonstration of cooking with rationed and sometimes unexpected, substitute ingredients. Spam may be involved...
The display and demonstration are free though there is a cost for the tours. Find out more here.
Hawkenbury Allotments
Visitors can take a half hour guided walk through the site at Halls Hole Road, Tunbridge Wells, to see the vegetables, fruit, flowers and the hens raised on the normally closed site. There are around 300 plots on the 'secret garden' site. See them between 2pm and 4pm on Saturday, September 18. There is no need to book. Find out more here.
The Twitch Heritage Centre, West Malling
Young airmen stationed at RAF West Malling wrote on the ceilings of 12 Douces Manor in St Leonards Street. You can see what they wrote and other wartime memorabilia on display between noon and 4pm on Saturday, September 18 and Sunday, September 19.
There is also a new exhibition on the Town Malling Football Club as well as three small displays about Malling Asylum, Fatherwell Hall and West Malling Women's Institute. There is no need to book. Find out more here.
