Inside the Kent you rarely get to see
Ten days of free openings reveal grand houses, underground defences, private rooms and some of the county’s less predictable historic places
Kent is not exactly short of historic places. Castles, cathedrals and country houses litter our county and make up a large part of our economy, as well as a boom for manufacturers of brown road signs.
Many of them will be free to visit from this Friday as part of Heritage Open Days. The annual event runs until 20 September and brings together unique buildings, tours, and exhibitions across the country. Some sites waive their usual admission charges, while others open locations that are usually inaccessible.
Across Kent, some of the most recognisable heritage sites are taking part. Canterbury Cathedral is offering specialist tours of its medieval monastic gardens, while places like St Augustine's Abbey and Sissinghurst Castle Garden are also opening for free.
On the other side of the county, Knole, Ightham Mote, and Emmetts Garden are offering free admission on selected dates for those without a National Trust membership. Chartwell is running free events about the people who worked for the Churchill family and maintained the estate.
Visitors will have the chance to go inside the towers at Reculver rather than just staring up at them from below. Thanet has a remarkable 36 events across Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate, and the surrounding villages, giving locals plenty to explore without going too far.
These places alone offer a solid tour of Kent's tourist attractions for free. But we like to dig a little deeper, and the more interesting possibilities seem to exist in the places that few of us even know are there.
We went through the full Kent programme to find the places genuinely worth a closer look. Register free to see what made the cut.
