Staffordshire is a historic and culturally rich county in the West Midlands known for its pottery heritage, scenic countryside, castles, and family-friendly attractions.
Winster Market House is a historic 16th century neoclassical building in Derbyshire featuring an assembly hall now serving as a visitor exhibition centre with displays on the mining history of Winster and a scale model of the village.
Sudbury Hall is a historic Restoration-era English country house in Derbyshire with a renowned Great Staircase and fine art collection, featuring a National Trust Museum of Childhood that offers interactive and child-friendly exhibits within its restored interiors and surrounding grounds.
16–25 Oct
Visitors can wander through Myriad, an inflatable luminarium by Architects of Air, exploring winding tunnels and soaring spaces filled with coloured light. The experience draws inspiration from natural forms, geometry and architecture.
Halesowen Abbey is the ruins of a Premonstratensian abbey founded in 1218 in Halesowen, West Midlands. The site is a scheduled monument and Grade I listed, managed by English Heritage. Visitors can view the ruins from nearby footpaths, though there is no direct public access to the site itself. It reflects medieval monastic history and architecture, with its surrounding lands forming important historical estates.
Birmingham Back to Backs is a historic court of 19th-century back-to-back houses in Birmingham, preserved and restored as a museum showcasing working-class industrial town housing with guided tours across different eras.
Mow Cop Castle is an 18th-century folly built to resemble medieval ruins, located on the border between Cheshire and Staffordshire. It stands on a historic ridge known for ancient quarrying and offers scenic views. The site is owned by the National Trust and is free to visit.
7–11 Oct, 14–18 Oct…
A free spotter activity at Little Moreton Hall invites visitors to look for the wolf on the Moreton family crest and find wolves hidden around the hall and courtyard.
Arbor Low is a well-preserved Neolithic henge monument in Derbyshire, featuring a large limestone stone circle surrounded by earthworks and a ditch. It offers an outdoor archaeological experience showcasing ancient ceremonial structures and links to nearby barrows in a significant prehistoric landscape.
Dudmaston Hall is a 17th-century country house and estate in Shropshire featuring historic architecture, extensive gardens, parkland, woodlands, lakes, and a distinguished collection of modern art. Visitors can explore both indoor historic interiors and outdoor landscaped grounds within a traditional English country estate setting.
11 Oct, 13 Oct…
A volunteer-guided wellbeing walk through Comer Woods, offering gentle exercise and time to enjoy the woodland and chat with other walkers. Participants can visit the café for tea and cake afterwards.
Ilam Park is a 158-acre National Trust country park in Staffordshire featuring the historic Ilam Hall, a Gothic Revival style Grade II* listed building now used as a youth hostel, set amid ancient woodland and scenic river walks.
Sandbach Crosses are two elaborately carved 9th-century Anglo-Saxon stone crosses located in the marketplace of Sandbach, Cheshire. They are outdoor historic monuments known for their religious and Celtic carvings, historically and artistically significant as Grade I listed structures and scheduled ancient monuments.
Sandbach is a historic market town in Cheshire, known for its Saxon crosses, vibrant market tradition, cultural festivals, and rich heritage buildings. It offers a walkable town centre with accessible train and bus services, providing diverse experiences for visitors.
Lilleshall Abbey is a historic ruined Augustinian abbey in Shropshire with substantial 12th and 13th century stone remains set in a large monastic precinct. Visitors can explore the evocative outdoor ruins of the church and domestic buildings, surrounded by a cloister garden. The site is open to the public without charge and managed by English Heritage.
The Nine Ladies is a Bronze Age stone circle on Stanton Moor in Derbyshire, notable for its prehistoric origin, consisting of ten millstone grit stones arranged in a circle around 10.8 meters in diameter. It serves as a significant archaeological and cultural site, attracting visitors interested in ancient monuments and modern Pagan rituals.
Letocetum is a Roman settlement site in Staffordshire featuring ruins of bath houses and mansio buildings, representing a historic military and civilian posting station. Visitors can explore both outdoor ruins and indoor museum displays managed by the National Trust and English Heritage.
The Roundhouse in Birmingham is a rare Victorian industrial heritage site featuring a crescent-shaped former depot and stables, now hosting tours including kayaking, cycling, and walking on the adjacent canal, along with business enterprise spaces.
White Ladies Priory is a historic ruin of a 12th-century Augustinian priory near Brewood, Shropshire, known for its medieval church remains, Romanesque architecture, and its role in the escape of King Charles II. It offers outdoor exploration of the priory ruins and the surrounding historic landscape, with year-round public access.
Kinver Edge is a historic heath and woodland escarpment on the Staffordshire-Worcestershire border, featuring England's last inhabited rock houses open for tours, Iron Age hillforts, and scenic walking and biking trails through diverse natural habitats.
Norbury Manor is a historic 17th-century manor with an adjoining medieval hall house, known as The Old Manor, located in Norbury, Derbyshire. The site features distinctive medieval architecture, a herb garden, and the Old Manor is open to visitors seasonally.
Shugborough Hall is a Grade I listed historic stately home and museum in Staffordshire, England, featuring opulent 18th-century interiors, a working model farm, rare farm animals, and notable follies with classical and Chinese themes in extensive grounds.
7 Oct–1 Nov (another 23 days)
An exhibition of recently conserved watercolours explores Thomas Anson’s vision for Shugborough Estate, including paintings of its monuments by Nicholas Dall, Moses Griffith and Edward Jones.
Croxden Abbey is a historic 12th-century Cistercian abbey ruin in Staffordshire, England, offering visitors an outdoor experience of its extensive archaeological remains and architecture managed by English Heritage.
Little Moreton Hall is a historic 16th-century half-timbered moated manor house near Congleton, Cheshire. It features well-preserved Tudor architecture, extensive gardens, and a famous Long Gallery. Visitors can explore the restored house interiors, enjoy the gardens, and dine in the on-site restaurant, making it a comprehensive historic and outdoor experience.
7–11 Oct, 14–18 Oct…
Visitors can use a free spotter guide to explore the wall paintings and protective marks at Little Moreton Hall, learning about Tudor interior design and how conservators care for historic paintings.
Moseley Old Hall is a historic house and museum in Staffordshire, notable as a hiding place of Charles II during his escape in 1651. Visitors can explore the restored early 17th-century hall with period furniture and an enclosed 17th-century-style garden, all managed by the National Trust.
Boscobel House is a historically significant Grade II* listed building in Shropshire, known for its role in protecting Charles II after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Visitors can explore timber-framed house interiors with original and Victorian exhibits, extensive formal gardens, and the famous Royal Oak tree on the grounds.
Gib Hill is a large Neolithic burial mound in Derbyshire, featuring an Early Bronze Age round barrow and forming part of a prehistoric monument complex near Arbor Low henge.
The Royal Oak in Boscobel Wood, Shropshire, is the historic English oak tree where King Charles II hid to escape after the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Visitors can explore the outdoor site near Boscobel House and learn about its significance in British history, including related traditions and commemorations.
Wightwick Manor is a Victorian era Arts and Crafts house near Wolverhampton, showcasing original William Morris designs and a significant Pre-Raphaelite art collection, set in 17 acres of gardens and woodland with an additional De Morgan Gallery in the adjoining Old Manor. It is owned by the National Trust and open to the public with a café and shops onsite.