Heritage Open Days 2024
Celebrating our Heritage!
Sept 7th - Sept 15th
Immerse yourself in a captivating lineup of events at Maker Heights, as part of England's largest festival of history and culture, Heritage Open Days. This year's theme, "Routes - Networks - Connections," promises to unveil the deeper nature of our heritage.
All events are free - please visit our Heritage Open Days Linktree to book for free ticketed events.
Full event listings below.
You can also download the poster or programme.
Saturday & Sunday 7-8th Sept
32nd Regiment of Foot reenactment group
Live Music: Passing Waves (Jake Calladine) album launch
Learn about the 32nd Cornwall Regiment of Foot, who were stationed at Maker Heights during the 1770’s. Watch live military drills, cannon and musket firings, and listen to talks about what life was like for soldiers and their families based in the Redoubts.
The 32nd Regiment of Foot is a Napoleonic re-enactment and living history group. They recreate what life might have been like for the ordinary Soldier, Officers and their wives and children who were stationed at Maker Heights.
10am - 5pm, with Musket & Cannon Fire 1.30pm-3.30pm.
Barrack Block and Parade Ground
Free access, no booking required.
Jointly arranged by the Rame Conservation Trust and Evolving Places
Passing Waves album launch event with Jake Calladine and Ocean Moon.
Passing Waves is the artist name of songwriter Jake Calladine, a Cornish artist who currently resides in Frome, UK. The album was produced by Jon Tye aka Ocean Moon over the past 7 years and features some of Jake’s best loved songs created with an array of local musicians. Further details here.
Vinyl copies of the album will be available to purchase at the event.
Sun 08/09 2pm- 7pm
Ocean Moon (live electronic set) 3 - 3:30pm
Jake Calladine (live acoustic set) 4.30pm - 5.30pm
Location: Barrack Block / Patchwork Studios
Art Exhibition at Millbrook Chapel of Rest: Bedhow
Molly Erin McCarthy, a.k.a molmor, works across sculpture, installation, digital and interactive media to consider how we form, and are formed by, our physical and philosophical landscapes. She incorporates a wide range of references - from internet culture to the occult - creating cryptic worlds and artefacts existing somewhere between fact and fiction, a process akin to contemporary mythmaking. Exploring themes of reality, progress and power, her works invite you to untangle their familiarity and unknownness.
Instagram: @_molmor
To celebrate The Millbrook Chapel Of Rest becoming a community space, Rame Projects are hosting two artists to showcase their work with two exhibitions across two weekends. Molly Erin McCarthy is the first.
Bedhow - or Graves in Kernewek - explores the palimpsest of histories present in the Rame Peninsula, their alluring and persistent lingering. The exhibition references military sites, religious ruins, and domestic dwellings, merged with celtic and gothic iconography, to create haunting objects existing somewhere both within and outside of time, between here and there. Through this melding the works presented reflect on what’s come before and what is yet to come, the hopes and fears for this place that refuse to lay at rest.
Sat & Sun 11am - 3pm, Millbook Chapel of Rest & Graveyard
Free entry, no booking required.
Tuesday - Sunday, 10 – 15 September
Art Installation: Maker Memories - Dorms project
In 1923, Nancy Astor negotiated with the War Offices to open Maker Heights up to children, for an opportunity to explore nature, gain independence and education, and develop a sense of community and civic pride. Until the 80’s, this was a vital life line for many children - their first true sense of freedom. Many that attended, still remember the metal beds lined up, the wool blankets, games of rounders on the fields…
We are recreating a small portion of the dormitories many of our visitors slept in all those decades ago, with a chance to listen to the stories of those that visited over the last 100 years - courtesy of Maker Memories Project. So come relax into nostalgia in Maker Camp Reception.
Tuesday - Sunday, 10 – 15 September
10am-5pm every day at Maker Camp Reception
Free entry, no booking required.
Campsite Reception at the Nissen Huts
Friday 13 September
Witness the Weird and Wonderful: A Modern Folktale Gathering
Come join us in a World War 2 bunker for an evening filled with magic, mystery, and marvels. Get ready to explore the strange and extraordinary world of modern folklore with fellow enthusiasts. From mythical creatures to urban legends, we've got it all covered!
Bring your own folktales based on the weird and wonderful experiences you've had, and share them with others as we warm ourselves round the campfire. You can also submit a modern folktale you’ve written.
The night will take place in one of the ancient bunkers hidden within the site so wrap up warm, and prepare yourself for any strange happenings that may occur.
Fri 13th Sept, 6pm-8pm
Meet at Barrack Block Visitors Centre to walk to the Anti Aircraft Battery.
Free ticketed event: book here.
Saturday & Sunday 14th & 15th September
Observational Drawing & Mindful Movement workshops
Join the Monumental Improvement project for a day of Observational Drawing and Mindful Movement sessions in two of our Scheduled Monuments located at Maker Heights. Please be aware that attendees will need to be able to walk a short distance over uneven ground.
Sat 10am – 12pm: Observational Drawing session (Morning)
Sat 11am – 12pm: Mindfulness Movements session (Morning)
Sat 1pm – 2pm: Mindfulness Movements session (Afternoon)
Sat 1pm – 3pm: Observational Drawing session (Afternoon)
Free ticketed events: book here.
Organised by Cornwall National Landscape
Thursday 12 September
The Second Armada - Talk with John Manley
Join John Manley for a story that deserves to be re-told and remembered. It is a story of battles at sea, disease, incompetence, panic, and of the day that Cawsand almost got invaded. It is a tale that explains why the Maker fortifications were created. Following this intense tale comes time for questions, and a chance to meet other history enthusiasts.
Thurs 12th Sept, 7pm - 8.30pm
Barrack Block Visitors Centre
Free ticketed event: book here.
Heritage DJs at Garrison Gallery
Friday nights at Garrison Gallery presents Heritage DJs. Offering offer a lavish-yet-affordable handcrafted cocktail menu and a rolling range of locally sourced brews, alongside beautifully curated art-adorned walls.
Fri 13th Sept 6pm - 11.45pm
Garrison Gallery, Barrack Block
Check out Patchwork Studios Events for further music and other events.
Free entry
Art Exhibition at Millbrook Chapel of Rest : May the Winds of Heaven Dance Between You
To celebrate The Millbrook Chapel Of Rest becoming a community space, Rame Projects are hosting two artists to showcase their work with two exhibitions across two weekends. On the second weekend, we welcome Jon Tye, Janine Rook and Huhtamaki Wab as collective ‘Winds of Heaven’.
In reference to the rune of partnership and connection: ‘Gebo’, our title reflects on the Chapel of Rest in a state of liminality, as a site of passing, from life to death and beyond, from a religious space to a deconsecrated space and its possible becomings. We aim to use wind as an element that can both focus and open thoughts about how this passing is continuously making connection while simultaneously letting go, between ourselves as artists, the local community and the spaces we share.
Sat & Sun 11am - 3pm
Free entry, no booking required.
Saturday 14 September
Family Generations: Photo Portraits with Dom Moore
For over 100 years, children have been visiting Maker Heights for a chance to connect with nature, learn new skills, gain independence, and have an amazing time away from home. If you are a family with multiple generations that have connected with the site, come have a FREE portrait taken by the phenomenal Dom Moore. They will be taken on a first come, first serve basis - no need to book. Simply show up with your loved ones and wait a few days for the pictures to be emailed over to you!
Sat & Sun 10am - 3pm
Dom Moore/Studio 15, Barrack Block.
Free, no booking required - just turn up with one or more family members.
Mono Printing Workshop with Helen Round
Join Helen for this exciting in-person, mono printing workshop in her studio at Maker Heights in SE Cornwall. In this workshop you will experiment with mono printing techniques using nature as inspiration to create one off pieces. Play with line, draw with breath and have a go at making marks with your non dominant hand. All materials will be provided. Please bring an apron and something to carry your work home in.
Sat 14th Sept, 10 - 11.30am
Helen Round Studio at the Nissen Huts
Free ticketed event: book here.
Maker Heights Members Annual Gathering & Tour
Join us for our new annual celebration of the year’s events and learn more about the Trust’s ongoing work to restore and care for our heritage at Maker Heights. A great opportunity to Meet the Trustees of Rame Conservation Trust and celebrate all things Maker!
After a short presention and Q&A in the Barrack Block Visitors Centre, there’s an offer of a walking tour around the Redoubts, so bring appropriate footwear and weather gear if you’d like to participate.
Sat 14th Sept, 2pm - 4.30 pm: Meeting in Barrack Block Visitors Centre: 2-3pm, Tour of Redoubts follows at 3pm - 4.30pm
Free ticketed event: book here.
Sunday 15 September: Literary Day
Flax Corn Dolly Workshop
In much of the country, Flax was used to make fabric for all sorts of purposes, and as decoration. Learn about the heritage craft while making corn dollies using flax materials with our experienced instructor - Vicky. This hands-on workshop is perfect for all ages and skill levels. Come and enjoy an afternoon of crafting and socialising with fellow enthusiasts. Don't miss out on this unique opportunity to learn a new skill and create your own beautiful corn dolly to take home!
With Flax Project C.I.C.
Sat 14th Sept,12-3pm
Helen Round Studio at the Nissen Huts.
Free ticketed events: book here.
Writing Workshop at Maker Heights
Inspired by the protected landscape in Cornwall, Maker Heights offers some of the most special geography, geology, flora and fauna in the county. Take part in this hands-on workshop at Maker Heights. The workshop will be lead by Plymouth's Young City Laureate 2023-24: Mimi Jones. Mimi will be taking you through the Cornish Landscape and diving into our connection with nature, memory, and home.
Please meet us at the Visitor Centre where we will then walk around the site and take breaks to write. Please where sensible footwear and prepare yourself for uneven terrain. Bring layers, a coat and walking boots, just in case the weather turns on us! Come prepared to write, share, and learn in a supportive environment. See you there!
Sun 15th Sept, 10.30am - 12.30pm
Visitors Centre, Barrack Block
Free ticketed event: book here.
In partnership with Cornwall National Landscape
Meet the Authors - Cornwall: Beneath and Beyond
Join us at Patchwork Studios for an exciting event where you can meet the authors behind the captivating book, "Cornwall: Beneath And Beyond." Get a chance to engage with the creative minds who brought this stunning work to life. Whether you're a fan of Cornwall, literature, or simply enjoy meeting talented individuals, this event is a must-attend! Come and discover the stories behind the stories, and delve deeper into the enchanting world of Cornwall.
Following this event will be the drawing of names for a Giveaway. Make sure to submit some writing for your chance to win free copies of Cornwall: Beneath and Beyond, and Twelve Stories for Twelve Sections.
Sun 15th Sept, 4pm - 5.30pm
Patchwork Studios, Barrack Block
Free ticketed event: book here.
In partnership with Cornwall Writers
